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Sunset State Beach is a great off-the-beaten path local beach. The sand in this area is clean (no seaweed or other ocean debris) with long, walkable stretches in both directions. As this is an official state beach, parking is free with a state park pass and there are bathroom and camping facilities. Pros: * Super clean beach. * Low tourist traffic. Avoid the out-of-town beach tourists such as in Santa Cruz and Capitola. Cons: * Small parking lot * No retail stores Cell signal from parking lot: * Verizon: 2-bars 5G, 24.8-mbps down / 8.6-mbps up * T-Mobile: 4-bars 5G, 799.9-mbps down / 19.5-mbps up Cell signal from beach: * Verizon: 2-bars LTE, 4.6-mbps down / 4.3-mbps up * T-Mobile: 3-bars 5G, 672.0-mbps down / 19.5-mbps up
Beautiful setting with convenient and maintained facilities. Picnic areas with BBQs by the parking lot and fire pits directly on the beach. It was 73 degrees and partly sunny in early August and couples and families, large and small, were scattered throughout the beach enjoying the day. There were riptide warning signs at the entrance but the beach had lifeguard stations. Views all the way up and down the coast. Perfect!
Sunset State Beach is our favorite beach in the Santa Cruz/Watsonville area. The views are beautiful! You can find many sea shells and sand dollars. They offer a picnic/bbq area and restrooms. They also have a camp site nearby.
At the time that we'd visited - the skies were clear, the wind was moderate and the weather was just warm enough for us to sit on the beach in a light jacket without being too cold. The amount of sunshine was just right! It was truly one of those perfect afternoons at the beach. We were even graced with the presence of so many ladybugs!! The only kind of beetle I don't mind having around & I was surprised to find so many on the shore. A beach is normally the last place I would even expect them. Sunset Beach Park, for us, was a great experience. Not sure if it was just a combination of the perfect company, great weather, and the ladybugs but I would recommend it. It was clean and there is an ample amount of parking. Just know however that there is a $10 entrance fee to the park. Check their website for hours of operation as I'm sure they do close at a certain time. Bring a blanket, sprawl it across the sand, sit and listen to the waves. Take it all in. A day at the beach should feel meditative. The perfect escape from daily turbulence.
Great getaway with amazing weather off the coast. Reserving a site can be challenging, but once you get one it's like hitting the jackpot. Check in is at 2PM. Unfortunately we got there a bit too early, so we had to wait about an hour before going to our site. I advise arriving no earlier than 1PM. Depending who is at the front booth, you may get to your site much sooner than you think. Beach entrance does not allow dogs. However, other entrances off the coast does. We rode our bikes on the beach and the further we were out there we seen more dogs running around.
We were staying at a camp site nearby so we just walked over here. It was a weekend so by the afternoon the parking lot was full. It's a beautiful wide and long stretch of beach. I have never ever went into the water along any California coast until my friends dunked me in it at this beach. It was a perfect hot day and the water felt so refreshing. There is one life guard post and there was someone in it when we were there. There is a sign that says no alcohol on the beach and there was a coast guard that drove by several times and didn't enforce it. I guess just be discreet and respectful about it. Saw some clam shells so I guess one can go clamming during low tide. We returned in the morning around 6:30am and there was nobody but us there. It was so peaceful.
A nice clean beach. Well maintained. Swim with caution given the rip tides. Plenty of sand to dance around. Gets plenty of wind for flying kites. Parking fill up quickly. Day use fees are about $10. The adjoining campgrounds are spartan and away from the water.
