Sunset State Beach
Sunset State Beach
4.5
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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4.5
106 reviews
Excellent
60
Very good
30
Average
9
Poor
6
Terrible
1
Kayla P
1 contribution
Mar 2020 • Friends
I'm from the East coast but lived out west (Nevada) for 4 years. Sunset state beach is where I first touched the pacific ocean. I've been back several times because it holds such a special place in my heart. Early mornings you can walk the beach and find endless fully intact sand dollars. One time when I was there we had to stand on our picnic table with a skunk circling around us for 30 minutes. Also, I had my jeep top down and raccoons got in it over night ( our fault). Sounds like a con but honestly that's one of the funniest things that has ever happened to me. Just use you bear boxes! 😊
Written February 27, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
kingaroo2
Davis, CA13 contributions
Mar 2021 • Couples
Lovely sites, well spaced, some secluded some near open space. Great place for kids to explore short trails and establish hideaways under tent-like trees. Short hikes to the beach. In March you’ll delight in the purple blooming ceonothus trees all over. No elec or water hookups but you can go to the nearby KOA for a fee. Weak ATT cell service.
Written March 26, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
mini
Fremont, CA212,261 contributions
Feb 2020
We went to Sunset State Beach. This is a large and good state park. There are campgrounds. They were full for the week-end so suggest reservations if interested in camping. There are picnic areas.
One walks up the dune area to get to the Pacific Ocean. We enjoyed a nice walk along the ocean. Its a stellar place for that. Views are good.
One walks up the dune area to get to the Pacific Ocean. We enjoyed a nice walk along the ocean. Its a stellar place for that. Views are good.
Written February 22, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Peter D
Los Angeles, CA5 contributions
Aug 2020 • Family
We camped at the Pine Hollow campground for 3 days / 2 nights. It was our first time here and we didn’t think much of our site when we pulled in, but after seeing all of the other sites in our loop, many were on a slope or somewhat close to others, I think we got one of the best ones, site 74. Sure it’s towards the back and there’s a fence with visible green houses not too far from you, but it has flat ground for tent camping, and you don’t have any close neighbors to the right or left, just the ones across from you, and the bathroom with warm quarter-powered showers is just a little walk away. The walk to the beach was about 12 minutes from our site, but if you’re out of shape, you may want to strongly consider driving down (2 minutes, plenty of parking) to the beach instead, because the walk back up the long steep hill is harsh. The beach itself was nice, sand was soft and it wasn’t too cold.
There’s also supermarkets within a 15 minute drive in case you need to go out for supplies.
All in all, it’s a good 2-3 day getaway spot.
There’s also supermarkets within a 15 minute drive in case you need to go out for supplies.
All in all, it’s a good 2-3 day getaway spot.
Written August 14, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Milocat007
Santa Cruz, CA328 contributions
Jan 2023
Beaches are hard to assign a "star" to. So here's the description ... big, wide beach with lots of room to spread out. Bathroom, and shaded picnic tables. Caution, after the 2023 storm, a LOT of the beach sand was washed away. I assume it'll come back but if you have alternatives in early 2023, I'd skip Sunset. But in normal times, highly recommended.
Written February 25, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Wayne and Debbie
9 contributions
May 2021 • Friends
We visit Sunset State Beach nearly every year. If walking on a coastal beach looking for shells and small rocks is of interest, this is one of the best. It's long, wide, and flat. It's also good for watching for whales.
Written May 16, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
CaliNative
10 contributions
Feb 2020 • Friends
If you like to sit on the beach all day this may be the place for you. Sure it's nice, it's a beach! But 10 dollars for entry is ridiculous. I can park for free on West Cliff Drive and countless other locations in Santa Cruz, Monterey, Half Moon Bay, etc. and see beaches With trails and Way better scenery. This State Park has NO trails. I stayed for about 15 minutes and was done.
Written February 23, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rachel C
Columbus, IN349 contributions
Oct 2022 • Family
Nice visit after a long day of driving. Small fee to enter. Nice parking area at the access to the beach. Only one other couple on the beach while we were there. We are able to see dolphins swimming and riding the waves. Didn’t stay too late but the view was beautiful.
