There is a beach right next to the behemoth Morro Rock in Morro Bay, CA. The beach access and parking is totally free. Yup, FREE. Sandy three mile stretch of beach from the Rock to the camp grounds. There are lifeguards on duty, all ready with their gear ready to save a life. I know they are there daily in the summer, not sure about the other months. This is a popular spot with surfers. Good waves. Another tidbit to know is that there are restroom located in the parking lot. Also smack in the middle of the lot is the California State Historical Marker #821-Morro Rock. I think it's worth a quick stop to read the plaque, take a quick moment to soak in the gorgeous direct view of the rock and not to get all sentimental but also reflect on the past, present and future. Another another tidbit is that dogs and horses are not allowed on the beach due to the protected shorebird habitat such as the western snowy plover that nest from March-September and live here. Service dogs on a leash are allowed though. But so many folks broke the rule once the lifeguards left for the day. Ironic, people want wildlife and nature to be able to visit and enjoy but don't want to follow the rules that protect all those things they enjoy. Go figure?! read more

Morro Strand State Beach - Beaches Near Me

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The last time I was at this beach, I was only 2 years old, so I don't have any memory of it. Last year, I decided I wanted to take a trip here with my family. I've lived in California most of my life and have been to almost every beach, so it's funny that this one in Morro never really came to mind especially since it's not that far from us. When I finally came last year, I really enjoyed it. The beach was clean, beautiful, and peaceful. There were lots of sand dollars along the shore and even some wildlife, which made it feel even more special. Since that first trip, we've come back about four more times. There's just something about this place that makes me feel calm and at peace every time I'm here. read more

This is my place of peace! Where I feel most connected to God! I love to just come and sit and breathe in the air and relax! read more

Morro Strand State Beach - Beaches Near Me

Beach Please It's funny, because we've been coming here for years and I've always proclaimed that this is my favorite beach in Cali--but I always forget that "Morro-Strand State Beach" is the official name. I always called it "Morro Rock Beach," as I'm sure many others have, as well. But, I digress... The Good: *It's a beach! *Free! *Always great weather here in Morro Bay, as we even come here to visit in the winter. *With the visage of the Morro Rock in the background, it really is one of the picturesque beaches imo. *Plenty of parking, as we just discovered there's actually two lots to park here. *Restrooms *Always lots of shorebirds and wildlife abound. *Surfing is a very popular activity here *Fishing allowed *Campgrounds available *Just a short walk to Downtown Morro Bay with plenty of shopping and restaurants. The Meh: *It can get busy during the summer months but it's still not bad compared to some places we've been. The Ugly: *Dogs are **only** allowed on the campgrounds but nobody seems to follow this rule and it is not heavily enforced from what I've gathered. Conclusion: Great beach with great views in our favorite part of Cali. read more

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My wife and I came to Morro beach on a random Thursday afternoon and it was empty. We saw a few people here and there but it was relaxing coming here on a work week. This place is well-maintained -- no trash or garbage around the beach. Wonderful to relax and get away from the business of life. Beautiful waters and the Morro rock is so visible. Perfect for photography. read more

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Easy access to the beach, maybe 200yds or so from parking lot to water (low tide). It was a nice expansive area, pretty vacant the day I attended due to the much cooler weather! The beach seems to be littered with sand dollars, which was pretty cool to find on the stroll. The only thing that would have me hesitant to return is the area definitely came with a significant smell. (Think of hanging out in the middle of a bunch of sea lions, without any actual sea lions around.) Not sure if it was the sand or what. Not unbearable, but also not pleasant! read more

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Beautiful beach with the most gorgeous sunsets! Great place to walk your dog (leashed). I love photography and you can capture some amazing reflections here! read more

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Morro Strand State Beach is a super great beach. It has hard sand that is great for running. It is also as one could say, other worldly. Especially when it is foggy out. This beach is probably best for running. Sometimes you'll even see some peeps riding horses on the beach. read more

Nothing soothes the spirit like a walk on the beach. It's time to "seas" the day! Morro Strand State Beach is located in Morro Bay, less than fifteen miles north of the city of San Luis Obispo. It is off the scenic and renowned CA Highway 1. The beach is a large expanse of soft sand with dunes alive with native plants and grasses that stretches from Morro Rock north to Cayucos. Tourists and locals come to enjoy the chill atmosphere, good waves, and get a break from the heat. There are many parking areas available from the large main parking lot, to parking along the southbound side of Highway 1. The beach frequently offers amazing sunrises and sunsets that will improve any mood, and invigorate & renew one's psyche. Sky above, sand below, peace within. read more