7 years ago
Wonderful, scenic, peaceful, rejuvenating beach. The sand is amazingly fine and soft. There is plenty of sandy space between the cliffs and the shoreline. It is not very crowded (probably because of the 3 mile two lane drive from highway 101. Parking at the state beach is $10 (as of 02/16/2020). read more
The family and I wanted to hang out at the beach, play and do some fishing. We found this spot as a recommended spot for surf perch. We made the drive which wasn't too bad. The beach was about two hundred yards from the parking. There is a paved path that takes you from the parking lot to the beach but then you have to trek it another 100 or so yards to the water. The beach was super nice. You can find the small sand crabs or sand fleas or whatever you call them just by digging them up. Fun for the kids. As for the fishing, it was not a catching day. There were quite a few people fishing from the beach but no one was catching anything. One huge downfall is the bathrooms are up top. So if you have to use the restroom, it was a far tiresome walk. Come early because the parking got full. Lucky for us, we came early and found a perfect spot. There were plenty of parking when we arrived. read more
It took a really long time getting to this beach from San Jose. However, once you get there, the beach is fantastic. Went with 2 other families with young kids and it was a great place for them to play in the sand. What more do kids want? Water and sand. Win for everyone! We brought some food to eat on the beach and pitched our tents. When you first get to the gate, it's $10 to park. You see immediate parking spots but if you go left towards the beach camp area all the way down, you'll get to the other side of the beach. There's a little bit of a uphill climb to get to the beach but it's quieter on this side. Water was cold yesterday but it was nice to dip your feet in the water. We got there around 10:30 and left around 2. As we were leaving we saw tons of cars lining up to get in. Could be for the beach or campsite. read more
3 years ago
My husband and I spent 4 nights in the south campgrounds, staying in site #14. We were in our 26' RV so there was plenty of room in the driveway, it was also relatively level. Some site have quite a slope to them and would be really hard to level any kind of RV. The grounds were well kept and the bathrooms were clean. It was a 1/4 mile walk to the beach, which was not bad at all. The beach was beautiful and was perfect for a long walk to bird watch and just enjoy the ocean waves. There are a couple vista points that you can walk to to watch the sunsets without having to go all the way down to the beach. read more
5 years ago
3.5 stars, rounding up RV/Travel Trailer review * dry camping, no hookups * spots are short - I booked site #1 (south camp) for my 20 ft trailer and it was barely suitable, depth wise. It's essentially a asphalt parking spot. Width wise is almost the same as lengthwise so imagine a square spot. But here's the kicker - they expect you to park your car next to your trailer in the same asphalt spot. I parked slightly on the grass and the camp host knocked on my trailer door and told me to move my car. I had to move my car so close to my trailer that there was only 2 ft distance between the two. When I opened my trailer door it would almost hit my car. Heads up * spots do have decent size grass spot with picnic table, deep steel firepit with grill grate, food locker * no dump station. Must go to new brighton state beach in capitola. If you are heading home going north this is on the way. It's about a 15-minute drive. Inconvenient. But I guess at least it's free if you show them your ticket from sunset State Beach. If you don't, they'll charge you $10. * water spigots here and there * walk to beach down staircase (10 mins down), or drive to beach parking lot (2 mins) * generators ok from 10a-8p * cell coverage - verizon, spotty LTE. couldn't hot spot, not sufficient speed. I was trying to do some work but oh well read more
2 years ago
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5 years ago
We camped here at site 70 in the dunes loop. The campsite was large and flat (compared to some of the other sloped sites) but was terribly un scenic and far from the bathroom. We were also disappointed when we found out the closest beach trail was closed and has been closed for years even though it still shows on all the campground maps. We drove to the beach which was only a couple minutes away. The beach was beautiful! Clean, wide and relatively uncrowded. We had a bonfire at night! If we come back it would be for a day trip or we'd stay in loop 1-37 which was walking distance to the main beach entrance. read more
Perfect . Had to stay In Watsonville for a couple days and got up early every morning just to come here and do meditation and yoga and it's so perfect every morning there were not more than a hand full of people , a bunch of birds and some seals in the water ? I could be wrong lol Tons of parking and easy to get here . read more
6 years ago
Me an my wife camped here it was a great time we loved camping here very peaceful definitely coming back to camp they sell wood 10$ a bundle and it's a really big bundle comes in a bag plus $35 a night to camp also bring your own quarters for the shower it's $1.25 for five minutes decent showers don't forget your shower shoes lol they were pretty clean bathrooms there great views the walk around the whole place was nice read more
15 years ago