Written November 22, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sierra&Sky
Shingle Springs, CA410 contributions
Jan 2020
Nice state park campground! No hookups for the trailer, but was fine for three days. Close to the beach and a killer ocean view with a short hike to the bluff tops. Clean, and green in January. Fire ring and table at campsite. Asphalt parking.
Not a good swimming beach....we easily saw several riptides from up on the bluffs.
We will return! Several good farmstands in the area (two are organic!) and the town of Watsonville is cute and has what you need.
Not a good swimming beach....we easily saw several riptides from up on the bluffs.
We will return! Several good farmstands in the area (two are organic!) and the town of Watsonville is cute and has what you need.
Written January 20, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
CatdaBrat
North Fork, CA100 contributions
Sept 2013 • Friends
This is very long, but necessary.
Three of us stayed at the campground for three nights. We arrived in two vehicles, but got separated due to traffic. The first person to arrive at the gate was met with a very unfriendly employee, who did not appreciate that all three of us hadn't arrived at the exact same time. No matter what, she couldn't be bothered with a smile, a "have a nice stay" or a "you're welcome" when we said thank you. Just a constant scowl and the attitude that we were bothering her a great deal. Same routine with the second vehicle in our party. We also had to go four or five miles to find an ATM machine because the driver of the second vehicle had to pay an additional $30 parking fee and they do not accept credit or debit cards, and we had no cash. Then we found another campground with an ATM and had to try three times to make it work! Plus almost got hit by somebody driving too fast around a blind curve.
Our camp site, at $35 a night, had two parking spaces, but I think it's a rip-off to have to pay another $10 per night to be allowed to use that second space. Especially since the space was under a pine tree that dripped a lot of sap all over my son's new vehicle. We asked if we could park in a space across from us, if it was going to be empty anyway, but they said no, despite the fact that the parking we paid for was basically unusable. Why are we forced to spend more money to use the second space? It's not like anyone else is going to be using it in our camp site. All of the trees in the campground were seriously diseased and dripping sap. I saw some bore-holes in the trunks, and "sawdust" from the insects that made the holes (bark beetles?) and in many cases, the sap was hanging in long strands. Our picnic table was also completely unusable because it was covered in pine pitch. I would recommend getting a site that had a table and parking away from the trees. So basically, we paid $45 a night to get our vehicles covered in sap. Not cool. We also had to leave our shoes outside the camper due to stepping in sap.
Now let's talk about the skunks and raccoons that wander through the camp sites every night. There was a sign by the restrooms that said campers need to stop feeding the wildlife because the skunks and raccoons eat the once-plentiful snowy plover eggs and chicks. But as I see it, the problem lies not so much with the campers as with the cheap plastic lids on the trash bins where we are all supposed to deposit our garbage. The raccoons easily lift these lids and crawl inside the bins in order to rip open the trash bags and feast on the contents. They also visit every one of the old, beat-up wooden food lockers at each camp site, and if you don't have a padlock on them, the raccoons open the latches.
We saw several campers nearby who made the mistake of placing their food in the lockers and the raccoons made a huge mess of it, breaking bottles, rolling cans and eating whatever they could get into. We weren't about to put ANYTHING in the nasty locker at our camp site because it was invaded with ants, spiders, gnats, beetles and some other flying insect. Raccoons came twice and opened the door to check for treats. Not very many people are aware that almost all raccoon feces is infected with a horrible, often deadly-to-humans parasite that once inside your body, bores out through your eyes. It can also bore into your brain. Even if a dog just rolls in the feces and you pet the dog, the parasite eggs can get on your hands, and you might then rub your eye or mouth or otherwise unknowingly infect yourself. So the raccoons might be cute, but campgrounds are no place for them. They eat, they poop. And woe to the campers who have dogs, especially if the dogs are not kept strictly on the leash and inside at night. The skunks will come right into camp -- then what do you do on a camping trip when your dog gets sprayed? Even the ride home would be an impossible feat.