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This section of coastline goes on quite a way and it is beautiful! Just to the north of the famous Morro Bay Rock lies a strand of beach that is perfect for surfers, sandcastles, picnics, and even a few sprinkles of tidepools. You can get to the beach from several spots, whether it be parking lots or street access. A couple of spots have stairs leading down to the beach or sandy trails. Depending on the section of beach you decide to put yourself (and the day) depends on how big of a crowd, however this area is not typically too crowded. And, as far as I know, the parking is free for the entire beach. If you've never seen a Central Coast beach or their amazing sunsets.... you are definitely missing out on our gorgeous state! I love you California! CHEERS! read more

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I hesitantly write this as the Glamping world has become over inundated in the last couple of years. But then it's not very namaste of me to keep such things to myself. I think Morro Strand State Beach campsites are gems. They have multiple fully paved full hook up sites in addition to non-hook up and standard camping sites. It's extremely close to the beach with bathrooms far enough from the road where you only hear the ocean at night. The beach adjacent to the campground does not allow dogs as it is a protected area for nesting birds. But the ones on either side do allow dogs. Dogs are allowed on the campsites so long as they are leashed and/or in confined spaces. The full hook up sites don't have a fire ring, but The standard size do. Check the park website for what is/isn't allowed in each site. read more

Morro Strand State Beach - Beaches Near Me

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My favorite way to access this beach is by kayaking across Morro Bay. I'm not sure this is a great beach for families to come hang out, but I always enjoy a hike across the strand to the oceanside beach. read more

The beaches along the Central Coast of California are lovely. I prefer most of them over the beaches in Southern California because there tend to be less folks here. Although, the day we were at Morro Strand State Beach, it was filled with many people. Still, it was a nice getaway. The beach is long and flat. I strolled along the portion of the beach closer to Morro Rock. The views were awesome,, and the weather was perfect that afternoon. Spend some time at Morro Strand State Beach to relax and chill. You won't regret it. read more

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*****Campground Review***** Booked site 78 a few weeks in advance of our March 2021 stay. Our stay was a Sat-Mon stay and while Sat-Sun was full, the remainder of the stay we shared the entire campground with maybe another 6 families. We camped in a 20 ft trailer (tongue included) in the non-hook up part of the campground. It was a tight squeeze to the trailer in. Once the weekend crowd left we had the lot to ourselves. There were 12mph winds during our stay, enough to blow papers away....but not anything that kept us up at night. I hear it can get very windy. The neighboring tents did fine. The bathroom was clean, no soap, but plenty of toilet paper. There were spigots sprinkled through out the lot. The site really is a glorified parking lot, but it is a glorified parking lot near a long stretch of sand and beach. That is where this site earned its stars. No fancy amenities to speak of, but a short walk to a beautiful beach and views of morro rock. The kids loved searching for silver dollars...and they brought home buckets of them. We did dump at Moro Bay campground for free. We had filled our tanks in advance(at home) and were able to shower that way. Your reservation includes access to Morro Bay Campground in case you want to make the 10 min drive there to shower. No frills campground. Basics like a fire pit and picnic table were at each site. The hook up sites included e/w/s but no fire pits. The campground host said folks are welcome to bring their own wood burning or propane pits. The ocean view and access is what is the perk here. read more

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The small town of Morro Bay is a real gem with easy access to a vast beachfront right next to HWY 1. Gorgeous ocean views with soft sandy beach full of sand dollars. Great for a wide range of activities including surfing, horseback riding, running, walking the dogs, or simply to hang out and enjoy the view. Sunset at the Morro Strand is especially memorable as one watches the sun slowly 'sinking' into the ocean. read more

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This campground has perfect views of Morro Rock and perfect beach access. Went the first weekend of December. The weather was perfect during the day, nice and sunny and about 50 degrees once the sun went down. We were lucky to find a campsite a few days before going. We were at campsite "C". Right by the restrooms and access to the beach. Perfect!! The site had a good enough space to pitch a tent and sit around the fire pit at night. Although we had a roof top tent. There's about 80 campsites. Some for tenters and some for RV's with and without hookup. We walked along the beach to Morro Bay State Park which was about 4 miles back and forth. The only downside is that they don't have showers but you can go to Morro Bay State campground and shower there for free. Will definitely come back here!! read more

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We love this beach. The scenery is gorgeous. There is always plenty of room to relax and the atmosphere can't be beat.

