A good friend and I went on a 3-day vacation down to Carmel-Monterey area, and our hotel was about 5 minutes away from here. It was the very first beach of several beaches that we stopped at and it was very memorable. The parking wasn't an issue at all. Just as we got there just as the sun was setting, and it was picture perfect! We walked down some nice rustic wooden stairs down to the sand. The sand was really soft, and as the night came, we noticed that there were firepits being lit, which was really nice. Our puppy had a ball running up and down the beach and near the water. There weren't very many dogs, but it was late in the evening, so that I can understand. Overall; It was a very pleasant surprise, a lovely, beach with soft sand, firepits, and a beautiful view of the sunsetting and the modern homes on the beachfront (which I didn't mention earlier) and it's dog friendly! :) read more

A nice beach...That's what I have to say about it. Easy to find parking lots and to enjoy. The only downside is that it there is not places for shower read more

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I was fortunate enough to spend the last 40 years of my life living and working in this gorgeous area. Much of my time was spent walking my dog along this beach, or just sitting on a towel listening to the sounds of the waves. The sand is perfect for walking along. The condos along the beach are very unique and the hotel is right on the beach. Such a great place. read more

I love that this beach is dog friendly but finding parking is terrible! Plus it can be crowded and dogs are off leash when they are not supposed to. read more

Great Beach!! The beach is close to town, easy access and parking!!! I grabbed a "to go dinner" and headed to Del Monte Beach. I loved relaxing on one of the park benches, eating my dinner and watching the sun go down over the majestic ocean!! read more

Del Monte Beach - Beaches Near Me - Monterey, California

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Del Monte Beach is a hidden gem known to Monterey Bay locals. It's tucked away from the main streets and located on the back side of a coastal housing community. Forget about parking anywhere close on a Sunday but like last night all I can hear the waves crashing I can feel the breeze kick up and die down. There's a sign I says remove all the granite rock I didn't see one piece of granite the removal must be coming along good LOL see you on the beach read more

I hope that was a dog poo because if not... Cheese and crackers!!! Brother I was in real bind when I hoofed it on over to this sandy strip. It curves around the bay betwixt the land and the water and baby, it's well positioned for the surf! I was all set to strip down to my long johns and get my feet wet when a gaggle of chubby checkers walked on by. I looked this way and that and holy heck! There's homeless chaps all about. They're all begging for scratch and stinking up the place. Any hoooot. I gots me the hell out of there right quick and beat the streets north a ways. I can't say I like a beach all jammed up with the homeless lads and lassies. There was more than one used jimmy hat oozing in the sand and broken glass all abouts. Keep your wits about you kids. This place is like an outdoor soup kitchen. read more

I went to Del Monte beach during covid it was such a great 2days in Monterrey.Me and my family went there I loved it it was my first time at the beach.I will go there again. read more

Del Monte Beach - This is where went walked down to get to the beach. - Beaches Near Me - Monterey, California

DO NOT PARK IN THE SMALL PARKING LOT IN FRONT OF THE BEACH!!! First off, I'm not giving this low rating for the beach. I love it here . . . this is the beach located right next to Fishermans Wharf and directly in front of the kayaking place. I'm always out here for my son's paddling practice and my beach runs. Not the best beach in the area but its dog friendly, clean, and a great spot to see amazing views. My issue is with the small parking lot in front of the beach. Lately, our canoe group has been having so many issues with the homeless people that hang out by the trees close to the parking lot area. I'm sick and tired of the men trying to holla at me. I'm sick and tired of all of them yelling at us for "taking over their beach". And I'm sick and tired of them scaring the kids (and us adults!) while they're arguing with each other or sometimes to themselves and screaming out every cuss word they know in every language. IM SICK OF IT!! They have been so brave in the last couple months. Last week a female knocked on my car window demanding to use my phone. And today, while we were washing the canoes we got to see them take down a tree branch by using a pocket knife and pulling it down. One of the females had her pants pulled down while she was hanging on the tree branch. She had no underwear on! This area needs to be patrolled more often and our group has called in issues several times. Cops come out and the homeless group gets a warning but thats about it. There are other places to park . . . I would avoid parking here and walking through the tree area to get to the beach!! It smells like piss in that area....you'll thank me later. Seriously, great beach but just avoid those areas!!! read more

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Love this beach. Not too crowded on a week day, not sure about during the weekend. Great view, everyone was friendly. Lots of off leash dogs, not sure what the rules are but was happy to let mine run and enjoy with me. read more

