Secluded beach that you access by driving through the mostly agricultural area of Watsonville/Pajaro. Near Pajaro dunes resort. The park may be good for a quiet and semi private picnic but amenities are limited. From the parks website: FEES - There is a $10 vehicle day-use fee. [Regular Sized Auto: $10 (Senior $9, age 62 or older); OCEAN SAFETY - dangerous rip currents, frigid water and deep offshore dropoffs make surfing and swimming hazardous for any but the most experienced surfers. ALCOHOL is not permitted on the beach or in the day-use area. read more

See all

I went here to check out the surf fishing with my sister. It was super cold and foggy. I'm not into fishing much, but went for moral support for her hobby. It's a clean beach and a few anglers fishing nearby. read more

Palm Beach State Park - Parks Near Me - Watsonville, California

See all

This spot is further south of the Santa Cruz cluster of beaches and less busy. It's spectacular and there was not a single soul when I went there today. I spent a couple of hours here and it was awesome. There is a big parking lot and it's free. read more

See all

Nice quiet and clean beach! Restaurants are only an exit or two away. A great place to chill do some email and recharge. read more

Palm Beach State Park - Parks Near Me - Watsonville, California

I love going to this beach. It's down the street from me. I usually take my dog. There's usually people fishing. Overall the people there are pretty friendly. read more

What the beaches of central Monterey Bay lack in striking backdrops (unless you really love you some farmed floodplains), they make up for in continuity. Take Palm Beach, which is really just the southern part of Sunset State Beach (creative naming department, eh?), which itself is just part of a single unbroken 12 miles of sand all the way up to New Brighton SB. However, if you walk about a mile south from the parking lot, the condos (which actually blend in pretty decently) fall away and you wind up on a spit backed by the mouth of the Pajaro River, which will eventually block your progress in another mile. And that's the end of the Bay Area (hey, if northwest Sonoma county is part of it, so is Santa Cruz. 10 counties forever!) But yeah, there's sand, sea, sky, and lots of it. So come on out and walk to your heart's content. read more

Palm Beach State Park - Parks Near Me - Watsonville, California

Palm Beach is Al Capone's Palm Springs ...vacation place. On the west coast California. read more

Nice spot. We were supposed to go to Manresa State Beach but ended up here because Manresa was full. This beach is not bad at all and less crowded when we went. We enjoyed relaxing and playing in the water. read more

This is probably my favorite beach because no one's ever there and it's very very very serene. When it's clear you can see both Monterey and Santa Cruz, but when it's cloudy it is even more peaceful. I prefer to park on the street as it's free. read more

Palm beach is awesome! My daughter's school took them there for a beach clean up and that's when I discovered it. Love the long stretch of beautiful sand and shore, shorebirds and sunsets. read more

Stanley had a great day playing in the sand and the waves! Had a heck of a time going up the giant dune with an ice chest. Public bathroom aren't horrible, but not great. read more

See all

Oddly Named, Let's Call This Dune Beach Instead Palm Beach is a great locals beach where even on a summer holiday weekend it was not too crazy. Parking in the official lot was $6 with a dog but looks like many grab free spots along the road if you get here early. Having a shower to clean off after a tumble in the giant sand dune was cool however you may want to bring your own toilet paper for this restroom. Dog Friendly - Four paws for an on-leash dog friendly beach with dunes and a soft sandy shore. Outdoor shower could be used to hose down the pet if needed. read more

Great, small, quiet beach! The only complaints... 1. BIG hill to endure, to get to the beach... but, I guess it's good for my body to exert the energy... but, my mind complains each and every time we do it! ;) 2. Don't park at end of road, just outside of the paid parking area, or you WILL get a ticket... uh, don't ask how I know this... I don't want to recall quite so vividly. But, if you do park there, it may end up being a $73 parking spot :( NO idea why they have this area sectioned off as "no parking" since the cars are not in the way of ANYTHING down in that area... it sucks... big money grab! Otherwise, if you want to get to the beach, but avoid the crowds of Santa Cruz, etc. on the weekends... this is a great option! Restrooms nearby (but, go BEFORE you take the hill over to the beach... to avoid extra trips over the hill). Also, there are picnic tables, bbq pits, and showers. Oh, and there is a parking lot, for $10... much more reasonable than the $73 option, just outside of that area ;) read more

Awesome beach! It's located about 3 miles from the freeway at the very end of a long road surrounded with strawberry farms. Once you park, walk over the dunes to access the beach. This place was pretty well kept and secluded. The sand was also clear of debris with powdery sand. Simply beautiful. read more