Spent the most perfect day with some friends at this beach. We bbq'd, put our feet into the freezing nor-cal water, played in the sand and yes... you guessed it, watched a beautiful sunset! A mere 20 minutes from Santa Cruz but it takes you farther away. The water, the sand and the views are different here. Just lovely. It's really clean too! My new favorite beach in the Bay Area. I got dibs on the bonfire pit near Lifeguard Tower #11! read more
6 years ago
Very nice beach, very close to campsites as well. Was nice and cloudy when i went. Def would come back again read more
4 years ago
13 years ago
The worst camping experience of my life- and I'm a lifelong camper. First of all, the park does not have a separate place for group campers. My small family of four was sandwiched in between two boy scout troupes, a group of 20 kids from Stanford and a six tent family reunion. We had teenage boys walking directly through our camp site all day long to get to the bathroom (see photos). If all that wasn't bad enough, the neighboring farmer plows his field at 5:30 on Sunday mornings and the local helicopter pilot practices maneuvers directly over the campground at about the same time. This place is like downtown Beirut. The beach was completely taken over by a 22 person soccer team. My 76 year old father was almost trampled on two occasions. Never again! read more
I've been coming here my whole life, and I really have no idea why. With the prices they are currently charging for camping, however, that trend is about to change. To put things in perspective: Senior discount in Yosemite National Park (yeah...Yosemite) = $10/night camping fee this year, which covers 2 vehicles (even if one is pulling a huge trailer). This provides you with access to world-acclaimed hikes, waterfalls, clean, maintained campsites, and friendly rule enforcement from camp rangers. Come during the last week of April, and you even get to skip the $20 park entrance fee (which covers you for 7 days anyway). Flash forward to this week at Sunset: $35/night with 1 vehicle, plus $10 night for the second car. Buying firewood from the site, as recommended? About $1 per cut piece of wood. Firepits? Huge metal pipes that would survive nuclear war, that leave you hovering around it like homeless people around a trash can fire (see pictures). Weather? I hope that you are blessed with a warm day, as it is usually freezing cold due to windy updrafts rolling up the hills off the beach and into the campground. Also expect some fog/mist/precipitation. Keep in mind there are no hiking trails, biking trails, etc. No real attraction besides the beach, which does have a lot of pokey things in it. Kiddos be careful! Sites are very close together, and there are no trees/soundbreakers, so you'll be staring at your neighbors the whole time. ;-) No bears, but there are a couple feral cats, which will happily eat your leftover hamburger meat! Highlight of my trip. I used to come here as a teenager with huge groups of people from my high school. We'd yell, laugh, be annoying as all hell. That trend hasn't changed, so get ready for dogs barking all night, babies crying, boy scout groups shouting, and no ranger doing anything other than enforcing those $10 parking passes. How to enjoy Sunset Beach camping: Pack in ONE car - Firewood, long-johns, a wind-breaking tent, a warm sleeping bag, quarters for the shower, a way to make yourself hot cocoa/ coffee, noise-canceling headphones or ear plugs for night OR just a loooot of booze and join the party. :-) Camp on, woodland friends...camp on. read more
14 years ago
All places are not meant for all people. It is a good campground for families with children and people who like to party and/or chill. If you like hiking and privacy, this is not your spot. There are huge disparities between the sites. Some can hold 10+ tents, some maybe two at most. Look at the pictures on the website to get somewhat an idea. They don't enforce the 2 tent max rule or the people limit so 1 site can accommodate a couple families. Get the outside ring if you like more privacy as the inside ring is back to back sites and there isn't a lot of brush or trees to give yourself much privacy. The campground is next to a strawberry field. That means fertilizer smell and tractors in the spring and fresh strawberries late summer with workers picking them. There will be fog just about every morning in the summer. The fog will burn off around noon to 1pm when you can then go down to the beach. It might be windy. dress in layers people, it's northern(ish) California. Bring a kite. The stairs down to the beach can be brutal for some. Taking the car yields limited spots. The sandy hill to the beach can be a workout as well. The sand is clean and you can hold a bonfire on the beach until 10pm. The surf is no joke here. Riptides and strong current. Great for some boogie boarding or light surfing. There is no store here or anywhere closer than Watsonville except firewood stands. You will need to bring everything. Some people said there was electricity and RV hookups but I didn't see any. I saw some RVs but no hookups. read more
sun shinning~ warm touches of the sun the soft cool breeze of summer I'm in love !!! with this beach !! ahahah Made a roadtrip with a group of 15 people here last saturday (07/18/09) Parking was $8 per car and for the whole day which was cheap. The beach here is pretty clean I must say. There's grills and tables at the top of the beach where you can BBQ, which we did !! Muahaha We had some burgers,hotdogs and oysters !!! Deeelicious !! lots of fun !!! ^ ^ I wanna go again already !!! lol p.s. picture are posted ! check them out !! read more
