This beach in Sand City, CA is such a perfect place to unwind, relax and chill. Beautiful waves and…read morepeaceful vibes. Parking can get a bit challenging if coming on a busy day. I recommend visiting here for the nice views or just getting out in general to enjoy the ocean.

Wow what a gem. My fiancee and I stopped at this beach on our way to Big Sur. It is right off…read moreHighway 1 and just a little drive through the town of Sand City. There was almost no one here which was awesome because we pretty much had the whole beach to ourselves. It is called Sand City for a reason, there is a ton of sand here. There are also some sandy trails right next to the beach to explore. Nice beach to just relax at and enjoy the views. The waves look rough here, so I wouldn't go in the water. Defiantly recommend this beach!

Nice hotel nestled right on the beach so you can wake up and step out on the balcony, coffee in…read morehand, and enjoy the sights and smells and sounds of this gorgeous ocean and beach. Water is icy cold, 45 to 55 depending on time of year. The beach extends into the shallow waters so you can wade out if you want. Usually quite cool so bring along a sweater. Dont forget the binoculars as you might see the whales swim by And at midnight you might see the lights from all the shrimp boat fishing out there.

Adore walks by the beach, especially down by the Monterey bay. The walking path along this strip of…read morebeach is fabulous. Too bad some selfish narcissistic criminals took out the huge old wooden cross that stood watch here, over the bay. Still a breathtaking walk, check it out.

A calm, peaceful and clean beach. It's located next to the…read morepier - which has good food places. The parking near the beach is paid and has a relatively clean washroom.

A very beautiful beach where my partner and I went towards the end of the day to catch the sunset…read more It ended up being quite foggy - so, the views far off into the ocean were very difficult . We were still able to appreciate the beach - and were even surprised to see some California Sea Lions close to the shore. Overall, a beautiful beach with literally power soft sand!

Beautiful beach with soft sand, and great wind in the air. They have a small parking lot with lots…read moreof space. The trail is along the beach and it's nice to walk along. My family loved this semi secluded beach far from the tourist sites.

Monterey State Beach had beautiful views of the bay and nice sights for my family of four to enjoy…read more We love coming to Monterey and have been to the peninsula many times, but this beach was new to us. Apparently, it is not one of the most popular beaches, although it was nice enough. There's a small parking lot, but it was free to park so that was nice. There's not much cover here, so it could get hot, so I suggest coming in the morning. It was good that we visited on a weekday morning, so that there were very few people besides us. It was also on our way out of Monterey to head home, so it gave us a last "touristy" thing to do before we had to say bye to one of our favorite places. Interestingly, there's a little stream or technically it's an estuary through the beach, I've not seen that before. It looked a bit stagnant and smelled a little, so we opted not to walk through it to get to the edge of the ocean to hang out and relax. My children loved playing in the water, building sand castles and finding seashells. My kids even got to meet and chat with a lifeguard for a little bit and take a picture with him, so that was a treat for them. The lifeguard was friendly and professional, he kept an eye on the beach and the few people around while we talked with him briefly. All in all, this is a decently nice state beach with no admission, and no parking fees, and really nothing to complain about. We spent about an hour or so here and enjoyed listening to the waves and walking on the soft sandy beach. We plan to be back.

Came here to watch the sunset with my loves this evening. This area is dog friendly and most of the…read moreother people that were on the beach had dogs with them as well. There are signs posted that dogs must be on a leash, but almost all of the owners let their dogs loose when they were away from the main area. Everyone was friendly and considerate and all of the puppers were well behaved. It was a bit of a walk from the parking area to get down to the beach, but it wasn't super crowded so that was nice. Sand is a mixture of fine and gravelly with some glass mixed in. There was a porta potty and a hand wash station about halfway to the beach, but I would only have used it in an emergency so I can't speak to its condition. Lots of birds and crustations and pretty calm waves The sunset was lovely and we would definitely return.

