California State Beaches, The Complete List

USA Pacific coast landscape, boardwalk to Leo Carrillo State Bea
Leo Carrillo State Beach, Malibu

California State Beaches can be found up and down the coast. These state parks have some of the best beachfront property in the Golden State and thankfully it is protected from developers. Most have restrooms and other facilities so you can enjoy a full day at the beach.

See the complete list at the bottom of this page!

Entrance fees are charged at the majority of these parks, however, the funds go to support the upkeep and expansion of these treasured places. When available, we try to indicate where you can park outside the gates for free access.

In addition to picnic tables and barbecues, many of our state parks have campgrounds but you’ll need to reserve camping sites well ahead of your stay as they fill up fast!

We have maps and information on every state beach in Northern, Central, and Southern California, and there are hundreds. See the full list at the bottom of the page.

bigs-Santa Monica State Beach aerial shot showing pier and city-148775819 (Large)
Santa Monica State Beach

Note that some of the state beaches are operated by county or city parks departments (like many in Los Angeles County) so they might not be known as state parks. There are more than a few hidden gems on this list that even locals don’t know are owned by the state.

Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Beach, Big Sur

Quite a few of these state parks are large properties with multiple state beaches included in them. Here’s a list of parks with multiple beaches.

See the list below for ALL state beaches on the coast of California (listed south to north).