The parking spaces at our site (number 21) were not leveled before being paved, so be prepared to do a little work if you have a camper or RV, unless you don't mind it being a little tipsy-turvy. The photos on the web site make the spaces look more secluded than they really are, so you are likely to have some close neighbors. If you are lucky, they will not have a yappy dog that thinks you are an intruder every time you take a step. We weren't lucky in that respect.
As per usual, firewood gathering is not permitted and the state discourages any out-of-county firewood being brought in, as a pest prevention tactic. Bundles of firewood can be purchased from the camp host, who is very nice, or at the entrance station. You get five pieces of wood in a net bag and some fire starter for $10. The sale of firewood benefits the Friends of the Santa Cruz State Parks. On a positive note, at this time of year, it is one of the few campgrounds where you can have a fire pit. I would not camp anyplace where we couldn't have a fire! Ours was almost full of old ashes, though, and needed to be cleaned out. There is a partial grate you can use for cooking.
The bathrooms were pretty old, and it looked like cleaning was maybe limited to washing the floors with bleach. I guess they do clean the toilet bowls, but maybe only the seats and the inside of the bowls. The lower part of the toilets (there are three toilets in the women's side, all shared with the rest of the campers at South Camp) were pretty stained and streaked -- looked like something I wouldn't want my legs to touch. But that is pretty difficult, as the doors open inward and are about two inches away from the seats, so you have to stand alongside the toilet, against the wall, to get out. Toilet paper is provided and it was of good quality, but there are no paper towels or electric hand dryers provided for when you wash your hands at the two sinks. And no soap, either. There is hot and cold water.
There are two shower stalls and it costs 25 cents for 2 minutes of shower time. If you are lucky, you can nab a shower right after somebody else uses it, as it took at least a minute for the hot water to kick in. Allow plenty of time if you need to use a sink in the morning, as sometimes women take a long time blow-drying their hair and putting on makeup. The two metal mirrors are stationed right above the sinks. Kind of a long walk from the far side of South Camp (sites 19 -25). At night WATCH OUT for those skunks! And if you are scared of raccoons, watch out at the dumpsters at night. They are like jack-in-the-boxes with those "dumpsters"!
There are some feral cats that hang around, poor things. They weren't any trouble, however. I hope they stay safe from the raccoons, which are known to kill and eat cats, at least their stomachs, anyway.
We found that walking down to the beach on the long staircase was not for us (worse yet is the walk back up), so we drove down there. That area has covered places where you can gather at picnic tables and use BBQ grills. There are flush toilet bathroom facilities and an outdoor shower head for washing the sand off your feet. To get to the water, there is a small hill to walk over. Please beware of the rip tide (undertow) at this beach. Never take your eyes off your kids. Dogs are not allowed AT ALL on Sunset Beach, leashed or not, but they are at Manresa Beach, not far away. (I still saw dog turds rolling in and out with the breakers, however, as well as people who had loose dogs there! So not cool!)
Some of the sites at this campground are situated right on the edge of farm fields, and we found that the tractors often begin as early as 5 a.m. There were also some field workers who had a radio on super loud and all could hear a lot of yelling and laughing as well as the radio. The tractors were sometimes loud enough to block out the sound of the ocean waves breaking on the shore.
Oh, and the wind can get really bad. We were afraid that on one night, it was going to be much too windy to have a camp fire. The spaces that are closest to the ocean, especially one with a clear ocean view, got the worst of the wind, I believe. The "view site" got so windy the campers there had to leave for the night. Not sure where they went, perhaps a motel? I was sure their tent was going to rip apart and blow away. But that stands to reason -- with a clear ocean view, there are no dunes or trees to block that wind! It looked much too windy to camp there. Looks appealing on the chart/map, though!
Thanks for reading this long entry. I had lots to say in order to help others to be fully prepared and know what to expect. I hope you have a great camping experience and that I have helped, even if just a little.
