Four Mile Beach

Gorgeous Beach!! Great stunning view of rock midst of beach.. This beach is hidden gem. Very clean and with less people. Free roadside parking. It’s ~ a mile walk from parking and the trial is flat unlike other beaches around Santa Cruz. Easy for kids and elderly people to walk . Just follow the Google map.

This beach is beautiful! Has a cool cave to the far right, when you enter take the middle path which leads straight to the sandy shores, you can do campfire’s here and play volleyball as well! Very fun small hidden beach!

Perfect relaxing beach - a little off the beaten path (limited parking and about a 10 minute walk in), so it's not crowded, but a perfect little spot to get away. Lots of open and clean sand to sit or play, as well as an area off to the right side with little tide pools and rocks that you can explore through when the tide is low. Just be careful parking if you don't have a car with higher ground clearance, the dirt parking area has huge mounds and holes that could wreak havoc on a regular car if you're not careful.

Lovely beach, it was the prefect escape from the Southern Bay Area Heat just an hour drive from San Jose. The is very limited parking and the parking lot was very rough. The hike down was about 10-15 minutes! The sand was soft and the wind was perfect making it a calm and peaceful beach visit. Remember to pack sunscreen prior to this trip, and a low clearance vehicle is not recommended for the main parking lot!

What makes 4-mile-beach magical is the fact that it is actually "hidden" from highway 1. There is a 10 min walk you need to make from the parking lot to go between two hills where it opens up to the beach. And because of this, the entire beach feels super private, yet plenty of space for everyone to spread and have fun. As with typical NorCal beaches, the weather is typically cloudy and windy, and we have low cliffs meeting the ocean abruptly. 4-mile overcomes these factors as the protective alcove cuts the wind significantly while the funnel shaped opening gives decent sand coverage. Also the waves are not so strong due to the concave shape of the coastline. So why 4 stars? It's the smell. Potentially because of the sea water not circulating well in the mini-bay, there may be more fish/marine life carcasses nearby. This results in a bit of foul smell as well as flies near the immediate coastline. About 15 yards into the sand, all is well and you're back to goodness. But again, feel a bit nasty going into the sea. Regardless this is one of the best beaches I've been to and will absolutely return frequently!

Such an amazing spot! Spent all day here. Great place to check out amazing views, surf, and enjoy the West Coast at its finest. Low tide exposed great tide pools with many great animals. Wind is mostly blocked by the huge rock wall which was great with cooler temps.

Awesome and beautiful beach. Parking is free but have to take a short walk. No restrooms. You can also hike above the beach and views are gorgeous (just beware of steep cliffs).

Fun secluded beach away from the busy beaches of Santa Cruz. It's a medium length walk away from highway 1, but there is a pull off with parking right next to the trailhead. The cliffs are very impressive and there are some tide pools to explore too. The waves are bigger than at the beaches in Santa Cruz and the beach is steeper, so it's a little less hospitable to swimming though

Enjoying this secluded beach starts with a small concrete parking lot with severely damaged uneven surface and plenty of dips, and no actually "spaces" (just find a way to make your car fit)... an adventure for your car! The trek from there involves following a dirt path among plantlife and walking down a rocky hill, even crossing over train tracks along the way... only a quarter mile, but feels a lot longer (Is that why they call it "4 mile"?!?). It's all worth it once you lay eyes on the beautiful sandy shore, And the moment you enter and step onto the sand, there's a small pond to your right with ducks! What a pleasant surprise to be found at the beach :D On a Sunday afternoon, there were just a handful of visitors, couples and families stretched out on their mats or little tents, enjoying the sunshine and sound of the waves. Surfers doing their thing on the water. A few dogs running free. Surfboards sitting inside a small cave-like tunnel, a cool formation along the mudstone cliffs, that you can actually go inside. A piece of advice, on a windy day, be prepared for sand to blow onto your belongings, especially if you have food or drinks, you may want to have your back to the wind to prevent the sand from ruining a good meal while picnicking. But it's easy to shake off your blankets and tents and such, so don't be afraid to get a little dirty as you lie in the sun and enjoy the peaceful atmosphere. One thing I did not like is that there is no cell service here (T-Mobile). But other than that, I loved everything about this place. And if you're not a big fan of all of the crowds closer to the Boardwalk but you want to be near the water, Four Mile Beach is definitely worth checking out.