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San Simeon State Beach

4.6 (36 reviews)

San Simeon State Beach Swimming Pools Photos

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Gar S.

Great beach area close to the Hearst Castle. After we took the Hearst Castle tour, we left and came on to this beach area and pier and it was beautiful. The pier was closed at that time, but there were plenty of areas to walk along the beach and enjoy the scenery. It was pretty windy and a little chilly when we were there, so be prepared. There is also a grassy area with benches, a parking area and bathrooms. It's a very nice way to spend and afternoon.

Beach
Ratna J.

The pier is closed today (which we already knew about thanks to google maps). This is a dog friendly place with the perfect ocean breeze.

Breaking waves
Saralee S.

Perfect location for Social Distancing! This little beach is far from the madding crowd, and a very serene site for regaining your sanity! The campground down the road is closed right now, but you can park near the pier and walk down to this usually deserted stretch of pristine beach. There are tide pools at the far end, and smooth sand for a long walk. There are also flat rocks up near the cliffs to sit on or even take a nice nap on a sunny day! There were also people walking dogs (on leashes). There is nothing like the sound of the ocean rolling in and the birds circling and calling. On the day we visited, there were no boats to be seen on the distant horizon, and only one airplane high above winging its way North. This is a peaceful respite from the worries of the world.

Shayla B.

I'm a sucker for a nice beach. I peeped this little beauty while driving down highway 1 to Hearst Castle and knew that I had to make a pit stop there after the tour. Just seeing how beautiful the clear water and blusterous waves were while riding down the highway was a beauty in itself. The main entrance is right across the street from the Hearst Castle visitor center. However, there are many vista point stop offs along highway 1 where you can park and enjoy the views. The water is so clear here with lots of beautiful crashing waves. The sand is clean and there weren't too many people when I was there. I was able to watch part of the sunset while I was here, and it was absolutely stunning! It's so quiet and super peaceful. I didn't get in the water, but I did see a few people getting their feet wet. It was a little chilly out, but not freezing like the Bay Area beaches that I'm used to. Beaches like these really make me appreciate the true beauty of California and all that it has to offer. If you're driving down highway 1 in San Simeon, make a pit stop at San Simeon Beach and take in the beauty of the ocean. You won't regret it.

View of water
Fernando G.

I'm torn about this one, On one hand you have access to the beach that seems private since there weren't too many people in the water. You have a long pier that does need some work maybe cosmetic and foundational, and it is just across the way from Hearst Castle. There were some people there fishing... Seemed very peaceful and quiet

Hearst castle way up there.
Chris D.

Every time I'm in the area I have to stop at this beach. The entrance is directly across the street from the Hearst Castle entrance and has free entry. There's a guard shack but it's never manned. This beach is truly a hidden gem. Even though the entrance is in plain site nobody is ever here. There maybe one or two other people and that's it for the 14 plus years I've been visiting. It's within the boundaries of Santa Rosa Creek Natural Preserve and San Simeon Natural Preserve which includes coastal wetlands and riparian forests. I'm reading online there's a 3.3 mile trail that encircles the nature preserve, I must look for that next time! If you want to play in the sand and ocean you'll pretty much have the whole place to yourself. This beach has one of the longest piers I've seen and the view is breathtaking at the end of it. Since this beach is in a cove with a forest on one side it feels like you're in a movie. It has that picturesque pirate movie feel to it. I'm just waiting to see a giant Galleon sail into the cove. Almost every time we visit we see tons of pelicans diving for fish, sea otters floating on their backs, and occasionally dolphins. You're allowed to fish off the pier and the beach itself has picnic tables, public restroom, and a small visitors center.

Lisa L.

It's so beautiful here. I keep coming back and never get tired of bringing my guests here to visit.

Ai M.