Del Monte Beach - Beaches Near Me - Monterey, California

Del Monte Beach is a low-key beach with friendly people and is dog-friendly. This beach is good for families and when the weather is right a perfect place to catch a few waves or have a picnic. When I take my dog to the beach this is where I would take Bixby... Carmel Beach is my favorite along with Asilomar but Carmel is over crowded especially on a nice (which is rare - but this year we've had great weather) day. Great place to go for a walk or a jog. read more

I have to disagree with the previous reviewer. This beach is nothing but the opposite of beautiful. I think its the people that make this beach filled with trash, weird people, making it look sooo dirty. Because my boyfriend and I live so close to the area, we like to go walking after work and enjoy the sunshine when its out. Every single time we have gone, it is crowded with a bunch of crazy people. Okay ghetto people may be more of an appropriate word. I think the nicer part of this beach is closer to wharf, and not where the brown condos are located. Like everyone said, one of my favorite beaches is the carmel beach, but driving there and back is a hassle, so the closest one is this one. I only go to this beach as a last resort type thing now. read more

I love this beach! Not always clean, but always fun. You can have Bon fires, drink booze, and stay out til like 11pm (that's when the cops come through and run everyone out. As a reminder, no glass bottles or tobacco on the beach please! Great time! Oh, there are never enough fire rings, so just dig a hole, build your fire, and have fun! Oh, if you do it this way, be sure you also put the fire out with water! Sand will just insulate the heat and could be dangerous for little kids digging in the sand. read more

Del Monte Beach - Beaches Near Me - Monterey, California

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1) Del Monte beach, from my understanding, is a pretty big beach, ranging from Fisherman's Wharf all the way up into Seaside. Naturally there are going to be good spots and bad. Personally, I think the areas closest to the Wharf are the dirtier, not-so-nice parts. As you get further north, and further from the tourists, there is less trash, less graffiti, less homeless people, etc. 2) This is the only beach in Monterey that I'm aware of that allows bonfires (I believe one in Carmel does as well). Law states you can only be out there until 10pm but this is not strictly enforced. Alcohol is allowed (just no glass) and it is dog-friendly. Personally I love this beach and love living a stone's throw from it. :) read more

Best directions ever: From Monterey - Go on Del Monte Boulevard, turn left at Casa Verde Ave. Continue driving up the hill and keep right at the fork (it's a one way so you can't go anywhere else). Drive straight until you hit the last street, then turn left and park. From Seaside - Go on Del Monte Boulevard, turn right at Casa Verde Ave. Follow above directions. Next time I think we'll hang out at night and build a bonfire, which is a cool plus. The beach was so littered with trash that we couldn't take our shoes off for fear that we would step on glass or other unsavory objects. The abundance of seaweed and sea kelp piled on the beach meant a never-ending swarm of flies and bees. And the random homeless people sleeping on the beach was kind of scary. We managed to clear a spot and sit to watch the waves. Maybe it's because we went on a Monday, but there weren't that many people, so we were able to enjoy some peace and quiet. Until the bees attacked us. Then we ran for our lives. read more

Very cool beach! Pro's: -Ample parking, but keep in mind your sharing some of the spots with local home owners/rents/folks on vacation so you might have to circle the area a few times unless you get here early. -Lots of benches and tables. -Good view of Monterey. Con's -Lots of chard particles throughout the beach, due to bonfires. -Based on the location, the sand gets blown all over the place, so make sure not to leave a lot of things out. Overall, I liked this beach and would come back the next time I'm in the area. read more

Small beach that is NOT crowded. Loved it! Bonus, there's a taco truck across the street that has food, snacks, and BEER! Brilliant! read more

Del Monte Beach - Beaches Near Me - Monterey, California

Had a great time with our dogs. They were able to run free without any issue. Tides aren't crazy, so they can play with relative ease. A bon fire at night was a great way to end the day. read more

Del Monte Beach - Beach bon fire - Beaches Near Me - Monterey, California

We had an amazing day! It was wonderful westher, the beach was so clean and we seen a whale!! I must say it was an amazing experience. read more

