John S.
Yelp
We Californians are all spoiled when it comes to beaches because even though we may complain about individual problems at individual beaches (e.g., not enough parking, too expensive to park, too far from parking to the water, hot sand, dirty sand, dirty water, cold water, dangerous currents, too crowded, too desolate), I guarantee you that the cruddiest of our beaches is still paradise compared to many other places' beaches. And even if Florida has warmer water year round, you have to deal with real-life Floridians when you go there, so I'll put up with the slight bother of entitled residents of Newport Beach and Laguna Beach every day of the week, thank you very much.
Lighthouse Field State Beach isn't really a family-day-at-the-beach beach. I doubt many of those exist in Northern California just because the water is so cold, so that's not a knock against the place. If you have intrepid, uncomplaining kids (and those are an endangered species these days), you might be able to have one of those days here, but the stairs down to the sand are a doozy, and you'll have to lug all that junk back up anyway, so I wouldn't recommend it. But if you want to experience what seems like an '80s-movie montage of every spectacular Northern California beach rolled into one, come to this place.
The vistas are breathtaking. There's an easy path along the coast. There are dangerous cliffs to avoid if you're smart while you gawk at the daredevils right up against the edge. There's nonnative ice plant. There's a lighthouse. There are crazy surfers. There's a surf museum. There's plentifullish free (!) parking, and even if you can't find a spot, you can park in the nearby neighborhood for free! There are spectacular rock formations, including at least one erosion arch and multiple little flat islandish rocks that look like giant stepping stones. There are views west and south. There's Monterey off in the distance. All of this, and if all you want is that '80s-movie montage version I mentioned, you can walk the entire length of the beach in a very short time, take in all that scenery, and still not get a grain of sand in your shoes.
Santa Cruz is gorgeous. I hate on it in my mind way too much, and while I really do know why, I must admit that it's mostly undeserved, or at least all the things I don't like about it are outweighed by its natural beauty and mostly laid-back attitude. If you only see one place in Santa Cruz, this is it. You won't be disappointed. I promise you. Unless you're one of those fussy parents that California is full of these days. OMG, rocks are sharp! Down with safetyism, up with letting kids explore the world and learning to navigate risk.