One million sand dollars ~ One of the highlights on my recent trip to the Central Coast was to visit the Morro State beach with the family. This was like Easter in January, but rather than finding eggs, your kids find sand dollars. It's not difficult, they're everywhere. In fact, it's hard not to step on them because they're scattered so densely on the beach. Tip - Access the sand dollar beach from the Morro Bay Sunset parking lot ( at the end of Azure Street). This is the best place for sand dollars. read more

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If I could give this place 6 stars I would. My husband and I went here for a rest after a stormy whaling trip, and we found a beautiful windy beach with no other people, but there were thousands of sand dollars! I had so much fun collecting a bunch, very gently piling them up in a bucket :D read more

One of two state parks in Moro Bay, Morrow Strand State Beach is totally the better beach - at least for my money ;-) The beach is flat, long, and perfect for walking and/or jogging on. We came here recently on a lovely sunny morning and we almost had the entire beach to ourselves. Tip: It's easy to get here - just take the exit right off PCH. This beach is great for sunning, chillin', surfing, or just relaxing. It's simply beautiful here, and if you like you can also stroll from the beach into the village of Morro Bay. We visited the village in the afternoon, and visited their regular farmer's market, which has a number of craft booths and certified organic produce sellers. If you take the trouble to synch your visit to the beach it makes a really nice counterpoint to a day enjoying the surf and sand :-) read more

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Morro Strand is a lovely beach that goes on for miles. Any spot on this beach is a good spot, even the furthest North that is the dog beach. The stairs were in good condition, albeit a bit overgrown from the recent Spring rains. There were doggy bags at the top of stairs that appeared to be refilled regularly. We brought our cart for my oldest dog in case she got tired of the walk - which she did. We folded it up and carried it down the stairs with us. Nobody bothered it when we left it at the end of the stairs. Overall everyone that was on the dog beach were kind and considerate. All the dogs were well behaved. Miss Penny and her brother Jackson loved the beach. Their first time seeing the Pacific Ocean was a real treat. One I'll always remember! read more

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Beautiful spot. Really gorgeous. Customer service is terrible. Makes me embarrassed to be a California resident. The entrance kiosk closes at 3:30pm.. (why would you do that when check-in doesn't start until 2pm?). Then, they charged us $20 for our tow vehicle because we arrived at 4:15pm after their dumb office hours and because they didn't physically see us tow the car in. So it was deemed a separate vehicle and we were charged accordingly. The California State Park system needs to get their collective acts together. If budget cuts require reduced hours, open from 11am to 7pm. Not 8am to 3:30pm when nobody can arrive even if they wanted to read more

This bad rating is not against Morro Strand, but the outside company they use for bookings. The State uses Reserve California, a contract company. We had a reservation and had to cancel before the date. However the Microsoft crash impacted their computers and they claimed they could not cancel and could not return all the money because the system was down. It's 5 days later and they still cannot cancel it and now say it's our fault for not canceling on time (We tried 4 days before the start of the reservation) and now they will only return less than half of the 8 days and that it's our fault. I don't who else is having trouble with this contract company and we have not found a manager to talk to there that will listen to us. In the future we will only be using county parks or national parks if the State keeps using Reserve America. I encourage anyone else who has trouble with Reserve America to do the same. read more

The Apple/Google map location for Morro Strand State Beach is wrong. Whoever setup the map pin for this location made an error that leads you to Studio Drive, almost 3 miles north of the actual entrance to Morro Strand. Luckily there was a family outside of their home on Studio Drive that pointed me down the road, to the next stop light which is Yerba Buena St, leading down to the campground entrance. As if the spectacularly terrible GPS directions weren't enough, once you arrive to the parking lot you will notice it is also your campsite, lol. read more

I thought I was still in Cayucos! It feels like it's at the south end of town and it's before we see a sign on South 1 that says Morro Bay City Limits. We like to stop here as it's not a very crowded beach. The beach is sandy and great for a stroll, run or walking the dog on the packed wet sand. No fee to park. There are clean restrooms at the entrance. There are usually sand dollars washed up on the sand after the tide goes out, at least when we visit! read more

Morro Strand State Beach - Beaches Near Me

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Beautiful place you can stack rocks on top of each other and build your own foundation great food boating clean waters read more