A couple was here taking their engagement photographs by the bluff. Despite the wind, the sand was warm. Hearst Road crosses over the lagoon. I enjoyed my visit here. It was a good walk over smooth stones. My friend and I walked to the lagoon, away from the kite surfers. People also brought their children to play on the rocks. A couple of kids climbed to the top the big ones. The view north of the lagoon is dramatic. There are also bleached trees on the beach.

Mike K.

Pretty amazing stretch of beach....not too crowded when I had stopped by. Plenty of parking on the side of the highway. Weekends like anywhere in California will see big crowds and it's no different here. If possible, I highly recommend you visit on a weekday.

Kevin L.

Great panoramic views Calm Peaceful Serene Great vista point spot to stop and enjoy

Korina Y.

We saw some dolphins swimming by pretty close to the coast line. It was a neat sight. It's a pretty beach , not too crowded. When we went on October 27, the color of the water was turquoise color but changes all the time depending on the time, weather , seasons. I like this laid back beach not crazy crowded like Santa Monica , Manhattan Beach, or Santa Cruz. Plenty of parking, pull outs and nice scenery. Went to some of the secluded beaches along the way off hwy 1 like Arroyo de la Cruz beach. Even the locals don't know about this beach. Really nice sandy beach, we had the beach all to ourselves. A long walk to the beach but well worth it. :)

Trail from the boardwalk going under the roadway out to the beach
Carol G.

This was our first time to stop at this location, having driven by it many years and not knowing this little gem was here. You park where you see the restrooms off of the main road and the trail starts there. There is a wooden boardwalk to follow which if you go in one direction takes you out to the beach. We happened to be there at high tide and therefore could not really walk the beach, but the surf was very beautiful. Taking the boardwalk the opposite direction from the restrooms connects you to other trails which take you to a campground. I'm sure it is beautiful up there in the different seasons. We loved the rock formations at the beach and the old dead wood laying around. Someone graciously made a trail with many of the old wood pieces from the boardwalk out to the beach.

Treasures (Moon stone, jade, and shell)
Yulisan S.

Moon Stone is the name of this beach. We stop by in a rainy day, yet we could go down and walk close to the water between rocks and stones. This beach is known for having gems like Jade. Also, according to mi Bebe there are some stone that you can compare with the moon, that's why its name. She taught me about this particular stone and gave some. In addition, I got some jade too. In our way back home we stopped againg to get more jade, but it was high tide and we couldn't go down to the sand. well, well next time.

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4 years ago

Beautiful location and whales come through periodically. Gorgeous Hearst warehouses and tasting room nearby.

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14 years ago

Beautiful and clean beach. Great views. Great way to stretch your legs and check out the area when visiting Hearst Castle.

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13 years ago

Amazing how many more stars you can see from the beach at night than across Hwy 1 at the cheap motels. Beautiful place.

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Review Highlights - San Simeon State Beach

Clean beach, awesome pier, Flush toilet restrooms, little discovery science center for kids and info seekers!

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Hardie Park- County of San Luis Opispo