During my visit last year, I used the Cannery Row portion of this trail very often, not knowing…read morethat it had a name. This year, I used it even more as I decided to explore out of this area without driving my car. I walked through Fisherman's Wharf to downtown at the advice of a couple of local friends. As I walked, I stopped and stared at the sights and scenes and was fascinated with the historic significance of the area (see my The Custom House review). As I walked, I stopped to take photos and admire signs and statues along the way. The walk on this portion is not difficult as it is mainly flat. There are lanes in each direction to ensure the safety of users of this trail whether pedestrians or bikers, single or those multi-peddler versions. After walking to Fisherman's Wharf, I continued to the downtown area, walking by the conference center. Besides following this route on my 1st full day in town, I walked the trail with my friends as we went to other destinations in the Cannery Row area. I am not a very good biker so it's unlikely that I will venture further out than where I went. For those fit and outdoorsmen or women, do take advantage of this trail in experiencing the area. There is plenty of scenery to explore and experience, of which I barely saw much the entire trail.

We stopped to walk along this trail in Pacific Grove for a while, and it was a gorgeous day for it…read more Our 13-year-old dog, Zoey, cannot walk far anymore, so we brought a stroller. This path is not the best place for one, but we made do. First, though, we took her down to the water. We did not explore the tidepools on this occasion, but Zoey had a great time walking in the ocean water. In this area, the tide moved in a gentle motion, yet it still managed to sneak up on me and get my shoes wet! The path was alive with vibrant color today, and offered lovely views. Unfortunately, some cars drive faster than they ought to on this road considering how close the walking path is situated to it.

This was our first visit to the playground. I saw the size and diversity of structures here and…read moreknew we had to visit. Since we were going to be in the area, it was added to our agenda for the day. From the parking lot, you see a baseball field, life size train behind black gates and restrooms. The parking lot was adequate in size and held about 20-25 cars. We were fortunate to obtain the last open parking space while others circled and departed. At the entrance of Dennis the Menace, there are the restrooms, a case for free books to leave or take, a stand on the background of the playground, an oversized lion who's mouth serves as a water fountain (so cool!) and a Dennis the menace comic strip page. Directly behind the train, to your right as you enter, is an oversized figure of Dennis the Menace enclosed in the gate. There are 2-3 stands sharing the history and significance of the trains presence. There are large rocks to climb with two tunnels to walk through, a rock climbing wall, a cross bridge connecting two large rocks, swings, slides, a maze made from gates leading to a smaller play structure, a tube based slide, an oversized sunshine staircase, a boat, and so much more. This space is incredible to experience as an adult, our daughter ran around for hours allowing us to share in her fun running along side her. There were few spots offering refuge from the sun and seating was minimal. There are a few benches, but mostly the stone structure surrounding the play area was used. The gnats...they were everywhere in swarms making it difficult to navigate and fully enjoy. We were constantly swatting at the tiny buggers, our daughter was existing free as a bird making her way around the park - doubt she noticed. There were a few spots on the park we were able to find relief, very few. It would be great if the park implemented some bug deterrent to lessen the presence of the gnats. Other than that, it was an incredible experience we all enjoyed. We were there for a few hours and only departed because she needed to eat dinner. 4.5 due to the presence of the gnats. In their absence a solid 10.

Dennis the Menace Playground, Monterey…read more August 2026 I've been here a few times with my family. This is an awesome park and it's pretty big! This park is great for all ages even for adults too! I highly recommend going on the weekends, although there are a lot of people, I think they close during the weekday since there's a preschool nearby. Right next to this playground entrance, there's a baseball field and there's a small snack bar, it's called El Estero Snack Bar, they sell hamburgers, fries and drinks. We ordered the nacho cheese fries with jalapeno peppers on the side. It came out piping hot! Although it seems so basic, it was really good on a cold day! Highly recommend this playground and would come back if I'm in the area. This place is awesome!

A lovely beach in the Monterey . It is fairly closed to the Cannery Row and Monterey plaza hotel &…read morespa . The beach has a state park and lots of paid parking right in the front . Lots of launch chairs to sit and enjoy the ocean view . There are big green lawn for the kids to run and play frisbee or have a picnic , play your fur babies to run around and play . The most popular sight are the sea lions and the beach front . The beach is long enough for people to go down to swim . Sea lions and birds stay on the other side and sun bath . The weather is cloudy in the morning and usually turns nice in the afternoon that you can see blue sky and the ocean is beautiful under the sun . We stayed there for 2 hours in the afternoon . Some free parkings are in front of the Monterey plaza hotel . There are a few area build for closer access to the ocean and a better view . There are public restrooms in the beach plus you can walk one block to the hotel lounge for drinks and snacks . We love to visit this beach park and we come often.