Morro Strand State Beach - The rock area - Beaches Near Me

This is a gorgeous stretch of Central California coastline. Great for surfing, sunning, running your dog freely on the sand. Lot's of locals - very friendly and polite. More than adequate parking plus clean restroom facilities. Check it out read more

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My boyfriend and I visited this beach 3 times in 2 days because we liked it so much. The views are just stunning, there were literally HUNDREDS of sand dollars to look at, and there was plenty of space, parking, and DOGS. I love beaches with dogs. We were staying at an airbnb just up the road so we loved being able to walk down to the beach. This was definitely a superb highlight of our trip. The views of Morro Rock were just amazing, even at night it was somehow lit up and a beautiful thing to get to see. read more

Such a beautiful beach! It was foggy when we first got here with the surfers and boogie boarders, but the sun came out around 11. Parking is free and it's just a small walk to the beach. We came on a Wednesday and it was super quiet. We felt like we had the beach to ourselves! Beautiful sand and beautiful waves! read more

Morro Strand State Beach - Thousands of sand dollars and shells! - Beaches Near Me

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I should have known something was amiss when there were only a few beach goers that sunny afternoon, and I didn't find a single beach umbrella in sight. It was so windy that our beach umbrella would not stay in place, and I ended up eating sand every time I tried to open my mouth. Worst beach experience ever! I've been to other beaches on much windier weather, but it was never like my experience at Morro Strand. Ugh! read more

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Yeah for last minute deciding on where to stay. and not knowing the area, someone at Morro Bay rv dunes told us about this place and Morro bay S.P. too to camp. The ranger lady was very nice too and she let me drive through to see what spots were opened. We decided to camp Saturday night. Weather was great, we had some noisy people near us, but all in all it was pleasant for driving in and no reservation. I guess after Oct 6, its first come first serve here. Late at night about 2:30 am the high tides came in and they were so loud, we were praying it wasn't going to come into the camp. lol it didn't but was very cool to listen. We had rare huge waves last weekend with a storm from up north. so this was cool. We went for a walk in the am on the beach and gathered sand dollars. Saw some jelly fish on shore too, watch out. Lots of seaweed of course. Beautiful morning walk too, we loved it. I took away a star because the bathrooms are horrible. Filthy no showers, there is an outlet in bathroom if you need to blow dry hair or something.They recommend you to go to Morro Bay SP to use their showers. I think we will camp there next time. This was a good place for a last minute though. Won't say we will not camp again here, it is on the beach!!! as we might again. But if you want a nicer campground, check out Morro Bay SP. All in all, it was pretty good. We bought wood at the market for $5 which is about 1 mile or less from here. Spencers Market. read more

Morro Strand State Beach - Beaches Near Me

Just spent 4 days/3 nights at this campground! PROS: Amazing views of the ocean if you secure a Premium campsite! Our campsite was large and had tons of shrubbery for privacy. Various beach access paths available. We had one very close on either side of our site. Both the campground hosts ( we had a different gentleman on night 1 and night 3) were very nice and helpful. Very clean campground, well maintained, and well lit in the evenings. Restrooms stay open all night, are pretty clean, and are lit 24 hours. CONS: Very aggressive squirrels!! It sounds hilarious but be sure to put away any food, paper items (toilet paper, paper towels, etc), and trash. Just as we arrived, a squirrel jumped into the car as we were unpacking and chewed up our baguette. The squirrels are not afraid to jump up on the picnic benches right beside you or into your tent if there's food inside. Surprising at first, but a constant issue during our stay. No showers, hand soap, or hand drying items. Be sure to bring baby wipes! We ended up driving down to the Morro Bay State Park Campground and using the showers there. read more

When I made the reservations the lady said they allowed dogs on leash on the beach. They do not. The park itself is very nice, small and quiet. The folks that work here are very nice and very helpful. The man today told us if we just went about 2 blocks north we could let our dogs off leash for 4 or 5 miles. It was great. We would stay here again. read more

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A great beach to collect sand dollars. We did see many jellyfish wash up to the shore, be cautious. read more

Morro Strand State Beach - Beaches Near Me

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My friends spent the weekend at Morro Strand State Beach in Morro Bay. We had to experience the worst most unhappy lady at the check in booth. She was so mean it really brought a bad vibe to the whole trip. This was Sat 9/17/22. She should not be allowed to greet people as they come into camp. She is viciously mean and unwelcoming. Somebody should do something about her attitude. read more

