One of the Treasures of the Monterey Bay and the California Coast!

If you look on a map of Santa Cruz County, and in particular the area between Capitola City Beach and New Brighton State Beach in Capitola and Manresa State Beach just south of Rio del Mar, you will find long stretches of California coastline and beaches whose names seem to blend into each other.

Seacliff State Beach occupies a rather unassuming middle portion of this coastline – unassuming that is until you go there!

Seacliff State Beach w ocean view of Capitola and Santa Cruz

Blue skies peek under a bank of high fog as happy visitors enjoy Seacliff State Beach. Capitola and Santa Cruz appear in the backgorund

From California State Highway 1, take the State Park Drive exit. 

From there, meander through the gentle curves, past a rather modern shopping center and past a small but lively “downtown” area and continue to the Seacliff State Beach entrance and information booth.

That is where it all changes!

Seacliff State Beach is open all year round and attracts visitors for a variety of reasons.

As with most of the California State Beaches, the facilities are superb – clean, easily accessible restrooms, plenty of parking (on several visits, I observed huge motor homes towing full-sized cars negotiating the parking areas with relative ease!), courteous and well-informed Park Rangers, and lots of things to enjoy – even for a brief visit.

The beaches are well groomed without looking like they are part of an upscale resort.  In other words, the “nature” is still part of the natural surroundings!

A paved road takes you from the bluffs overlooking the Monterey Bay (the view is worth the visit by itself!) right down to the beach. 

A Visitor’s Center has lots of information about the area and its plant and animal residents. It and even has a “touch pool” exhibit which allows visitors to see starfish, urchins, and other bay creatures in a natural habitat.  Another interesting exhibit is the “shark egg repository” – where folks can bring local shark eggs that they find to be cared-for, then transferred back into the wild.

The Visitor’s Center is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 4 pm.

Seacliff State Beach, the concrete ship "SS Palo Alto" and beach goers

The "SS Palo Alto" also known as the "concrete ship" attracts fishermen, surfers, sun-bathers, and vacationers to Seacliff State Beach and its superb facilities

But the most apparent amenity of Seacliff State Beach is the remnants of the SS Palo Alto and its attending pier.  The Palo Alto – a concrete hulled ship – was brought to the area in the 1930’s, “sunk”, and turned into an amusement area.  Sadly, this enterprising business venture did not survive the challenges of the Great Depression and it was abandoned.

However, today it serves as welcomed habitat for a variety of sea-life and lures fishermen eager to catch Mackerel, Striped Bass, and even Halibut.  To fish from the pier, no state fishing license is required.  However, to angle from the beach, you will need a license.

On the days I have gone, I have seen fishermen, boaters, surfers, and “boogie-boarders” – all enjoying Seacliff and the Monterey Bay.  There is camping and extended stay facilities for recreational vehicles, too. 

Even after sundown (Santa Cruz and Capitola provide a lovely backdrop for some spectacular sunsets!), visitors can be seen utilizing local driftwood to take the chill from the evening air in the designated fire-pits.

As with most State Beaches, a day pass is $10, a “Poppy Pass” (a pass for certain beaches, mostly north of Big Sur) is $90, and an annual pass for all State Beaches and Parks is $124.

Get a day pass to see what I mean about this treasure, but be prepared to upgrade to the “Poppy” or annual pass once you spend some time here.

By the way, the passes are good for several people at a time, so this can be a family and friends adventure – and one you will certainly enjoy!

Visit the Seacliff State Beach website to find information about the facilities and make a reaservation!

Visit our special “Seacliff” page to learn more about living in this lovely area!

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