the world according to noelle, 2013 noelle's yelp notebook There is so much to say. I cannot find the words. Except for these: 'I love you.' ~ Elise McKenna, Somewhere in Time Looking for a beautiful place to get away from it all? Look no further than Sunset Beach. What you will find is a large sandy beach and the majestic deep blue Pacific Ocean crashing onto the shore. I've been coming here with my family since I was a kid. A couple of years back, it was in the 80s in October and I found a ton of whole sand dollars on the beach scattered about. Nothing beats a picnic with your loved ones on Sunset Beach. Came here this past weekend with my family and had a wonderful time. Definitely one of my favorite spots on the West Coast :) read more
10 years ago
******************** 1573 ******************** Took my 50 lbs blue eyes puppy here for his first camping. He was going cray cray with the scents of trees, the ocean, and everyone else food at the neighbors's tents :) DJ loves the ocean breeze and he ran into the ocean with no fear. (Husky, Labrador, Dalmatian & Rottweiler mix, adopt don't shop). They offer multiple sites area for you to stay over night. I'm not a camping person, so I stay at a friend's place nearby while my family stays here overnight. Sunset Beach could be cleaner, however, it's still 1 of the nicer, safer beach for camping in the Santa Cruz beaches. read more
My coworkers and I came here to camp in celebration of the end of a long and hot summer of working. We were super excited since most of us have never camped near a beach before. Seeing the beautiful pictures online made us even more excited. This place lived up to every part of our expectations!! The sunset was gorgeous! And with a long stretch of beach, you could see beautiful hues cast along the coast. Since we came here on one of the less cloudy days, you could see the reflection of the sunset on the sand right after the waves wash up. It's absolutely stunning when pictures of the reflection and sunset are taken. You can barely tell the difference between the reflection and the actual sunset. Even if you're not a big fan of camping, you could come here just for the pictures! read more
11 years ago
My friends and I threw a Sunday Funday BBQ here at Sunset Beach. We came here to reserve a spot around 12pm. I highly advise everyone to come as early as possible to save your party a spot because it does get busy during the weekends! It was my first time here and I was so astonished by the true beauty of nature. The beach view was gorgeous and breath taking! The park also accommodated our every need, with benches, shades, grills and tables. The park also has zero tolerance of alcohol so be careful because there are park rangers and polices that randomly roam each site. We also strolled along the beach to take a break from all the grubbing and eating. We found tons of seashells and sand dollars along the shore. It was so much fun and I had a blast spending it with my loved ones. I will come here again and throw another BBQ with my family and friends! read more
13 years ago
I've been coming here since I was a toddler and it's always been special to me. There's nothing like setting up a spot with a nice picnic lunch, throw a frisbee, layout, people watch or take a nice long walk. Even watch the sunset. $10/day for parking so I suggest finding street parking. I haven't stayed in their campsite so I see camping next summer in our future just to say we did it. However, lately when I've been coming here I've noticed an increase in garbage and it's really sad how some people are so lazy to not want to clean after themselves. read more
5 years ago
16 years ago
I love the beach, very clean, the water is clear and blue and it was not very crowded. I was very sad that my dog was not allowed on the beach, but only on the trails, I guess it was good that we could walk him but running and playing with my dog is a new reason I enjoy the beach. Surprisingly , their were still a lot of dogs there with their families, they just did not get to play. We camped there for fourth of July weekend and were happy to see that it was pretty quiet and not as crowded as Manresa gets around this time of year. I love that they provide campfires, that was our only source of heat at night and it cooked up our hot dogs just right. I suggest bringing your own firewood because there's is a bit pricey. Oh and they have a no drinking out of your campsite rule, I am guessing in order to keep loud and drunk crowds from the beach at night. This will be a third option for me on our yearly camping tradition, Manresa is number one and Big Sur number two. Make sure to catch the sunset here, it is gorgeous. read more
8 years ago
5 years ago
Went to the beach yesterday and stayed a little past 10. And I must say, this beach just gets better and better. I came around 3 in the afternoon and of course it was jam packed with people, but there were still plenty of spots left to camp out on. I hosted a bonfire/smores event that day and the lady at the booth explained to me that it was no big deal to have bonfires there and that the beach closed at 10. So yeah, weather there was nice, I didn't dare tread into the water because it looked cold staring at it. Then night rolled around and it actually became more warm... possibly because of the fire that we built. But the winds died down and it was just really nice. The sand was nice, not a lot of seaweed from what I saw, and the park rangers were exceptionally kind to us. When the rangers had to close off the area, she was respectful to me and my party and we gladly moved our vehicles to the top of the hill and continued our bonfire at the beach for another hour or so. All-in-all, it was a great experience at a great beach. Snapped some great photo's too! read more
13 years ago
