Twin Lakes State Beach

Omg where do I start. So many good memories here growing up and swimming in the ocean. They stopped that from happening with our kids since there are posts all along the beach. Honestly sunset are to die for and you can get your photos with a lighthouse in the background. My man loves this beach,my dog and I. This is where I took pregnancy photos and it just makes me happy every time I go. I love the ease of parking and that you can drive up and see your car the whole time. There are fire pits but someone is always using them. I love this beach and a go to when bringing someone visiting my city. A must visit when coming to Santa Cruz will always be one of my favorites.

Clean, Family-Friendly, and Chill. My husband has grown up coming to this beach and we are never disappointed. Bathrooms could use some work, but it’s a beach so what do you expect? There was toilet paper, toilets flushed, that’s all you really need.

Great place. Not a lot of parking. Highly recommend

Nice beach. Nice firepits. Quite chilly. Water quite cold for a Florida beach fan. Like going to the beach in the winter.

I've been to Twin Lakes for the past two weekends and had an excellent experience both times. The beach is very clean and its a smooth entry into the waves- which are intense as you get closer to the lighthouse and the channel where the sailboats pass through. Lots of surfers this weekend. There is a large enough parking lot, with parts reserved for the restaurant, but we were able to find a spot for just a couple of bucks. You can also park along the southern border for free, along the road, but those spots fill up quickly. Bathrooms are free and clean. There's a volleyball court. Couple of places to eat. I'll definitely come back.

So beautiful. It was clean and not as crowded as I thought it would be. Although I did go on a Tuesday so that might have had a hand in it.

Such a beautiful and clean beach parking gets full by noon so come early or later. Such a beautiful sunset. All bathrooms are clean friendly people.

Great spot albeit with limited parking. Lots of options to enjoy, for rest sun and surf.

It's a busy beach with stunning views of the pier and boardwalk. Parking can be difficult. Parking feels far from the beach. Water is cold.

Always a good time at Twin Lakes beach but it can get very busy when eatger is hot and even busier on holiday weekends. We live in Los Gatos so we typically grab a sandwish from Los Gatos Meats to take over the hill and hang out for the day.

前兩天我們來Santa Cruz 渡假，居然遇到百年來第一次碼頭因為風浪太大自己掉下來的新聞，很多的殘骸都被漂到海灘上了，所以我們跟很多外國人一樣，那邊去看看畫畫，也早一點照片聽說老外也都會把東西撿回去，那這一點我就不必了，海灘是漂亮的，我們一直走走走走到最後面的light house, 當天，風浪仍是很大！

Second time here.My son's girlfriend's mom invited us to hang out. So relaxing, very family friendly. Lots of kids boogie board surfing. Dog friendly,too. There are restaurants right on the beach. There's parking in crow's nest parking in front of the beach, paid $10 for approximately 3 hours, not bad. Have to wait a bit for parking to wait for people leaving, we were there around 115pm- 430pm. They have clean restrooms near the restaurants. We will definitely be back.

Twins lake have excellent view in sunset. Great place to walk, watch the gorgeous view of beach and sunset. I definitely recommend this lovely place.

Biggest downside, girls bathroom didn't have any toilet paper, had to ask my partner to go to the boys side and get me some. Nice beach, it was very windy and cold today but it was nice to put my feet in the water for a little bit. Lots of dead jellyfish washed up unfortunately. My party was able to secure a great spot that had a fire pit.

Beautiful view at sunset & we got a really great parking spot so no complaints! I love a chilly beach so it's great, but prepare for wind that makes it way colder than the forecast!

Beautiful beach in Santa Cruz. There is parking which is pretty affordable and bathrooms in the parking lot. The beach is very large and offers amazing views of a lighthouse and of course, the ocean.