Hardie Park- County of San Luis Opispo

4.5(2 reviews)
33.2 km

Local Eval: Cute little neighborhood SLO County Park right in the middle of "nowhere". I visited a…read morefew weeks ago, added this "new" entry to Yelp without any "credit" [was prompted for an immediate review & pics], and was Tardy with my Hardie review. Hardie Park is rather cute and has both a summer use adult pool, along with a tot pool. The fees are reasonable [one day= $2 a kid/ $5 an adult & season passes are a bargain] and the schedule is on the SLO County Park website...where you can also find the plethora of other SLO County Parks, Pools, Golf Courses, Lakes, Hikes, etc... The two Tennis courts are free, at least according to the people who were playing there. In front of the pool is a interesting sculpture dedicated to two local Indian tribes [see pics]. On the other side of the street, is a large well groomed grassy area, where there are ample playgrounds for tots. The county wisely used what appears to be ground-up tires/rubber for safety. There is a large covered picnic table area with a huge BBQ for groups. In the overhead structure, there are controls for lights & even an AC outlet. One likely needs to reserve and pay for use on the SLO County website. Just behind this is a lazy serene creek, which is pleasant. The banks are deceptively muddy and slippery, which I found out the hard way! I wanted a water/mud sample to test under my home microscope system. As my wife yelled at me not to go down that way, that was the way I went...only to regret it, as one sneaker got wet, as I slipped. It took me a bit to extract myself, as I ran nowhere fast. My wife joked that I looked like a mouse running on one of those wheels in their cage! Somehow, I did not fall. Later I had my wife grab me a water sample. Since the creek looked to be only about 6 inches deep, it would typically only be messy for an adult...unless you twisted an ankle or worse! Apparently, since I did not learn my lesson about creek banks, I repeated this stupidity, the very next day with AG Creek, where I also slipped & grabbed a huge Stinging Nettle branch with both hands. MUCHO-Ouch! In any case, if an old fool like me can mess up with creeks, you can imagine what a mess kids can get into. My New Balance sneakers were soaked with tons of mud, while I had a pair of waterproof boots in the trunk. I can be quite a moron! In any case, this is a rather pleasant "unknown" county park in SLO County, that also happens to be right next to a public library. You then can grab some eats from town, a book to read, and then watch your kid[s] use up some of their boundless energy, swimming. The surrounding town is quiet, has humble accommodations, and marginal eats...but it is a good base of operations for points north, south, or east. Both charming Cambria and Morro Bay/Baywood/Los Osos are just a few miles away, and are filled with lots to explore. Since a number of the SLO County Parks do have summer daily use pools, it is a great feature for kids. In our area, only a few health clubs have decent pools, and only an expensive one has a nice outdoor Olympic sized pool [e.g. Avila Club]. So if you have visiting relatives with kids, who are pestering you to swim, and you know that they can get hypothermia from the Ocean, then these parks may be a god send for some. While the SLO County Pools are spread out, it may give you a great excuse to sight see, as you check out the area. If you need a relatively safe sheltered beach, there are parts of Avila Beach that have little wave action, lots of sand for a stroll, but the water is still icy cold. Avila is the most kid friendly beach. Ironically, even though I made the first "business" addition to Yelp, someone else apparently beat me to the first review [a non-local brief review seemingly targeted to "beat me" to the obviously "coveted" "First-to-review" title]. It was rather annoying, after I took considerably more time to research, explore, & take many pictures of this cute park...but no matter... as a local with tons of time on my hands, one of my new hobbies is to check out the plethora of the many County or local Parks, Attractions, Farmers Markets, in SLO county & beyond. My additional beef with the multitudes of non-local "tourist" brief reviews, is that many either over-glorify, or overly-trash places, that they may visit once, and typically lack a comparative/historical local context. You cannot expect this rural area to compete with urban areas. While it is a relatively "wealthy" area, with pricey housing, most things have to be trucked in, from the ports of Long Beach, or from the SF Bay area. There are no major ports in this area, since the demise of this area's big oil rigs & refineries eons ago. Avila Pier had a railroad that once brought oil out to the port from SLO [Tank Farm] & was a polluting eyesore. The entire town of Avila was dug up to remove many feet of oil soaked sand decades ago!

Sweet little park. Play structure, covered picnic area, restrooms, large grass area, and access to…read morea creek. Within walking distance of downtown Cayucos and the beach. Clean and quiet.

Photos
Hardie Park- County of San Luis Opispo - Serene Creek in back of park.

Serene Creek in back of park.

Hardie Park- County of San Luis Opispo - Art dedicated to the Chumash & Salinan nations, with plaques donated by local members.

Art dedicated to the Chumash & Salinan nations, with plaques donated by local members.