Best wi-fi I've ever experienced at an RV park. Other reviews comment in this place being like a parking lot. I contend all parking lots should be in this condition. Clean and right in the beach. Walk out of your site and watch the sunset. The only drawback is you have to go 1/2 mile up the road to a portion of the beach that allows dogs. read more

AWESOMENESS!! One of my top 3 Camping destinations - really nice and quiet soft sand everyone is really nice and polite restrooms are always in clean presentable manner the only bad thing about this place is - there are no showers onsite must go out and about to morro bay campground 5-8 min away - read more

Absolutely love living on the Central Coast! The strand stretches for miles from Morro Bay to Cayucos. You can go out on any given day and find the perfect spot to lounge, relax, and do some dolphin/whale watching. My favorite spot is closer to Cayucos. There's never really a crowd and there's a restroom and grill beside the parking area. I enjoy beach combing and finding agate and various types of rocks along the shoreline. Blessed to call this home! read more

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We decided last minute to camp for NYE. I found Morro Strand State Beach through ReserveAmerica and like any normal person, I went straight to Yelp to read the reviews. Honestly the reviews made me a little nervous but we decided to go anyways! When we arrived at the gate, the guard was super nice and got us our parking pass with no issues. Yeah sure the campground used to be a parking lot but it wasn't bad at all since most of the campers were in RVs anyways. We were tent camping and luckily our spot was on the beach side. I loved the quick easy access to the beach and the incredible view we had from our tent. I was expecting some rowdiness given it was NYE but everyone was pretty respectful of noise and most went into their RVs at about 10pm. The bathrooms were clean, no showers though! If you do come here, then grab one of the beach side sites if you can! read more

Morro Strand State Beach - Can't beat this view!! - Beaches Near Me

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If you like bare-bones camping by the beach, this place is great!! We camped here over Labor Day weekend, and here are some things I noticed that might be helpful: -There are no showers. You are allowed to use the showers at the nearby Morro Bay State Park Campground if you "present your receipt to the kiosk staff for fee entry into campground". - Reservations are recommended for busy times of the year, but you can't reserve individual camp sites. Those are given on a first-come-first-served basis. Depending on who the ranger is in the kiosk when you arrive, some of them will let you reserve the sites you want before the 2:00pm check-in time (on the day of your reservation date, of course). - The bathroom situation is hit and miss. They are cleaned everyday, but they get disgusting pretty quickly. They often run out of t.p. There are mirrors, no soap, and the kind of faucets that you need to hold down constantly in order to get any cold water. There is one outlet in each restroom. - Each camp site has one picnic table, one fire pit thing with a grate, and there are water spigots placed every few sites. - Each camp site is allowed three vehicles, but only the first one is free. After that, it is $10 per car per night. You can park for free and overnight on Beachcomber Drive... this is actually not a hassle because that road runs very close and parallel to the campgrounds, and there is at least one staircase that connects the road to the campgrounds. - There were about half tent-campers and half trailer-campers. I only saw one RV. - If you look at a map of the campgrounds, there are basically three types of sites to choose from: those along the beach (sites 1-45, odd numbers), those that feel like you're on a dirt island in the middle of the parking lot (sites 2-46, even numbers), and the sites farthest away from the beach (sites 47-81). I think the only reason we enjoyed this campground was because we had two sweet sites together right by the beach (sites 15 & 17). I actually I think I would have hated staying here if we had a site in the middle. - The beach, which was seconds away, was a great beach! A huge, flat, sandy (not rocky), and not-crowded beach! The weather was perfect... not windy at all, in the 70s and 80s... and even though there was some cloud cover part of the time, it was still hot enough to go in the ocean and we sure got plenty of sun! - Dogs are allowed, BUT..... only in the campgrounds and they must be on a leash at all times. They are not allowed at all on the beach. You may not leave them unattended. This basically means that you can't go to the beach if you have your dog with you. - The campgrounds may not be the prettiest, but this should really not matter since you are literally just steps away from the beach. You can watch the sunset from your campsite (or the beach of course!), you can fall asleep to the relaxing sound of the ocean waves crashing, and you can play all day on a great beach. And the view of Morro Rock from this beach is amazing. Also, if you'd prefer to get out, downtown Morro Bay is only a 5 minute drive down HWY 1, and there you can go to the shops, restaurants, or rent some kayaks. Overall, I would recommend this place and I would totally come back here again! read more