Came here by chance just driving by. Usually, we go to the beach by the Broadwalk park for the kids to ride the rides. This is better and cleaner. It's a smaller beach and parking here is premium in different spots. You just have to be lucky. Came here late in the afternoon on a Sunday. There is a bathroom to use but it's a public bathroom...what more can I say? Park hours is open from 6a -10p and there are lifeguards on duty. The beach offers fire pits to use but you have to provide the wood. I thought that's pretty cool. I would definitely come back to hang out with friends and family for a picnic. Let's make the beach clean! I saw some trash that should be in the garbage. The sand is nice, soft and warm. I can see it can be crowded here. Found out this beach was renovated back in 2018. There are some neat shells, rocks and live sealife on the beach so be careful. It's still beautiful! [23R, 2023]

Very family friendly beach! Lifeguard was on duty while we visted on a busy Saturday. That gave us a lot of comfort knowing he was there and being very watchful of everyone. They have a some fire pits-you can see where is coned off to be able to burn. The beach was clean & there is a bathroom and outdoor shower. They have dumpsters around the bathroom area as well to make sure we leave the beach clean. We stayed around long enough to enjoy some music being performed on the street. Parking is not the best. Might have to walk a block or so if you're not fortunate enough to get in the small lot or cut out off the road. Walking down with all your beach gear will be pretty easy. The water was nice and the waves were small on the day we visted.

We were there on a chilly afternoon, but enjoyed eating at a restaurant right on the beach and watching the waves. It was pretty crowded even for a chilly day, but we found an accessible spot right next to an accessible entrance to the beach. If you are there before 5pm, there is a beach wheelchair that can be borrowed. The is a marina right next to it, so you can watch the boats come and go, which was fun. There was even a pathway built out on the beach where we could wheel my husband closer to the water. We'll definitely go back when the weather gets a bit warmer!

Be prepared for some hearty waves! A friend suggested this beach for an early morning Labor Day swim and it was lovely! Parking was scarce, but I found a spot. Aside from the heavy scent of THC in the air, it was really nice. Cold in September, so I'd suggest a wetsuit, but there were a few folks swimming in just swim suits.

Nice beach, not much parking. Great place for a bonfire!! Be careful walking barefoot, lots of small splintering pieces of wood when we were there.

This is a very nice beach. It's pet friendly, and that is a plus for me. My kids had a wonderful time. The beach is awesome, it's clean, they have restrooms and a outdoor shower. Parking is a challenge, however. They also have a lifeguard on duty, on the weekends. Not sure about weekdays.

Came here to celebrate my daughters 1st. Birthday Bonfire pits are first come, first serve. No Balloons are allowed for decorations. We arrived at 9am on a Sunday morning and by 11am all bon fire pits were taken. Beautiful beach. Beautiful sunset. The beach hours are 6am-10pm. Dogs are welcome! On leash and off the leash. Parking is available on the street, a parking lot is available in-front of the beach, drive slowly so you can get one because lots of on going cars pass by the E.cliff street. I will definitely come back.

Clean and family friendly. Lifeguards on duty, and beach is patrolled frequently. Clean bathrooms and outdoor shower to rinse off.

I've been here twice already and got lucky both times with finding parking right by the beach. Getting to the beach from the car is very easy! Overall nice beach to chill at.

I live 5 minutes away from this beach and it's just so beautiful. So majestic. There's a lighthouse to the right of the beach and you could also see the wharf and boardwalk. My favorite restaurant - the Crow's Nest is also located here. Delicious food to grab when you're tired from chilling on the sand all day under the hot sun. The beach is fairly clean. Not too crowded for a Friday afternoon. There are also beach volleyball nets near the restaurants.

Located about a mile south of Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk this is a gem of a beach with at least 3 life guards "2 on a sea-Doo the rescue" lots of great waves for boogie boarding. Restrooms and is in a located in a quiet area. Great for family

This is a nice place to get your feet in the water and wal the beach and within walking distance of some good restaurants. At certain times of the day, paring can be difficult

Good family beach to visit. Lots of space for fun beach activities. Easy access to get too. Parking sometimes can be limited and mostly on the street or above the cliffs of the beach.

Something I really love about Santa Cruz are the parks! There is a parking lot in which you can park. We went for a walk during the middle of a weekday, and there was hardly anyone there. We only saw a woman with an infant. It is usually more crowded during the weekend. I also love bicycling there. The paths are dirt and relatively flat with some gentle hills. If you get get poison oak, note that iit does grow next to the path. If you go early in the morning, you are more apt to see wildlife. I only saw 2 squirrels, and heard lots of cormorants squawking like there was some kind of convention going on.