Hardie Park- County of San Luis Opispo

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Templeton Tennis Ranch

Templeton Tennis Ranch

3.8(17 reviews)
44.3 km

My husband and I have been members of Templeton Tennis Ranch since the club opened 10 years ago…read more I've played tennis and pickleball at a number of other facilities/clubs throughout the county, but this club is one of the best. The location is so serene with it's large oak trees. And TTR has some of the nicest tennis players. I feel that the club is my happy place. I also want to give a shout out to the aquatics instructor, Janice, who is awesome. Her class is a total body cardio workout that accommodates all fitness levels. I highly recommend it for anyone looking for a low impact fitness class that builds muscle and cardio. I also want to acknowledge TTR's general manager Chris for all that you and your staff do to make TTR a welcoming place. I have always found you to be responsive to any concerns or issues raised. I truly appreciate you and your staff.

Yikes- what a bizarre and disappointing experience. Prospective members beware that this facility…read moredoes not honor their own membership terms- nor do they upkeep or maintain their fitness center. We were happy members of TTR for about a year and a half. The outdoor facility is (mostly) a beautiful and well-maintained facility for tennis and pickleball. The pool is great. Our dues have over doubled since joining- from $85 for a Pickleball membership for two, to now $160. I am totally fine with raising prices as amenities increase- however, TTR is not maintaining the facility. Their (already small, always dusty, and limited) fitness center has deteriorated dramatically recently, with at least one (out of three) popular treadmills out of order for the past 6+ months- including one of them for several months at a stretch with no ETA. More recently, 2/3 have been wholly removed after breaking down. I visit once a week for weight training, and we play pickleball once a week- however, I primarily maintained this membership due to the previous availability of treadmills. We clean up after ourselves and are respectful of equipment and shared spaces. In January, two of their treadmills broke- meaning that if you go to the gym, odds are you will have to either use a weird niche elliptical (theirs are not modern or appealing) or do something else entirely. The straw that broke the camel's back for us was that we politely asked to hold our membership for two months, submitting our request via a dedicated online membership hold request form- an option clearly available, with a nominal hold fee, in their membership terms. The staff, who we'd always found to be friendly enough in person, was abrupt in immediately informing us that holds do not exist (it is a dedicated request form on their own web site...?), telling us to instead terminate our membership. I shared a screenshot of their own policy, within their web page, thinking that they were mistaken or confused, to which they responded that holds are only for post-surgery or due to injury with a doctor's note. This is very clearly not the case within their own terms and conditions- see screenshot. They specify only that a hold *can* be extended beyond 3 months if due to injury, but not that it is a pre-requisite for a hold. I asked for additional clarity in where this is indicated, and for them to please revisit my request, again respectfully, and my initial question was ignored- the second attempt to follow up when ignored was met again with only the link to terminate the membership. Zero response from there, despite a final attempt. Ironically, I have an injury requiring an impending MRI which prevents me from fully utilizing the benefits of this membership- but the attitude and immediate abrasiveness from their staff left such a gross taste in our mouths that we did not bother to disclose this. What a fascinating business model, pushing your members to quit and stonewalling when asked to answer basic questions regarding your own policies. We will gladly take our business elsewhere and share our experience with others as a cautionary experience, as they seem to desire their current members do, but man, what a trip. I wholly do NOT recommend TTR for the poor upkeep of the fitness center and bizarre, poor customer/member service. ------ Editing in response to the GM, who I have also messaged directly with additional information and the offer of forwarding his staff's emails in case helpful: My dues did not increase $75 within a single month, nor did I state that they had. That increase from $85 to $160 (for a couple) took place in increments over the course of a year and a half. I had no complaints about this until the fitness center fell apart and the customer service experience revealed itself to be a disaster. Price increases over time are expected if a place is maintained properly (*if), especially with the pool opening. However- I am not going to the trouble of holding or paying for a membership in the future at this establishment considering the poor member experience and customer service experience. I did not mention my injury, because no policy available to members indicated the need to. My advice for management: Maybe invest in hiring staff that isn't chasing your membership out the door as quickly and rudely as they can?