Three of us stayed at the campground for three nights. We arrived in two vehicles, but got separated due to traffic. The first person to arrive at the gate was met with a very unfriendly employee, who did not appreciate that all three of us hadn't arrived at the exact same time. No matter what, she couldn't be bothered with a smile, a "have a nice stay" or a "you're welcome" when we said thank you. Just a constant scowl and the attitude that we were bothering her a great deal. Same routine with the second vehicle in our party. We also had to go four or five miles to find an ATM machine because the driver of the second vehicle had to pay an additional $30 parking fee and they do not accept credit or debit cards, and we had no cash. Then we found another campground with an ATM and had to try three times to make it work! Plus almost got hit by somebody driving too fast around a blind curve.
Our camp site, at $35 a night, had two parking spaces, but I think it's a rip-off to have to pay another $10 per night to be allowed to use that second space. Especially since the space was under a pine tree that dripped a lot of sap all over my son's new vehicle. We asked if we could park in a space across from us, if it was going to be empty anyway, but they said no, despite the fact that the parking we paid for was basically unusable. Why are we forced to spend more money to use the second space? It's not like anyone else is going to be using it in our camp site. All of the trees in the campground were seriously diseased and dripping sap. I saw some bore-holes in the trunks, and "sawdust" from the insects that made the holes (bark beetles?) and in many cases, the sap was hanging in long strands. Our picnic table was also completely unusable because it was covered in pine pitch. I would recommend getting a site that had a table and parking away from the trees. So basically, we paid $45 a night to get our vehicles covered in sap. Not cool. We also had to leave our shoes outside the camper due to stepping in sap.
Now let's talk about the skunks and raccoons that wander through the camp sites every night. There was a sign by the restrooms that said campers need to stop feeding the wildlife because the skunks and raccoons eat the once-plentiful snowy plover eggs and chicks. But as I see it, the problem lies not so much with the campers as with the cheap plastic lids on the trash bins where we are all supposed to deposit our garbage. The raccoons easily lift these lids and crawl inside the bins in order to rip open the trash bags and feast on the contents. They also visit every one of the old, beat-up wooden food lockers at each camp site, and if you don't have a padlock on them, the raccoons open the latches.
We saw several campers nearby who made the mistake of placing their food in the lockers and the raccoons made a huge mess of it, breaking bottles, rolling cans and eating whatever they could get into. We weren't about to put ANYTHING in the nasty locker at our camp site because it was invaded with ants, spiders, gnats, beetles and some other flying insect. Raccoons came twice and opened the door to check for treats. Not very many people are aware that almost all raccoon feces is infected with a horrible, often deadly-to-humans parasite that once inside your body, bores out through your eyes. It can also bore into your brain. Even if a dog just rolls in the feces and you pet the dog, the parasite eggs can get on your hands, and you might then rub your eye or mouth or otherwise unknowingly infect yourself. So the raccoons might be cute, but campgrounds are no place for them. They eat, they poop. And woe to the campers who have dogs, especially if the dogs are not kept strictly on the leash and inside at night. The skunks will come right into camp -- then what do you do on a camping trip when your dog gets sprayed? Even the ride home would be an impossible feat.
The parking spaces at our site (number 21) were not leveled before being paved, so be prepared to do a little work if you have a camper or RV, unless you don't mind it being a little tipsy-turvy. The photos on the web site make the spaces look more secluded than they really are, so you are likely to have some close neighbors. If you are lucky, they will not have a yappy dog that thinks you are an intruder every time you take a step. We weren't lucky in that respect.
As per usual, firewood gathering is not permitted and the state discourages any out-of-county firewood being brought in, as a pest prevention tactic. Bundles of firewood can be purchased from the camp host, who is very nice, or at the entrance station. You get five pieces of wood in a net bag and some fire starter for $10. The sale of firewood benefits the Friends of the Santa Cruz State Parks. On a positive note, at this time of year, it is one of the few campgrounds where you can have a fire pit. I would not camp anyplace where we couldn't have a fire! Ours was almost full of old ashes, though, and needed to be cleaned out. There is a partial grate you can use for cooking.