This beach gets super busy during summer and on weekends. The proximity to many attractions including the harbor, restaurants, coffee shops, and available fire rings makes this an ideal destination for people visiting from all over the place. There are areas you can rent a kayak for the day nearby as well as a couple of sailing charters. I personally come here with a beach blanket and an umbrella and I enjoy the breeze and cooler weather when it gets hot outside. There are two lifeguard towers on the beach and they close up shop around 6 PM. This is not an ideal beach for surfing but it's decent for some bodyboarding. There are a few volleyball courts available as well. If the beach looks too crowded, you can continue driving down the coastal road and there are many others to choose from.

Love love this beach!!! Perfect for littles not too crowded and the water is nice if they want to get in. Parking was not too bad either we did pay but totally worth it it was a quick walk to the beach and the kiddos didn't complain it has a couple places to eat if you decide not to bring your own stuff so that's super helpful.

This is a gorgeous beach. Its very open with endless possibilities of things to do. There are volleyball nets and the warf is only a few miles away! There is plenty of parking, although it does tend to get crowded. Overall, every time I have come here, I have not been disappointed! There are also life guards if you are planning to let kiddos swim :).

Been coming here for as long as I can remember. This is the only place I know that you can legally do bon fires. Be sure to come early to get a spot! I think they're are about 6-8 pits. Do not be those people who do fire on the beach! And do bring some water to put your fire out! The beach does close at 10 pm so it is early, boo. I love that there are bathrooms here and street parking so it's free!

Word of advice first. If not a local with the County sticker on the vehicle, be prepared to pay $10 for parking on weekends anytime in the summer season. That goes for any spot in about 5 block radius. If you don't have a parking pass you will get a ticket. If you think you can get away with it, think again. Just because the machine nearby is broken, don't think you're off the hook. They will find you and fine you. So make sure to walk that quarter mile to the next machine that works and get that pass. Depending on weather, Twin Lakes can be the best or the worst day on the beach you ever had. While the temperature in the Valley was hovering around 100, forecast for Santa Cruz called for mid 70s. However, once we arrived at the beach the temperature outside was not much warmer than sea temperature which was about 58F. So while we had a lot of fun, I regretted bringing my jacket and felt cold pretty much the whole time when on the beach. So if not clear yet, next time I'm not paying attention to Santa Cruz weather forecast and bringing layers. Twin Lakes beach is somewhat small and parking sucks, but is safe due to all the lifeguards on duty. There are bathrooms and showers, but too bad the bathrooms are dirty and showers too few and far between. While natural beauty of the beach and sea can't be denied, if they are charging $10 for parking, at least there should be some cleanliness levels enforced. While you can't go wrong with any beach in Santa Cruz (except the Boardwalk), there are better options around. I'll keep on looking.

This is a great beach and since we went on a weekday, it actually had an empty parking spot for us. I like that this beach is not a too far away from the parking lot. If you have a ton of heavy things to lug down the beach you know that's a lifesaver. Talking about life saving , they have 2 life guard towers here with working life guards on watch! Love that!! Any beach with lifeguard on call is an awesome beach. I love the view with the lighthouse as well and the little homes lining the beach. I also love that there are very few flies and it actually smell pleasantly of the sea and not rotten things. Finally, we were lucky enough to be graced with the appearance of dophins! It's also not extremely crowded. We enjoyed our day at this beach very much and can't wait to return.

Found about this beach when Santa Cruz Beach Was too crowded. Although this beach has very limited parking, its best come early! Firepits are available so come early enough to reserve your spot for a bonfire! Lifeguard on duty, dogs allowed only on leashes, and beach is beautiful and clean. Great view of the lighthouse, and a restroom available. We spent 12 hours here so I can say, me and my kids had a blast!

This place is awesome!!! The water looks so serene and fun at the same time. Looks like you can play volleyball and everything while you were out here. You can also bring a grill and grill out at the family chill at the water and have fun. Parking sucks though trying to find a parking spot because they are hard to fine

Nice flat beach. Got lucky finding parking by nearby houses. If you want towards the lighthouse there's a restaurant with full bar and coffee shop. Plus bathrooms. But the beach flies are so annoying! Not sure if people went to another part of this beach with no flies. We went here because it was dog-friendly. If we didn't have our dog, we'd go somewhere else.

Great beach, there are 3 life guard stations and no funny smell from the kelp on the beach ;) . On one end of the beach there are a-few restaurants within walking distance, 6 volleyball courts. Not sure if you will have to pay to play or not. There is a also a gift shop and a pay parking lot. On the other end of the beach there are a small lot, so parking can be a little challenging. There are fire pits on the beach you can bonfire, I also saw a truck parked crossed street selling wood logs for $5 each bundle. You can see lighthouse from the beach, but it is not really within walking distance. There are also boat launching from the Santa Cruz harbor, I saw people brought their own kayak to enjoy the water..