While camping here, farm workers sprayed insecticides 15 feet from our table while we ate dinner. All day long we had to listen to extremely loud and poorly tuned Spanish radio while they worked in the field. The spray was horrifying and the smell lingered for hours. No exaggeration, 15 feet from our table. The spray pattern was about 12 feet wide from industrial sprayers mounted to two tractors. I am not sure why anyone would say this is a good campground for kids, we left after our first night. I won't be exposing my child to those types of chemicals again. read more
9 years ago
Review of Pine Hollow Camp for a large tent Great location and a beautiful beach. But don't stay in 43 47 40 61 60 the campsites are back to back and you are on top of each other 44 42 and 41 are small with 41 not being to bad. 52 and 50 semi private looked the best. Shower is $1.25 for five minutes bring quarters. Camp host are great. We had two late arrivals one 9:30 and one 11:30 which was annoying because the whole campground was asleep. read more
Ok, Sunset Beach Park was awesome. Perfect place to catch the sunset and watch the surfers catch that one last wave before it gets too dark. Rangers were nice but cleared the place out by dark and no campfires on the beach. Sunset Beach State Park Camping grounds, another story... Not much for scenary, closely placed campsites, don't pick the one next to the open fields (private farming area) because the fertilizer smell is noxious and the noisy tractor in the morning is not peaceful. By the way, bring at least $.50 to the showers because it takes a while for the water to warm up (yes, I've surfed before, but these showers were COLD, and it only gets to luke warm. Maybe this is only a winter issue.) Do however, wander down to the ocean, even if its totally dark and laydown on the sand and stare at the stars. Its nice to be isolated and quiet. Not a great campsite, but not much else around the area, more state parks south are not camping, and the KOA (if you even consider that camping) is the same a hotel room, so do yourself a favor and just get a room. read more
10 years ago
This review is for camping here. My friend made a reservation for 1st week of April and we got one of the the best campsites in Pine Hollow Site #43. Pros: 1. Excellent campground spaces. The center loop of Pine Hollow with #43, #40, #39, #38, #60, #61.. #59, #58, #63, #64 are good sites. The campsites are spacious in the centre loop, has sufficient shade with trees around. However AVOID sites #44, #42 and #41 as those are on sidelines towards the strawberry farm and and the space looked tight and dingy. 2. Each campsite has a fire pit, picnic table and storage box. There are running water faucets at intervals. 3. Restrooms are close to the campsites and very clean. 4. On one side of the campsite lies a vast strawberry field. This is gorgeous. Also right across the street is the trail to the beach. 5. This camp ground is close to Santa cruz downtown, with ample trails nearby, beaches and lots of activities around. 6. This campground is perfect for kids and families. and is dog friendly too. 7. For the campsites the fee is $48 ish and 1 car parking free. Extra cars have to pay $8. 8. Firewood is available with park rangers for $8. 9. The beach is also open to people who are not camping here for a fee of $10 day use!! It's totally worth if you want to avoid the crowds of santa cruz boardwalk. NOTE: 1. Keep quarters handy as they have only coin operated showers. 2. Temperature suddenly drops after sunset and gets windy as the fog rolls in. So be prepared with warm clothing - jackets, gloves and caps. 3. This campground is very popular. So you'll need to book much ahead to reserve a site. 4. AVOID sites #44, #42 and #41 as those are on sidelines towards the strawberry farm and and the space looked tight and dingy. read more
More info about Sunset State Beach
201 Sunset Beach Rd
Watsonville, CA 95076
Directions
(831) 763-7062
Call Now
Visit Website
http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=544
Hours
Indoor Amenities
Outdoor Amenities
Ask the Community - Sunset State Beach
What does "tent camping" mean at Pine Hollow camp site?
I have T-Mobile, is there cell signal here?
My partner has T-Mobile and would get coverage maybe a lil bit the whole time we was there, it went in and out not good. I have Verizon it was a lil better. Just FYI if u going through or staying in Big Sur no reception for ether provider
I'll be camping here soon but need cell service connectivity because a family member is sick and I need to be able to get updates. Does AT&T have service at the campground or nearby?
Yes i have connection but it's only a 1-2 bars
Are bonfires allowed here?
According to the website... FIRES are allowed only in park fire rings. https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=544
Do the campsites have bbq grills?
There is a fire pit that is partially covered with a grate. Not ideal for stuff like burgers and hot dogs unless you cover it with foil. Perfect for heating stuff in a pot
How far is the walk to the beach?
If you're camping in South camp, which is the only one open in the winter, about 1/4 mile down some sketchy steep steps, over a dune, and you're there! There's also a similar route from the Dunes campground. Easy for adults, but if you have a…
Is this a good place to camp?
Yes it is. It's a very popular place to camp. You should reserve if you plan on going in the summer months
Is this a good place for a group picnic celebration?
yes it has a beautiful beach, grill also if u go further in. Very good for group outing.
Where can I rent a trailer to be delivered to the campground?
Sorry not sure about renting trailer there.
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