Del Monte Beach - Beaches Near Me - Monterey, California

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One of the last beaches in the area I"ve visited since it's pretty well hidden from the main road in Monterey as you can see in the pictures and it's a pretty steep climb I've never wanted to make on a bike. Only reason I finally made it here is because I heard there were Orca's attacking a gray whale close to this beach but couldn't really see them since they were way too far away when I got there. Anyways, pretty much the same as the Monterey State Beach since it connects with it on the north and south side. Only difference from what I can tell is that it's more of a hassle getting to this beach from the street because of the steep hill. There's no steep hill to climb if you enter beach north or south of Del Monte Beach entrance. You can actually run all the way from the wharf there in Monterey all the way to Marina or further since it's a pretty wide beach and it's one long strip as you can see in the pictures. Also this beach is the start of where you can bring dogs to the beach so I'm guessing more popular with dog owners. It's pretty clean and no bums sleeping on beach as you can see in my pictures but they tend to hang out near Monterey municipal beach which is the south end of the beach which isn't technically Del Monte Beach so people probably meant to review that beach. Also a good spot to take pictures of planes taking off from airport since they fly right overhead. read more

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What a beautiful beach! Lots of parking, a beautiful walkway, great view of Monterey. The beach is pretty nice to walk on, but has lots of little charred pieces of wood, I guess from bonfires. Definitely worth a visit! read more

We have gone here everyday on our little birthday mini vacay. And we have really enjoyed it. The kids are able to play and we can just sit back and relax while watching them have fun. Both the husband and I have also commented on how we love that the single road Casa Verde to Surf Way is great being it's a one way, and basically wraps around like a long round a bout. Lots of public parking and pretty easy steps to get the the beach easily. My husband and daughter did see a poor dead seal being eaten by vultures but it didn't seem to detour our trip, they understand the cycle of life. I will say the kids thoroughly enjoyed watching a the seals jumping and swimming so near shore! Although we don't have any, it seems to be a very dog friendly beach. read more

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A great beach to take a walk on. Pets are allowed and "poop" bags are provided at the entrance from the boardwalk. It is a beautiful view of the city of Monterey. If you walk toward the pier, Del Monte Beach ends just at the curve and the Monterey Municipal Beach begins. read more

Love!! Dogs allowed on leash. Clean. Sandy beach. Kids had a blast on the dunes, in the waves, building sand castles, flying kites, frisbee. read more

Del Monte Beach - Beaches Near Me - Monterey, California

This beach has a lot of washed-up seaweed, and rocks with porous holes in them. I found a nice empty sea snail shell, and another pretty shell with something living inside (tossed that one back into the water). There was something really odd though, which were the 10-20+ dead bird carcasses that lay along this beach, a variety of species. It was really weird and sad. I think birds go here to die, or somehow they just end up washing up on this leg of the beach. I saw a bird still alive, on the shore and half in the water, but it was laying in the sand and watching the beach with semi-closed eyes, as if it were awaiting death. I approached it and it didn't even move. Life man. This beach was interesting yet depressing. read more

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Being born and raised in Monterey, CA I am particular when it comes to the central coast. This is my absolute favorite beach in the west. It's old and I don't care never did. Love Santa Cruz, Pleasure Point and Capitola Beach too. Pismo Beach and Florence Oregon fantastic for dirt bike riding grew up doing that. I know people say San Francisco or Southern CA. Not to me, the beach it's self I've always loved Del Monte Beach. I ran it every morning for years growing up with my parents, alone and now with my husband. I've been to the Oregon and WA coast lines and Del Monte Beach remains my favorite even over Carmel. The only beach in the entire world that's chilling and scary at times is Monastery Beach on HWY 1 in Carmel CA. It's at the mouth of the Carmel River(great for crawdads in Big Sur) and has an instant cliff drop only a mile long and half moon shaped extremely deceiving, I went in once and crawled out never will go near it again. Del Monte Beach I ran all the time. Got dicey a few times when high tide hit and I was halfway between Monterey and Seaside. Was knocked over by a high tide wave luckily got out of that one. Chased by many different seals usually panicked from being chased by a shark there are lots of them great whites in particular in Monterey Bay. My parents have also experienced this last summer an elephant seal came ashore and chased them out of the way until it felt safe. My family laughs because as far as the ocean goes they love it, I don't. I like the shore. I used to love running it when no one was around. I usually ran into this older man with a cane the only person I saw for miles. The beach spans from the Monterey Wharf(1) to Seaside. I used to go all the way then stop at my great aunts house near Robert's Lake in Seaside. She would walk with me back and then I would drop her off. She never had a driver's license and man did she know the history of Monterey and Cannery Row. Parking used to be great, but not in recent years I come back to visit a few times a year now. The wind isn't to bad most of times and the sunrises are still beautiful there. My friends in NV that grew up here always asked why I moved and I tell them the one draw back and it still is humidity I detest it. They seem to love Monterey I always suggest Del Monte Beach and good feedback most of the the time. I also like Pajaro Dunes near where my father was born, again I don't dip a toe in that bay never will. read more

you guys know nothing about "ghetto" I live in Salinas, lived in the north, east and south side of it i know how "ghetto" looks and this is not it. view is great day or night, i always go boogie boarding when i can there. read more

