Scroll to READ
Everybody loves a list, especially when a “Best of” or “Top 10” is attached. But how do you distinguish the best beach along a Highway 1 Road Trip, home to as many incredible strands of sand as you’ll find anywhere? With 100 miles from Oceano Dunes to Ragged Point, it’s up to you to find your perfect beach. The Highway 1 Road Trip’s free Beaches Map is the ideal way to plot your research.
Here’s some advice from a previous visitor who took to social media to describe their Highway 1 Road Trip.
“What a gorgeous part of the world. Hope to return many times.”
Best Beach for Wildlife
Whales, whales, and thousands more whales travel the Pacific off the Central California coast, one reason visitors will find an impressive 10 Whale Trail viewing sites on a Highway 1 Road Trip. The interpretive signs detail the life history facts of various species and what months feature what species in the most abundance. The Whale Trail is one reason a visitor calls Highway 1 the “Best part of CA.”
Best of a Little Bit of Everything Beach
Of course, whale spotting is a full-time occupation when visiting the region. William Randolph Hearst Memorial Beach, a prime whale viewing perch (“I have seen whales from that pier! Magical!!!” posted one observer.), is also home to seals, otters, and many shorebird species. San Simeon Beach also offers a great walk along the sand, followed by a stroll among a mature eucalyptus stand in Hearst San Simeon State Park. “Oh, how I love that spot,” one visitor posted. Another poster clearly agreed: “I absolutely love this place, been here many times.”
Best Secret Beach
“Ragged Point is a special place,” as one recent visitor posted, for many reasons. The southern gateway to Big Sur provides breathtaking vistas of where the forest meets the cliffs from several beautiful points. The Black Swift Falls Trail leads the experienced hiker down 400 feet to a black-sand beach adjacent to a 300-foot waterfall, an invisible cascade from above. One visitor summarized this special place perfectly: “I Want to be here.”
Best Beach for a Sunset Stroll
Cambria’s Moonstone Beach seems designed with sunsets in mind. The ADA compliant boardwalk provides access for everyone to enjoy the expansive 2-mile long stretch. Several access points lead the way onto the sand where explorers will also find, among the rocks, some of the best tidepools around. Cap off the day with oysters and other sea fare from the restaurants that are located steps away from the boardwalk. It’s easy to see why one visitor calls Cambria “our favorite place to go to relax, unwind, and reconnect.” If you prefer a more secluded seaside trail, visit the fully accessible Bluff Trail at Fiscalini Ranch Preserve, a hidden gem located just outside the village. “I love it there” is how one visitor puts it.
Best Beach for Water Sports
Spanish settlers aptly named Cayucos (“canoes” in Spanish). Cayucos Beach is known for its recreational variety, whether you want to splash around with the kids in the calm water or ride the reliable swell farther out to sea on your surfboard. The beach also serves as a favorite launch point for standup paddleboarders, kayakers, and kiteboarders and windsurfers who paddle out to pick up the northwest winds. As one recent visitor posted, “There is so much to love about Cayucos. It is paradise!!”
Montaña De Oro
San Simeon
Cayucos State Beach
Moonstone Beach
By StoryStudio on May 1, 2023 3:00 PM
Start planning your trip today.
DOWNLOAD OUR MAP!
Hearst Memorial Beach
Oceano Dunes
Los Osos
Avila Beach
Sign up for a free Highway 1 Beaches Map and insider knowledge on local scenery, wildlife viewing, and adventures.
SIGN UP
free map
Where’s Your Favorite Beach on a Highway 1 Road Trip?
check out more content from highway 1 road trip
FIND YOUR PERFECT
BEACH WITH H1RT MAP
However you like to beach, you can download the free downloadable Beaches Map to discover your perfect stretch of sand along a Highway 1 Road Trip.
READ MORE
Highway 1 Road Trip Beach Towns Shine on “Top Ten” Lists
The travel savvy adore Highway 1 beach towns, from USA Today to @Irocio5150, who posted, “In love with HWY1 Will do it over and over and over again.”
READ MORE
SPONSORED BY HIGHWAY 1 ROAD TRIP
Best All-Around Beach
“A real hidden gem” is how one visitor described Avila Beach in a recent post. In this classic beach town in a land of classic beach towns, toddlers can toddle in soft sand and gentle waves, and adults can adult on beachside restaurant patios. There is something for every age here, with basketball courts and the excellent Central Coast Aquarium. And let’s not forget what another visitor had to post: “So pretty!” Speaking of “so pretty,” visit the Point Buchon Trail at Montaña de Oro State Park to experience a super bloom of California poppies and other wildflowers.
Most Unique Beach
Oceano Dunes is unusual along the Central California coast and North America. Driving in the State Vehicle Recreation Area receives the most attention, but the surf fishing and digging for the famous Pismo clam are other favorite pastimes here. The Oceano Dunes Visitors Center is a great way to learn precisely how unique this area has always been, a destination for the Indigenous Chumash, the Hollywood set, and horseback riders. Taken together, it’s easy to see why one visitor recently posted that Oceano Dunes is “my very favorite place.”
Download your free Best Beaches Along Highway 1 Map and start posting about your best place to explore along the Highway 1 Road Trip.