Beaches in Santa Cruz County
Explore Santa Cruz County
Nearby Hotels
Seascape Beach Resort
With nearly 300 luxurious suites and beach villas, Seascape Beach Resort in Aptos welcomes guests with a full range...
Capitola Venetian Hotel
Take a short stroll to one of the many nearby art galleries, shops or restaurants, with a delightful vacation...
Capitola Hotel
Set along the coast of Monterey Bay, the Capitola Hotel offers plenty of appeal, from its tiny village setting...
Nearby Attractions
Santa Cruz Boardwalk
Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk offers more than 30 amusement park rides from roller coasters to kiddie rides, four arcades...
Gilroy Gardens
Gilroy Gardens is the brain child of Michael Bonfante, owner of a chain of northern California Nob Hill grocery...
Santa Cruz Mission State Historic Park
The Santa Cruz Mission State Historic Park sits atop Mission Hill in Santa Cruz offering a patio, gardens, and...
Walton Lighthouse
Some cities would enjoy claiming rights to a single lighthouse. Santa Cruz enjoys two beautiful structures and though the...
Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park
Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park is located just north of Santa Cruz. The park is open to the public...
Elkhorn Slough
Elkhorn Slough is an ecological reserve that provides habitat for plants and animals, including more than 340 species of...
About Santa Cruz County
The Santa Cruz County coastline is south of San Mateo County on the San Francisco Peninsula and just a short drive from San Jose and the southern San Francisco Bay Area. The city of Santa Cruz is in the middle of the county coastline and has many urban beaches tucked into coves that are filled with local beachgoers. Tourists pack the city waterfront where they enjoy an amusement park, arcades, a boardwalk, a fishing pier, and a wide sandy beach. South of Santa Cruz the beaches are on the northern shore of Monterey Bay in the cities of Watsonville, La Selva Beach, Rio Del Mar, Aptos, and Capitola. These southern Santa Cruz County beaches are in state parks such as Sunset SB, Manresa SB, Seacliff SB, and New Brighton State Beach. The small town of Davenport is the only city along the northern Santa Cruz County coast. These northern Santa Cruz beaches include Wilder Ranch SP, Bonney Doon SP, and Big Basin Redwoods State Park. In between these parks are many other great beaches that offer sand and secluded coves. Note that some of these remote beaches are considered clothing-optional so read our beach descriptions to find them or avoid them.