See all

My new go to beach? I never hear people talk about this beach so maybe it's a hidden gem. I got there around 7pm on a weekend, there were some stragglers starting their bonfires, not many people on the CLEAN beach. I sat there for about an jour and saw 2 otters and some dolphins way off in the distance. Maybe because it's a state park it is cleaner and less crowded than Capitola or Santa Cruz? You do have to pay for parking but with some luck there will be free parking on the street. read more

This is my new favorite beach!! It is so peaceful and clean. There is even free parking on the street and we drove by huge fields of fruit on the way here. Once you park, it is a bit of an uphill, sandy hike to get to the actual beach but well worth the walk! The beach itself was huge and spread out with hardly any people. We spent some time walking down the beach and saw dozens of seashells and large, full sand dollars! read more

I agree with Kathleen about the huffing & puffing to get over the sand dune. But I LOVE it here. I love that it's 99% locals, even though it's got all those vacation homes right there. I love that it's WIDE so even if it's backed due to an inland heat wave. there's still plenty of room. I love the abundance of shells & sand dollars. I just plain LOVE this beach. For a real treat, try to go early morning. Something about the light... read more

What is not to love about Palm Beach? Granted I love the beach, but Palm Beach is great. Yes, there is a "hill" to get over to get to the beach. But when you lay out at the beach all day drinking margaritas, a little exercise is good :) Wish I lived close. I'd go everyday! read more

Let's start with the fact that all northern California beaches are usually windy, foggy with ice cold sandy ocean water that if you go to far out, you might never return. However I love the beach, best place to go to relieve stress and relax, so I will take what I can get. I like the drive there through the farming fields and countryside away from the city and traffic. There is a heat wave this week and I took my kids out of school early to go here, that's what fun moms do! They loved it here and so did I. Not at all crowded and there are picnic tables and bbq pits there. Last time we went we saw dolphins. I think this is mostly visited by locals and that is what keeps it low key. I parked on the main road to avoid paying for parking. As the sun starts to go down the cold rolls in, why California? Oh well, still enjoyed ourselves! read more

Originally we pulled into the Sunset State Beach Park where they wanted to charge us $10 for day use, but referred us here when we stressed we were looking for free parking. At this beach you park on the side of the road (at your own risk). There are bathrooms that have been clean and up kept the two times Ive been here. There is a larger sized sand dune to climb to get to the beach. Beach is natural-- driftwood and logs scattered on the sand. Walls of rock line the beach separating the houses and apartments from the sand below. Not very populated, making it a nice beach to avoid crowds. read more

My overall experience with this beach is that I will rank it at three and a half Stars. The good part about this place is that this beach is not as crowded as some of the other beaches especially those that are in Santa Cruz. However, this beach is located centrally in an area that has been known to have some of the worst concentrations of Mexican and Hispanic rivalry gangs. To get to this beach, you have to take this long stretch of road that runs off of Highway 1 and it'll take you through a lot of fruit and vegetable farm Plantation. As far as parking is concerned, they do offer a parking lot but please remember that this is a state park. The fee to park in this parking lot is $10. However, there is free parking on the side of the road which is right outside of the main gate the parking lot. However, do park at your own risk and I have seen broken glass as I park my car on the side of the road today which tells me that vehicles must get their Windows broken into. The beach though is clean and the water is cold as any water would be in Northern California comma and they do have a lifeguard watch out located on the beach. To get to the beach, you have to climb over a small sand dune which can be challenging for elderly people so please take that into consideration as well. read more

I agree with Kathy S. This is a great beach, plenty of parking, toilets, etc. It's also sort of off the beaten path. As you will see it's not listed on google maps as a formal park and you literally have to drive all the way from the center of town on West Beach (if you see farmlands, no worries, just keep going until you see Eucalyptus trees ahead and what looks like a condo park - usually about 15-20 minutes from downtown). I happened upon it just driving down Beach to see where it took us and found this place next to a bunch of ocean front homes. It was empty and seemingly not visited so there is plenty of parking, so in a way we should be thanking those folks living off the beach for making this place such as nice private getaway for the locals. The beaches and eucalyptus wooded areas are always nice and clean and it's a fantastic place to take a date to watch the sun set. Yes, don't be fooled by the huge dune between the parking lot and the beach (actually I found a couple other ways over that aren't so "breathtaking", just go north a bit of the lot). There is a sign at the entrance of the park, last I checked with it's actual name, but Palm Beach seems pretty darn close from what I remember. And for it's location, being so out of the way, Park Rangers do stop by often to make sure everyone is A-OK. Great place. Definitely check it out. read more