Must-see beach · Santa Cruz, California
Sunset State Beach
Sunset State Beach is a beach in Santa Cruz, California.
Sunset State Beach: crowds and conditions
Typical pattern: heavy on weekends and holidays; arrive early morning. Been there recently? Post today’s status and it shows here for the next traveller.
Status options for this beach: Open, good conditions · Very crowded · Approach road bad · Closed / not accessible.
Best time to visit Sunset State Beach
Season: October to March; rough seas and lifeguard warnings June to September.
Busiest days: Weekends, public holidays, Sankranti and Dasara breaks.
Crowd: Heavy on weekends and holidays; arrive early morning.
Typical week: Mon busy · Tue light · Wed light · Thu light · Fri busy · Sat packed · Sun packed.
How to reach Sunset State Beach — distance from nearby cities
Coordinates: 36.87512, -121.82397. Road distances are estimates; the road-trip planner uses real routes and adds stops worth the detour.
Places to visit near Sunset State Beach
- First United Methodist Church of Watsonville · church · Santa Cruz · ~10 km · Must-see
- Elkhorn Slough Ecological Reserve · sanctuary · Monterey · ~11 km · Must-see
- Pinto Lake · lake · Santa Cruz · ~13 km · Must-see
- Salinas River State Beach · beach · Monterey · ~14 km · Must-see
- Valencia Lagoon · sanctuary · Santa Cruz · ~15 km · Must-see
- Seacliff State Beach · beach · Santa Cruz · ~16 km · Must-see
- S. S. Palo Alto · attraction · Santa Cruz · ~17 km · Must-see
- Royal Oaks County Park · park · Monterey · ~18 km · Must-see
- Salinas River National Wildlife Refuge · sanctuary · Monterey · ~19 km · Must-see
- Capitola Beach · beach · Santa Cruz · ~20 km · Must-see
- Anna Jean Cummings Park · park · Santa Cruz · ~22 km · Must-see
- Aptos Creek Fire Road · trek · Santa Cruz · ~22 km · Must-see
- The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park · sanctuary · Santa Cruz · ~22 km · Must-see
- Mount Madonna · viewpoint · Santa Clara · ~23 km · Must-see
- Santa Cruz Anchorage · church · Santa Cruz · ~24 km · Must-see
- Mount Madonna County Park · sanctuary · Santa Clara · ~24 km · Must-see
- Giant Dipper · attraction · Santa Cruz · ~25 km · Must-see
- Undertow · temple · Santa Cruz · ~25 km · Must-see
Other beaches & coast near Sunset State Beach
- Salinas River State Beach · beach · Monterey · ~14 km · Must-see
- Seacliff State Beach · beach · Santa Cruz · ~16 km · Must-see
- Capitola Beach · beach · Santa Cruz · ~20 km · Must-see
- Santa Cruz Lighthouse · beach · Santa Cruz · ~25 km · Must-see
- Four Mile Beach · beach · Santa Cruz · ~35 km · Must-see
- Point Pinos Lighthouse · beach · Monterey · ~36 km · Must-see
- Panther Beach · beach · Santa Cruz · ~42 km · Must-see
- Bonny Doon Beach · beach · Santa Cruz · ~43 km · Must-see
- Carmel Beach · beach · Monterey · ~47 km · Must-see
- Scott Creek Beach · beach · Santa Cruz · ~50 km · Must-see
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) · © GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) · Wikidata (CC0) · Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA) · Overture Maps Foundation (CDLA-Permissive-2.0)
Frequently asked
Is Sunset State Beach safe to swim today?
No visitor has reported the sea & crowd status for Sunset State Beach yet. Typical pattern: heavy on weekends and holidays; arrive early morning. Busiest: Weekends, public holidays, Sankranti and Dasara breaks.
What is the best time to visit Sunset State Beach?
October to March; rough seas and lifeguard warnings June to September. Heavy on weekends and holidays; arrive early morning.
What are the places to visit near Sunset State Beach?
Nearby: First United Methodist Church of Watsonville (church, 10 km), Elkhorn Slough Ecological Reserve (sanctuary, 11 km), Pinto Lake (lake, 13 km), Salinas River State Beach (beach, 14 km), Valencia Lagoon (sanctuary, 15 km), Seacliff State Beach (beach, 16 km).
Is Sunset State Beach worth visiting?
Sunset State Beach is listed as a must-see beach in California on Spotwander.