Knew I wanted to go to the beach, and randomly stumbled upon this one being in the area at the outlets. This is a small quiet beach, right next to the Metrolink station. Parking was a little confusing at first, but you can park at the Metrolink station and pay at one of the little yellow kiosks. It was about $0.75 per 30 minutes, which felt pretty fair. The water is definitely colder here, even on a warm day. We had direct access to the beach itself from the lot. It wasn't super busy on the day we went, so it felt super calming to walk while the waves crashed against our feet. It's a bit narrow, but from the Metrolink, you could walk all the way to the pier. It was also cool to see the train pass by as well, right next to the beach! One noticeable thing was that the beach felt very pebbly, and there were many small rocks along the waters so we had to be really careful about where we were walking. There's also a restroom and a feet/body cleaning shower station if you're coming from the Metrolink parking lot. read more

North Beach - Parks Near Me

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This beach is smaller than the main beach area of San Clemente. It is much rockier. They don't have many lifeguards here so if you have kids I'd go to the main beach. This is more suited for surfing. They do have a small play area. The restrooms here aren't very clean. read more

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I always forget how much I love the San Clemente Beach Trail and this is the beginning of it or the end of it depending on which direction you're coming from. Another glorious day, weatherwise! It's so perfect here! It's an easy trail for beginners so come and check it out read more

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On a business trip I took a little stroll over to north beach. I was a little disappointed to find that it's not so much a "beach" as it is rocks. However, it's still beautiful and it's cool that there is a little swingset read more

North Beach - Parks Near Me

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A beach concealed by the residential area nearby, just follow the signs and it'll lead you there! Pay for how long you are going to park there and place the ticket on your dashboard. There's a small park with a playground nearby, some benches, and grassy areas. I thought it was neat that there was a tunnel that led out to the beach and that there were railroad tracks nearby. Would be perfect for a Spirited Away photoshoot! The beach was pristine and clean. Lots of families with their kids. Definitely a safe, clean place to spend a day at the beach without any of those bells and whistles (piers, pand handlers, etc). read more

North Beach - Beach - Parks Near Me

A great locals beach with a decent amount of parking. I do suggest getting here before 11am to really beat the rush. It is paid parking and it's about a $1 an hour. This is a good beach for kids, as it's pretty mellow and there's a small play area for them in case they get bored of the beach. The main draw back of this area is the rock(s) situation. A good chunk of the beach is covered with large smoothed over rocks. During a hot day, these are like little heated skillets and will definitely cook your feet. I suggest wearing your flip flops to water and then placing somewhere safe until you decide to head back your spot. The break here decent for surfing and body surfing and the water temp during my trip was very warm! I don't think this will be our go to beach because of the rocks, but it is a worth it for a quick trip for some sun and ocean breezes. read more

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Holy at the heck .. I mean 8 years and I can count how many time they had wash the beach bathrooms down. Wall everything is so untouchable. Under the toilets The COVID as well no cleaning no love to the community. I asked the guy that looks like he might clean them , if I can help and volunteer and wash them down maybe once a month but no and I was told no.. sorry mam. Holy what in the third world. San Clemente ain't cheap and not even sanitary. Ouch man. My feelings feeling get all types of hurt when ever I need to use the rest Room especially After a break at a breathtaking beach .. I clean this beach ahhh. I would help but ahh. Get me a free state pass yearly A volunteer pass or something and a key to access water hoses and soap and consider it done. I will help read more

North Beach - Holy at the heck .. North Beach - Parks Near Me

Beach of the North in Clem town has always treated those right who set foot on it! This is an awesome beach and definitely one of the top ones in the city as it has just about everything one would look for in a beach except for the huge huge waves but if your in search of that you can even trek down the beach for a bit to find them at 204's! North Beach has a ton of parking spots which is good but they are all metered and you have to pay at the pay station before you leave your car to avoid getting one of those pesky tickets! The beach is also the home to the San Clemente Metrolink Station and for that reason it's a great place to stop off on the train and have a beach day wile providing easy access to get back to the train! The beach is complete with a playground for the kiddies to enjoy as well if they wanna get that kinda swing action along on the beach which is always an enjoyable time for anyone! There is also a snack bar on the beach for those who need to grab some grub because they forgot their picnic basket or if Yogi happened to come by and jack it! But keep in mind it's only really open during the summer months or some weekends! The beach is also walking distance to 7-11 so keep that in mind if you need some beverages to cool down on what seems to be these forever summer days we've been having here in the awesomeness that is So Cali! This beach is also one of my favorite spots to have a bon fire as there is a ton of pits and benches along side of them that's perfect to gather a group of friends around for an killer night on the beach! Seriously I can't count how many days I've spent on this beach over the many years of growing up in San Clemente and I'm sure there will be many many more days and Bon fire nights to come on this awesome beach of South County! read more

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It's an ok beach. But no dogs allowed. We walked 20 minutes to give our dog a beach experience just to find out no dogs were allowed.