This is a nice beach with free parking spots on the street (first come first serve). It's also dog-friendly; however, the guard isn't so thrilled if your dog isn't on leash :). The beach is huge which walking to the restroom is a bit of a problem. Also, I wish it's a bit cleaner, for there was a dead sea lion that my dog was quite interested in investigating. Overall, this spot is perfect for hanging out in hot sweaty days !

Sandy Beaches, a Lighthouse and an amazing view close to the Santa Cruz broad walk - a perfect place for a quick getaway on a Sunny Day (~an hour away from SFO). Beach Volleyball courts are a great add on! The beach is surrounded by a few restaurants and there a few paid parking lost close by.

It took me 45 minutes and right away I found a free parking spot in my little Mini Cooper. I walked down a path with my dog, Gus. It was his first time with me at a dog beach. He's a rescue Boerboel Mastiff mix and I'm not sure if he's ever been to a beach before. The path had big rocks and at one point, you need to do a small jump, but it was doable. As soon as we got to the sand, my dog did his business, so we walked to the bathrooms (nice to have) to get to a trash can. There are many fire pits on the beach. It was sunny with a breeze at 73 degrees. I walked my dog on a leash and was happy to see the beach wasn't crowded and the other two dogs were on a leash, too. There was one dog who wasn't, but he was focused on his owners . My dog was so excited to see, hear, & smell everything! He could barely lay down to relax. I was glad it was a good experience and he even drank water out of the new bowl I bought him!

This beach is beautiful! Restrooms were well kept when we went and there were lifeguards on duty. The beach is clean and there were very few bugs!

So some changes from my last review-for the better mostly. The new parking is finished. There are more spaces then there were, and they are much safer. No more getting stuck in the sand. They've added more fire pits, and it didn't take 11 tons of sand to make more space, something more like five or six. Sidewalks are complete as well as the stairs down to the beach from the parking. There are still some items in work-they are trying to add another lane for traffic, the railing isn't done, the lanes are not painted and the pay meters are not up. No worries they'll still ticket you if you don't pay, for now it's the fallback of a booth and/or patrol officer, and yeah it's still cash only. All in all however the changes really are improvements. This is still an excellent sunset spot, with or without the fire pit. Weekday parking is do-able, but thursday's (which is when the weekend starts thanks to those beach parties the crow's nest throws on) thru sundays you need to plan ahead if you want parking and/or a fire pit. Enjoy!

This is a fairly quaint beach. It's intimate, even when it's crowded. I went early January and hung out in downtown Santa Cruz until around 3pm where my friends and I headed to this beach. It's pretty clean, has a gorgeous sunset, very little breeze*, calming roaring of the waves, very little trash on the ground. Say, you want to have a bonfire at night? Here are some things to note: 1. There is no alcohol allowed, but I didn't see anybody patrolling, and I'm sure you can just empty half of your 2-liter coke and fill it with rum or whiskey before you come here. 2. There is no glass allowed. Fill your thermos with wine, and your water bottles with vodka. Keep the glass at home. 3. There are only 4 designated pits. Come early and reserve them. It's unfortunate that some people come super early just to put their chairs down and then leave. I personally think that somebody should be holding down the fort at all times when trying to "reserve" a pit. 4. The pits are raised. Your face gets too hot, your body is just right and your feet are freezing. Bring something for your feet. 5. It's good to have a bonfire here due to not having too much wind! Dogs on leashes only. There are bathrooms. There are outdoor showers. Can't comment on parking since my friend drove.

Twin Lakes Beach is a great beach for day in the waves or an evening bonfire with friends and family. If you can find parking on the street, you won't be disappointed with your time at the beach. The lighthouse is beautiful at sunset and the rocks are fun to climb out on. There is a bathroom and a outdoor shower station to clean yourself up before you go home. The bonfires are supervised by a beach patrol and they will come around promptly at 10:00pm to remind you to put it out and kick you off the beach. Come early to save a bonfire if you want one for the evening!