I don't get the bad reviews. This beach is nowhere near ghetto (that I have seen) and is actually quite nice. I like that you can bonfire here and the fact that they have fire pits. I went here on Tuesday night with some friends after the Wharf to just walk around a little bit before heading back to San Jose. It was a nice night out and I like that you have a nice view of lights along the Wharf and Cannery Row. We were approached by 2 people seeing if we wanted to crash their bonfire but we opted not to, of course. They weren't creepy or anything, just some young college aged kids like ourselves that were there. I like that you don't have to walk forever and a day to get to the beach here. I know how much that sucks when trying to bring down all kinds of stuff to bonfire. Check it out and see for yourself. read more

My favorite beach in the Monterey area. I live in Marina and the state beach there is not ideal for swimming and it is typically foggy all the time. Del Monte Beach is perfect for the kids to swim, perfect for my husband to spearfish and perfect for me to relax. It always seems to be sunny here too. Just beware of parking, I unload the family and our things, then park on the street or across the street to avoid the $10.00 fee. read more

I was told to come to Del Monte as I would find sea glass here for art.... not the case. The beach did have a fair amount of trash, no sea glass. The location is convenient for those visiting Monterrey, however not the best beach I've been to in the area. read more

Very nice Beach. Super clean and very relaxing. I love that it is dog friendly.

Tourist leave all there trash,why? Us locals have to pick it up. The city just burys it under the sand. Please pack it in pack it out

Nice, clean beach right next to Fisherman's Wharf. Was able to see sea lions and sea otters in the distance. Soft sand, not many people, and clear water. The only down side was that there were no picnic tables or any seating so we had to sit in the sand, but it's not a very big con. Overall, I would recommend this beach! read more

We were here a few days ago and had a great time. Perfect weather, clean beach, and life guards driving by often to check if everyone was safe. Its the best beach in monterey near cannery row. read more

Had a BBQ out by the volleyball courts it was fun and games til a lady walking by left her dog poop in the sand, well in her defense she covered it with sand. There was people constantly going through the trash looking for cans which is good since there are no recycle cans. No one bothered our group and we found parking easily. I would say a good day! read more

Almost always busy & dirty, littered with debris to attract seagulls and full of a strange combo of tourists, locals trying to have low-budget beach parties & the homeless. Parking has to be paid for. Not the best beach. read more

Pretty beach. Pretty views. Next to all of the restaurants of Monterey. But smells like piss everywhere! I don't know if this is the "bathroom" for people but wow it stinks. :/ Don't expect to have a nice "lay on the nice warm sandy beach" kind of day because you will seriously think you are sitting in piss-saturated sand. (I made this mistake and had to get up and leave because it was too much for me to handle.) I live here so this is not just a one time smell thing. It's every single time I am in the area of this beach. I do my daily walk/runs on the path following the entire beach starting from del monte beach down into seaside and the second I come into the area of del monte beach it reeks. Gross! (Ps.. You also have the awful smell of the small lake across the street from the beach, but this is a different smell altogether.) The beach is huge so I would go down way further starting near the casa verde road beach area into sand city and even slightly into seaside side of the beach. Not as many tourists and no smell! I think del monte beach is just a little too touristy and smells because of it! read more

Took my dog there a couple days ago, hoping to get a nice walk. Saw a lot of seaweed along the way, nothing special. However, I started to see one dead bird wrapped inside the seaweed, terrifying. Then I walked back right away, and realized the entire path I just walked, had at least six dead birds in the piles of seaweed. I wish I did not notice the first one, maybe I could have enjoyed it. No, will never go back again. read more

Great beach! My go-to beach in Monterey. It is a BIG BEACH, which may explain some of the negative comments, though I have hiked most of it and never encountered much trash or bad odors. Dog friendly, clean, easier to find parking than most. It slopes gently so it is great for wading or swimming. There is often a lot of kelp washed up, especially after a storm. Not much driftwood, so bring your own wood for outdoor fires. It faces North, so you can look out to sea without sunglasses. Last Summer I saw a pod of baby dolphins swim by several times every day I was there. Also good for bird watching. This is a quiet beach, a ridge-line separates it from the highway and busy Del Monte Avenue which eliminates most auto noise. read more

Great beach overall. Nice and breezy. The parking is ample but bit of on expensive side. I am going back here next time for family summer fun time. See ya beach. read more