Our weekend hit almost all weather conditions: breezy on arriving, stormy in the early evening, rained all night long and until noon, clearing to blue sky without a single cloud, starry night, and quite cold with heavy dew the second morning. As always, we love this campground, the only downside was the very muddy path down to the beach! Bathrooms are clean, campsites are well-provisioned (even if the table/storage locker are quite old) and without trash, and campers were friendly but private (just the way we like it). Wear layers, bring warm jackets, rain ponchos, gloves, and shoes that can get wet. As an FYI, connectivity is great for cells and hotspots. Hook-up sites do not include sewer (only water and electricity). Level paved roads make it great to walk or bike. Bathrooms are very clean.
Was able to get a campsite at the last min. We are spontaneous vacationers! We could walk for miles on the beach, & people watch. Even was able to order pizza from Pizza my heart <3 They delivered it to us on the beach! Cant say enough...
Seems like a lot of locals to the Bay Area are not aware of this great State Beach., located just 1/2 hour from San Jose. Right off Hwy 1 just South of Capitola is a great beach to take a stroll or run or even camp ( at adjoining camp sites, but need Reserve America 6 months in advance.) You can walk South on the beach to Aptos and have a nice deli sandwich or a drink at one of the small restaurants beachside, or when the surf is out (early AM) walk to Capitola for a coffee (but mind the time the surf comes back in. It is generally a quiet beach filled with like-minded visitors who just want to get away for the day - day use and parking is inexpensive too.
It was the first time staying at a campsite on/near the beach. Good thing it was just for an overnight stay. The restrooms are what you would expect at a campground. One puts in a quarter for the shower for every 2minutes needed. Not clean but not disgustingly filthy. The site, 67 was near trees with shade and privacy. Certain spots smelled like pee. Was it from an animal or drunk teens, can't say for sure but it forced us to move closer to the paved road and away from the bush and trees. Its interesting that even though there are signs posted in front of the waters cautioning people of contaminants, parents allowed their children to go in the water. The water looks black and smells odd. It was given a letter grade F by the group that monitors beaches in CA.The only thing I liked about this CG was that you could park your car right next to your site in comparison to other beaches that require parking up a hill and away from the beach.
New Brighton State Beach is a year round wonder for getting away and still enjoying Mother Nature year round. Short walk to the beach. And a short drive to Capitola Village, Santa Cruz and plenty of places to get supplies.
Beautiful beach with local life. Nothing like Santa Cruz beach. In Capitola you see families and children. It's not overcrowded with homeless people like in Santa Cruz. If you happen to be there during low tide, be sure to take a closer look at the exposed see bottom with sea anemones, star fish, crabs, etc.
This state park beach is great for walking and people watching. A visit to the cement ship is interesting. You can walk on the beach or the walkway just above. One our very favorite walks. You can park on the Rio del Mar side and walk in either direction.
We really like this beach. Great place for a bon fire tooI don't think dogs are allowed but the beach right next to it (forget the name) but it has a cement boat allows dogs which we love
easy to get to, paid parking. beach is kept up, and has easy access from the parking lot, been here several times
We loved this place. The bathrooms were clean and plenty of showers for all. Wonderful views of the sunset from the bluffs right from the campsite. The best part is the easy access to the beach from the campground.