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Templeton Tennis Ranch
Templeton Tennis Ranch
Templeton Tennis Ranch

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SLO Swim Center - Home of the San Luis swim team, Seahawks, this pool has recently undergone a major facelift and welcomes swimmers from all over.

SLO Swim Center

3.9(16 reviews)
64.5 km

Great place to take the kids for an afternoon swim. The water in the smaller pools is nice and warm…read morefor the little ones. Would highly recommend for the entire family!

I am wondering if the city of SLO is aware exactly how loud the music is that's played at this…read morepool. As I write this I'm in my home (I live across the creek on the opposite side of Southwood Drive) with all windows shut and very clearly hear it, from a distance of 300 ft. I mentioned the distance because the city's own noise ordinance states, in pertinent part: "Between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m., it is a violation to make or allow noise that can be heard 50 feet from your property line." My residence is five times the distance spelled out in the ordinance. However, I walked back through my complex to see how far the noise was audible. I stood at the basketball court fence adjacent to my property - a distance of 500 ft, 10 times the distance in the city's ordinance - and the music is still audible. Now, I'm familiar with the concept of due diligence when looking for a new place to stay, and I did research this neighborhood before moving here. I was aware I would next to two parks, a school, and a baseball stadium. I have no problem with the noise from the ball games, school etc. as it's unavoidable but the pool music is not. Further, I couldn't have conceived of a scenario where I would regularly be subjected to loud music from a city ran facility, in violation of their own noise ordinance. Again, I'm giving the city the benefit of the doubt, in good faith, and assuming they're unaware of this. I feel a lot of it has to do with the placement of whatever speaker(s) the music is played over. Thus, a possible solution would be to arrange the speakers so they face away from the complexes on the other side of the street. They could still face the pool, and the hill/elementary chool on the other side of the pool would largely blunt the music from traveling to the residences on Augusta. I'm really hoping to hear back from someone with the city in regards to this.

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SLO Swim Center
SLO Swim Center - Oh. The bubbles are following us down! 水に入って下さい()

Oh. The bubbles are following us down! 水に入って下さい()

SLO Swim Center

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W R Hearst Memorial State Beach - Nice views of San Simeon pier on the beach!

W R Hearst Memorial State Beach

4.4(40 reviews)
0.1 km

We enjoyed a relaxing day here with our dog. We were able to drive down to the lower beach and park…read morewith a great view of the old pier. There is lots of shade and space to relax and enjoy the sounds of the water. The beach and picnic area were pretty clean and although there were people fishing and BBQing, there was a nice quiet atmosphere. I don't know if it's typical but on our visit there were no screaming children or loud teens posing for the gram. It was a really calm vibe. The restrooms are near the entrance so it's a bit of a trek if you need to go and the portable restroom that was in the area was locked. Still this was better than the other beaches we visited in the area and I would definitely come back.

OK...this review is for the coast line area right under the William Randolph Hearst Memorial View…read morePoint. It's about 5 miles from the State Beach memorial state beach, which the rest of the reviews mention. But it is part of the Hearst State Beach. It has plenty of gravel parking, and good views of the coastline. You are able to slowly climb down the low embankment and get close to the water. I don't think it's safe for swimming, and with the ocean breezes making it quite chilly, so didn't stay too long. The sand is rough, with some large driftwood on the beach. But I was only one on the beach for a bit, and it was nice just staring out to the ocean while hearing the loud rumbling of the shallow waves.

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W R Hearst Memorial State Beach - Nice views of San Simeon pier on the beach!

Nice views of San Simeon pier on the beach!

W R Hearst Memorial State Beach - The pier

The pier

W R Hearst Memorial State Beach - W R Hearst Memorial State Beach

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W R Hearst Memorial State Beach

San Simeon State Beach - swimmingpools - Updated May 2026

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