$14 parking all day Clean restroom…read more Beach access Walkable to cannery row or take the free trolly. We parked here and walked to Monterey Bay Aquarium. Honestly I am glad we did , one it's $14 and not $45 that's how much other parking lots costs the closer we get to the aquarium. Tip: keep on the walking path to the boat docks to view the sea lions resting spot of the shore.

It's a small beach that's located in cannery row. It's more of a soak your feet beach and relax. I…read morehaven't really seen people surf here or swim far. There's a mural and the restaurants over see this beach.

It was a nice little beach to bring kids to. It's small but there's shade from the buildings, which…read moreI love. It's walking distance to the aquarium so if you're in the area it's definitely a must to stop by.

There are pros and cons to every place you might visit, and this beach is no different. I will…read morepreface mine with this: YES, as other reviews mention, there are homeless people who set up near and on this beach. NONE of them are mugging you, though. They want to be left alone and they leave you alone, IF you pay them no attention. Go about your day! Enjoy your stay! Second, yes, dead animals wash up on this beach. Guess what! They do that on ALL beaches worldwide. It's not unique to this one. That being said, this is one of my absolute favorite beaches in the area, for many reasons. Parking is easy and can be free. While there is a pay parking lot attached to this beach for easy access to it, we never use it. We use either the lot across the street, which offers 2-hour parking until 6pm and no limit on time until 10pm, or we go further down the street beside Dennis The Menace Park to park on the street, where it's unlimited parking all day long. It depends on when we arrive and how long we'll be there. Want to go swimming? Teaching your littlest ones about the beach and how to stay safe in the surf? THIS is the beach for it! There aren't exactly waves here. Well, there are, but they're so tiny they can hardly be called waves. They're swells that roll up onto the beach in cute little miniature "waves" and the return back to the ocean is very mild. It's the perfect place to introduce your small children to the ocean, perfect place to take people who aren't strong swimmers, perfect place for you to get in a little ocean swimming time in calm waters. You won't have to worry about boats very close to shore, as they don't come really close, won't have to worry about strong rip tides that may pull you or your child out to sea, you just have to worry about them gulping down too much salt water. ***That's not to say you should be complacent when taking your children here, but that you can be a little more relaxed knowing that it's more gentle a beach than some others.*** If you arrive at the right time of day (NO, I'm not telling you when! Sorry, but I won't give up my 'combing secrets that easily!!), you can find a good amount of shells and it IS legal to pick them up on this beach, as it is NOT a state beach. I've found sand dollars, mussel and clam shells, as well as turbans, oyster, scallop (very small ones...), and more types of shells. You might even find abalone shells if you arrive after a storm! You just have to know what to look for and be there at the right time of day - otherwise they'll already be picked over and/or pulled back out to sea. You'll also find hag stones on this beach. Hag stones are rocks that have been tumbled by water in such a way that the water bores a hole into the stone. These are plentiful along this beach and I sometimes take one if it catches my eye. They're good for hanging near your door to keep unwanted visitors away! Or just to decorate, who knows if that actually works ;) The sand here is an extremely fine type and it WILL get into everything. It sticks to your toes even well after it's dried, but it's not the type of sand that hurts you when it's stuck to your feet, so just brush it off as best you can and go about your day. :) There are bathroom facilities all around this beach. If you don't mind buying yourself something to drink there's McDonald's across the street and those will be very clean. If you don't mind slightly less than immaculate bathrooms, there's also a bathroom at the Dennis The Menace Park between the two landmark buildings at the park parking lot. Another public bathroom is at the kayak place and still more bathrooms are attached to the building across the walkway from the kayak place, and one more is at the wharf. This beach is dog-friendly, just please keep Fido on a leash. So many people bring their dogs here off-leash and it's just not the place for it. Also please be sure to clean up after your pooch. Nobody likes to step in dog doody; we *really* don't like it if it's buried in the sand so that we couldn't see it before it squished between our toes. In all, this is an awesome beach that I hate to leave a good review for because it might just attract more people to it than I care to see - LOL!! - but it is what it is and I'll brag on my favorite beach of the area any day of the week!

This is an excellent beach for sitting and relaxing. Very calm water for playing in the surf line…read more I tried scuba diving here but the water is very shallow for a long way out so was not good for diving Good place for wake boarding. Nice plac to walk along the wharf and watch all the fishermen Trying to catch something. And if they dont catch anything there is a fresh fish market on the wharf. Also good restaurants here. A wonderful place just to enjoy the beach and to wade in the cold water.