North Beach in San Clemente is an incredibility-relaxing beach to visit to catch a sunset and/or have a picnic. For the optimally relaxing beach experience, avoid coming here in the early part of the day; only toward the end of the day do the crowds thin out. Nearby, there's an excellent coffee shop (Elle's Table) where you can grab a bite and a cup of Java. There's also a slide and a swing set to keep smaller children amused :-) There are reasonably clean public restrooms available here, and there's also access to the beach trail. As beaches go, the parking situation here is very good because there's a lot very close at hand. You have to pay to park in the lot, but life is imperfect that way ;-) read more

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It wouldn't be the beach where I set up camp for the day. Although if I did, there's easy parking, nearby bathrooms, a playground for kids, and benches for eating. I just prefer the beaches further south, personal preference. Instead it's the beach where I park and walk the trail to the pier and back. And farther if you want. Trail access is right there in the parking lot. It gets crowded sometimes but it's a great place to get some fresh air, exercise, & take in the view! read more

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Beautiful beaches, a nice pier to walk around, and low crowds on weekends make this a great place to soak up some sun and listen to the waves crash. Expect a lot of surfers and body borders, San Clemente beaches seems to attract them. It's fun to watch the experienced surfers ride waves when the oceans producing larger swells. Tide was high when we visited in late June. This left smaller beaches but still plenty of room to lounge, relax and run around with the kiddos. Water was 70 degrees according to surf reports. Cold by most standards but still a little warm for the Pacific. Crowds were average, we had a perimeter of at least 25 feet with nobody else around us. Plenty of space to throw a frisbee, play some spikeball or toss around a football. There are public grills, volleyball courts and bonfire spots up near the boardwalk but those areas fill up fast and early. There's an Amtrak passenger train that comes through every so often but is not a big disruption. Public restrooms are also close by. Lifeguards on duty are attentive and enforce surfing rules on the regular. If you walk to the pier you'll see plenty of fishermen hoping for a bite. There's a tackle and refreshment site located near the end of the pier - they also sell basic cheesy beach wares if that's your thing "shell necklaces or ocean playing cards". This beach is not pet friendly although you'll see plenty of dogs walking the boardwalk with their owners. Bike riders and scooters also adorn the lengthy boardwalk. read more

Excellent trail along the beach, perfect distance to get in a great cardio walk. The trail is wide enough for walkers in each direction, and always clean. The only thing that would make it better is free parking. read more

North Beach - So pretty here :) - Parks Near Me

This is a nice walk alongside a pretty California beach - well manicured, suburban walk to the pier and back - probably 1 1/2 miles albeit very busy, reminded me of Grand Central Station on a busy afternoon. There were no signs about dogs so we kept ours on a leash and then decided to bring her down to the water where we could throw the ball and get rid of some of her energy. Great idea in principle until the ranger caught up to us - asked me where we were from (out of town obviously) and agreed the signage for dogs was bad but dogs were not allowed off leash and certainly not in the water. Gave us a warning and I have to pony up with her latest rabies shot if I can find it by the end of the month or get a fine. Then we get to the pier, tie the dog up, order lunch, ask if dogs are allowed (yes), we were at the entry point to the pier, and the same ranger shows up. Says dogs are now allowed anywhere on the pier and in fact, are not even allowed to be tied up. Warned us that the homeless will steal our dog and that will be the last we will see of it. It was like being stalked honestly. We wolfed our lunch down and hurried back to our car. Passed at least 6 rangers in black shirts. Not sure why they are so many rangers covering the beach on a Friday afternoon but clearly dogs are not welcome so pick another beach. read more

This is a great beach! I'm a fan of all of San Clemente beaches in general haha. This is the beach at the north end of the beach walking trail. PARKING: There is a large parking lot at this beach. It is pay by the hour. There is also metered parking on the residential streets nearby. The parking lot is also shared by the ole hanson beach club and the train depot. BEACH: This beach has bathrooms, food/café shack, picnic tables, fire pits, playground/swing sets, drinking fountains,volleyball courts and a lifeguard. The beach is on the rocky side, but there is still a decent amount of sand. read more

