Are there any beaches within an hour or so drive of SF where it%26#39;s warm enough to swim and sun? We%26#39;d like to spend one day lazing on a pretty beach somewhere, even if we have to drive a ways to get there.
I thought I read somewhere that Santa Cruz would be a good bet---agree, disagree? Any other recommendations?
Beach within an hour?
…marin.ca.us/depts/…pdparadisebch.cfm
http://www.ebparks.org/parks/crown_beach
…ca.gov/bayarea/…CoyotePt.htm
Beach within an hour?
Santa Cruz would be your best bet for sun near the surf, but the water is still chilly. It%26#39;s actually about 1 1/2 hr away.
californiatraveldreams.com/beaches-SantaCruz…
or the Boardwalk (Ride the Giant Dipper)
http://www.beachboardwalk.com/
Another bayside beach with a good bet to have decent weather and a swimming pool is McNears in San Rafael.
co.marin.ca.us/depts/PK/Main/pos/pdmnbch.cfm
If the fog is not too thick, Stinson Beach can fit the bill nicely, but again cooold water.
http://www.nps.gov/goga/stbe.htm
Hi
I think you picked the wrong end of California. The water is cold here, maybe not as cold as Minn., but not nearly the water of Southern California. The closest place even a bit warmer is Santa Cruz, and as mentioned its about 1.5-2 hrs away depending on traffic. If you really want warm sea, head down to Mailbu or San Diego.
When it%26#39;s hot in the Bay Area, lots of people go to Linda Mar Beach on Highway 1 at the south end of Pacifica. The water is cold, like everywhere else though. Lots of surfers, but they all wear wetsuits.
A famous Taco Bell is on the beach...in fact, I was watching something on the Travel Channel about the top 10 fast food places in the world, and the Linda Mar Taco Bell was one of the top 10.
It%26#39;s about 20 minutes from downtown SF.
If it is foggy in San Francisco and Pacifica, you may need to head further south. If it hasn%26#39;t been too hot inland, Santa Cruz and the rest of Monterey Bay usually are sunnier than the coast farther up the Peninsula.
Muir Beach, near Muir Woods, north of SF is a very pretty cove with a beach for sitting and looking at the ocean. It doesn%26#39;t offer the panoramic view of the Pacific that you would get at Pacifica or Santa Cruz though.
You don%26#39;t mention swimming, but in case someeone who reads this is considering it, bear in mind that the water here is cold. The ocean temperature is pretty consistently around 55 degrees F, give or take a few. It%26#39;s generally about 10 degrees colder than the ocean near LA. My kids grew up here and they generally wear shorty wetsuits if they%26#39;ll be in the waves for any length of time.
Mostly we just want to lay around on the beach, get some sun, and relax and take in some beautiful beachside scenery. Swimming is not that important to us--I figured the water would be too cold for that anyhow. Thank you for all of the recommendations!
Again go down to Monterey/Carmel or Santa Cruz. SF is not a beach town, nor is the Marin Coast unless it is extremely hot. The farther down the coast the warmer the water- plus Monterey adn Carmel are very scenic. Whenever I have firends or relatives visiting I head in this direction, and I%26#39;m 4th Gen Native.
* ';Mostly we just want to lay around on the beach, get some sun, and relax and take in some beautiful beachside scenery.'; *
Actually, since you%26#39;re from Minnesota, maybe a beach with temps in the 60s will seem warm to you!
Seriously, Santa Cruz is about the only one I can think of. S.F.%26#39;s Ocean Beach is not particularly scenic for laying out. It%26#39;s scenic to see from Land%26#39;s End or the Cliff House, but when you actually get out on the beach, it%26#39;s pretty ordinary. And as everyone said--brrrr. Plus it has a treacherous undertow that takes several lives each year. Other than a few restaurants, you won%26#39;t find the beach resort amenities you may be mentally associating with California.
For those, you need to go to Santa Cruz, which has warmer weather, miles of beaches, the boardwalk (not a thrill ride theme park, but an old-fashioned Coney Island kind of place), a wharf with shops, restaurants, and sea lions, and a surfing museum.
I%26#39;m a native San Franciscan of more years than I want to publicize, and I can recall actually going into the ocean farther than knee-high one time in my life. It was in Santa Cruz, and I was a little kid.
Simba says: ';A famous Taco Bell is on the beach...in fact, I was watching something on the Travel Channel about the top 10 fast food places in the world, and the Linda Mar Taco Bell was one of the top 10.';
Sometimes the parking lot at that Taco Bell looks like the county fairgrounds. :D . I go to Pacifica a lot, but seldom to Linda Mar. If I want to go to the beach, it%26#39;s usually Sharp Park or Rockaway. Don%26#39;t ask me why--maybe because Linda Mar is often busier.
If our visitor wants to see high tides, Sharp Park pier is the place. It%26#39;s a quarter mile long and people fish from it, and you can walk right out over the ocean. Rockaway Beach has a cove where people surf, but I rarely see anyone swimming or not wearing a wetsuit. It also has much of Pacifica%26#39;s tourist industry: restaurants, pseudo-Carmel shops (the antique co-op is the best of them), and several hotels.
Pacifica is often colder than S.F. When it%26#39;s hot in the City, folks often take refuge on Pacifica%26#39;s beaches. So anyone looking to get tan rather than blue should keep on going south.
Recent article in the SF Chronicle:
Beaches
www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi…
Swimming
www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi…
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