Gorgeous beach just minutes away from the Santa Cruz Boardwalk and wharf. Quieter than the main beach, but just as gorgeous. You can walk to a gorgeous lookout point with a lighthouse or just chill on the sand. Dogs are welcome!!! I look forward to coming here next time I'm in California!

Really enjoyed this beach and plan on going again went to the father end of the beach and it was less crowded which was really nice and we got our own little area without being disturbed. Water was nice and clean as well. Lifeguards on duty and they watched out for us and told us how to get out of the current there is a public bathroom on the beach. Just a walk from where we were but glad we didn't have to leave in the car for it like most beaches. Will definitely be going again.

If you're looking to relax at the beach and not deal with serious crowds at the boardwalk, this is definitely the place for you. Parking can be a challenge, especially if you're trying to check out each side of the beach on the side of the harbor. Do expect to walk a bit or drive around near the seacliff restaurants parking area to find parking, however the first 30 minutes is free and it's only $1.50 for every hour I believe after that, so it's quite reasonable.

I absolutely love this beach. Restaurants on the beach, fire pits, they allow dogs... it's just great. People can launch their little catamarans from this beach as well, and the harbor is right there. We used to always go to the Boardwalk beach, but not anymore! This beach is much less populated and parking is more accessible. Yes, you have to pay for parking, as some have complained about on here, but it's worth it! The lot is very close to the beach and $10 for the day is not bad. If you are handicapped, as my parents are, it's free parking! I am also someone who swims in the ocean. In general, it is a great beach to swim in, and they are very careful about putting up flag warnings if there is undertoe or something. There were a few strong days this summer, but I was still able to jump in and swim with only a few instances of being tumbled in the waves. All in good fun!

great quiet beach with fantastic views! Great for swimming and there was not many people.

Decided to try a new place out and it was one of the worst beaches I've been to the parking is EXTREMELY far and $10 so be prepared to walk to the actual beach it was very packed as expected but every beach is so no big deal but beware there are bugs here me and my group of friends all game home with bug bites all over our bodies my boyfriend at first had none but now he's been getting some and we're guessing they latches onto our things because they're all the same bites so beware of that we will definitely not be back

Beautiful sunset view from the rocks. Moon also Looks marvelous from the other side. Restaurant nearby with beach view has great menu and nice romantic set.

If you can get past the pain in the ass parking situation, this is a great beach. Seriously, there is NO parking there and we arrived early-ish (11am). Maybe 10 spots or so that require a special locals-only parking pass. We ended up finding an apartment complex up the street that sold spots for $5 for beachgoers. The beach itself is beautiful, and a mile down from the boardwalk. You can escape the crowds and still get your beach time in, which we found appealing. Theres a lighthouse you can check out, which we didnt do, but was pretty to look at. There was also a lifeguard on duty and they allow fire pits and dogs. Overall a pretty cool beach. We'd likely visit again if we're up for dealing with parking.

My friend got here @0730 am to claim a fire pit and there were some already taken! If you want one get here early! The beach itself is super small. Places get filled up fast especially the fire pits like I said before. There are a bunch of ages and different cultures all around. If you are a volleyball player like me you have to be cognitive of your surroundings because a shanked ball almost hit a little infant and his/her mom :( Not on purpose but she seemed pretty upset about it. The water is super cold and not blue at all...hahahaha ... just how it is in killa Cali. There was a restroom on the far left if you are facing the beach. Life guards and park people are walking around most of the time. We stayed till closing which is at 2200 Hrs (10:00pm) The bon fire we had was super cool. That was my first time ever doing it and it was the best. If you get one and bring a grip of friends its a super awesome experience. The parking is crappy. I got lucky and found a place for $5.00 only a 2 minute walk away. Also I don't know if its because of the amount of people but your LTE/4G won't work well out there?? not sure why mine took a crap on me. All i all a great experience and can't wait to go back... "A simple life is good with me. I don't need a whole lot. For me, a T-shirt, a pair of shorts, barefoot on a beach and I'm happy." - Yanni

Loved this beach! Located in a nice area with a great view of the lighthouse. It's a clean beach with soft sand, and has about 5-8 fire pits available for a beach bonfire. Be sure to come early if you want one! It's a smaller beach but isn't as crowded as others in the area (Natural Bridges) and if you get hungry or need a little bite to eat, there are a few restaurants within walking distance! Dogs are allowed but be sure they are on a leash. Be respectful and make sure you clean up after your dog and yourself!