The bathrooms were pretty old, and it looked like cleaning was maybe limited to washing the floors with bleach. I guess they do clean the toilet bowls, but maybe only the seats and the inside of the bowls. The lower part of the toilets (there are three toilets in the women's side, all shared with the rest of the campers at South Camp) were pretty stained and streaked -- looked like something I wouldn't want my legs to touch. But that is pretty difficult, as the doors open inward and are about two inches away from the seats, so you have to stand alongside the toilet, against the wall, to get out. Toilet paper is provided and it was of good quality, but there are no paper towels or electric hand dryers provided for when you wash your hands at the two sinks. And no soap, either. There is hot and cold water.
There are two shower stalls and it costs 25 cents for 2 minutes of shower time. If you are lucky, you can nab a shower right after somebody else uses it, as it took at least a minute for the hot water to kick in. Allow plenty of time if you need to use a sink in the morning, as sometimes women take a long time blow-drying their hair and putting on makeup. The two metal mirrors are stationed right above the sinks. Kind of a long walk from the far side of South Camp (sites 19 -25). At night WATCH OUT for those skunks! And if you are scared of raccoons, watch out at the dumpsters at night. They are like jack-in-the-boxes with those "dumpsters"!
There are some feral cats that hang around, poor things. They weren't any trouble, however. I hope they stay safe from the raccoons, which are known to kill and eat cats, at least their stomachs, anyway.
We found that walking down to the beach on the long staircase was not for us (worse yet is the walk back up), so we drove down there. That area has covered places where you can gather at picnic tables and use BBQ grills. There are flush toilet bathroom facilities and an outdoor shower head for washing the sand off your feet. To get to the water, there is a small hill to walk over. Please beware of the rip tide (undertow) at this beach. Never take your eyes off your kids. Dogs are not allowed AT ALL on Sunset Beach, leashed or not, but they are at Manresa Beach, not far away. (I still saw dog turds rolling in and out with the breakers, however, as well as people who had loose dogs there! So not cool!)
Some of the sites at this campground are situated right on the edge of farm fields, and we found that the tractors often begin as early as 5 a.m. There were also some field workers who had a radio on super loud and all could hear a lot of yelling and laughing as well as the radio. The tractors were sometimes loud enough to block out the sound of the ocean waves breaking on the shore.
Oh, and the wind can get really bad. We were afraid that on one night, it was going to be much too windy to have a camp fire. The spaces that are closest to the ocean, especially one with a clear ocean view, got the worst of the wind, I believe. The "view site" got so windy the campers there had to leave for the night. Not sure where they went, perhaps a motel? I was sure their tent was going to rip apart and blow away. But that stands to reason -- with a clear ocean view, there are no dunes or trees to block that wind! It looked much too windy to camp there. Looks appealing on the chart/map, though!
Thanks for reading this long entry. I had lots to say in order to help others to be fully prepared and know what to expect. I hope you have a great camping experience and that I have helped, even if just a little.
Written September 27, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Is there WiFi? Sorry I know it’s camping and all but I have a mother in law who needs her WiFi lol
Written July 5, 2021
I was there on mid-Jan of this year, and I remember the connection was weak, on and off. But we had a blast. The sunset was golden stunning. Please stay for the sunset if you can. Bundle up and it can be cold.
Just sharing, I posted our trip video at YouTube and you can find it by typing One Journey One Story Cinematic Golden Sunset State Beach .
Written July 6, 2021
If your delightful dog is on a leash. Enjoy.
Written November 28, 2020
is there a ramp down to the beach from thr parking lot...or is it only stair access? we want to visit but we usually have a wagon for our chairs/kid toys etc.
Written July 16, 2018
What are the fire pits like and do they sell ice ?
Written July 4, 2017
They do not sell ice. They only sell firewood. There is not a general store here. The fire pit in the campsite was great. It had pretty tall sides so was safe for the kids. It had an attached grill that was nice and we ended up using the grill to cook bacon (on tin foil) in the mornings over the fire while we kept warm.
Written July 15, 2017
Do they sell firewood in the camp site?
Written July 26, 2016
They sell bags where you enter and register. There is a host site that sells it too if they are open. Much easier than bringing it from home!
Written July 26, 2016
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