I make it a point to stop at this beach every time I drive along the OC coast from LA to SD. So, why this beach and not the beaches along in Laguna Nigel or Dana Point? It's small& a bit secluded, but yet "well-furnished" with a small playground that has a few kiddie slides and squeaky swings! Also, the San Clemente beach running trail starts here and you can run for a good 2ish miles along the beach and past the main pier (where all the crowds are. ew crowds). Also this one holds a lot of sentimental value to me. I did my deepest thinking here when I worked for a start-up company during the summer. I loved to stare out at the ocean while swinging mechanically during sunset. &if you look far enough on a good day, you can see Catalina island. Sorry kids for being a swing hog. Warning to the bold, this beach is unlike many of the socal beach because the water line is full of small pebbles instead of soft sand. This will make wave-jumping &boggle boarding less enjoyable on your feet. The San Clemente Metrolink Station has a stop here, so it's convenient for those that are out of town. Parking is free at night, otherwise it's $1/hr (&yes I do see people checking meters). read more

So rocky, and very little beach. Wasn't crowded however there was no where to sit. In ocean it drops immediately and you can't stand

Love this beach! It has an awesome view of Dana Point and San Clemente pier. It is a great start for a beautiful walk down the trail. It also houses the metrolink stop. We come here a ton and it is full of families. read more

This part of the beach is okay if you just plan on hanging out and eating or soaking up sun. Easy parking, easy access to the walking trail, the walking trail off Vista Hermosa lands at the end of Pico if you want to get more exercise in, there's a playground with slide. 7-11 is also a quick mini - hike uphill if you forgot anything! During spring break, I made the mistake of trying to bodyboard here for something different, and it was definitely different as in, "holy ouch my ankles and my legs!" I got in the water and was pelted by so many rocks/large stones that I left with bruises that lasted a week. Haha, live and learn I guess! It's not my favorite part of SC that's for sure. Protect your feet and legs, like the other reviews state: not much sand to be found in this area... read more

Beautiful views is what you first notice as your driving down Avenida Pico right of the 5 freeway. The view gets even more breathtaking as you get closer and as you veer into the parking lot you cant help but bask in the amazing splendor of the ocean breeze as you walk towards the beach. I usually come in the early morning to start my weekend runs and the sunrise is simply amazing. Please note that parking is free before 9:00 am, so this makes it even better. With plenty of parking, a running trail, plenty of benches, clean bathroom facilities, what is not to love about North Beach. Metro station is also located nearby so you will catch a copy of trains as they whiz on by which the kids seem to love. Many people come to walk their dogs and the city provides doggy bags throughout the beach and running trail so please help maintain this beach as beautiful as it is and clean up after your pet. read more

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I live in San Clemente and North Beach is so incredibly convenient to get to with ample parking, but the beach itself has very little sand and is way too rocky for me. There's smelly seaweed and it's just not the most appealing beach. The City should import sand to this beach. read more

Beautiful beach (even on an overcast day)! Do watch where you put your things as the tide comes way, way up the beach. Parking (paid by machine) is easy and plentiful and the beach is not crowded. There are bathrooms, picnic tables, grills and a playground area. It is also neat to see the train come through. There is a small restaurant at the entrance and the surrounding town of San Clemente is walking distance and adorable. read more

This is very nice beach, especially if you have an hatred for large beach crowds and parking far. It sits right where the metro rail drops off, so parking is not only easy but cheap. My only reason to not giving this beach 5 stars is the extremely rocky shoreline. It makes it difficult to swim or even stand along the shore because tons of rocks of all shapes and sizes dig into your feet and it can get painful. So all in all if you're not huge about getting into the water and just wanted to sit and relax in the sand, I'd highly recommend. read more

Everybody at least knows of San Clemente. Someone put it on the map. North Beach is where I've been going with my dogs since before they had fleas. Dogs are clearly not allowed on the beach, but they're allowed on the path that runs along next to the rail road tracks. It's a jumble of people and styles that are worth the trip alone, not to mention the ocean views, the foot bridges that overlook the beach and horizon, the beach breaks that house lucky surfers, the flocks of Pelicans that patrol the coast with wondrous ease, the short trains that float by to stir up the soundscape, the long stairwells that lead back up towards the town, the tough plants pushing out from the dirt, the cool air dashed with pinches of mist and salt... It's all lovely and cleansing, I swear. read more

I live in San Clemente and I must say that I am not a fan of North Beach at all. Just filthy and too many rocks. Rusty nails, cigarette butts, random plastic wrappers, etc. It's easy to get to, though. read more

I am a local small business owner, located in North Beach San Clemente, and I am so please and amazed at the growing community of Artists of all ages. The second Friday of each month, you can enjoy an evening of wine and dine as you view the most amazing art at the local restaurants and businesses off N. El Camino Real at the North Beach Art Walk. The Art Walk starts at Artwistic and ends at Knucklheads. Can't wait for the next one! read more