the california coast, top to bottom

california is one road and a hundred beaches. here is the coast from san diego to the redwoods, and how the water, the sand, and the day change as you drive north.

california is home for us, and the thing that surprises people is how much the coast changes over its length. the water is warmest in the south and gets colder with every hour you drive north. the cliffs are low and sandy near san diego and turn into thousand-foot drops by big sur. you can swim in a t-shirt in july down south and want a wetsuit at the same latitude as the wine country. the whole thing is one of the great road trips, so here it is, region by region, the way you would actually drive it.

southern california: warm water, easy saturdays

this is our stretch, the one we know by heart. the water is swimmable most of the year and the sand is wide and forgiving.

• san diego. coronado for wide flat sand and the big hotel skyline, la jolla cove for snorkeling and the sea lions hauled out on the rocks. the water down here is the warmest the state gets.
• orange county. crystal cove and the newport coves for calm mornings, the wedge for watching the waves rather than swimming them. this is our home water, and we wrote it up in full in our orange county beach guide if you want the corona del mar and huntington details.
• los angeles. el matador up in malibu for the sea stacks and the photographs, manhattan and hermosa for a flat sunny day with a pier at the end of it.

if you only have a weekend and you are anywhere near the south coast, our deeper southern california locals guide has the spots we send friends to, with the parking and timing that actually matter.

the central coast: where it gets dramatic

somewhere north of santa barbara the coast stops being soft and starts being scenery. this is the postcard stretch, and it is more about the drive and the overlook than a long swim.

• santa barbara. the last reliably warm, easy beach town heading north. east beach and butterfly beach for a calm afternoon before the road turns wild.
• big sur. pfeiffer beach for its purple-tinged sand and the rock arch, mcway falls for the waterfall that drops onto the sand. the water is cold and the access is often a hike, so this is a stop-and-look coast more than a swim coast.
• santa cruz. the surf town at the top of monterey bay, with a boardwalk, steamer lane for watching surfers, and cold clean water that the locals are used to.

northern california: cold, clear, and quiet

north of san francisco the crowds thin out and the sweaters stay on. this is the coast for people who like fog, tide pools, and having a beach mostly to themselves.

• point reyes and sonoma. long windswept sand, elephant seals in season, and water that is strictly for wading. bring a windbreaker even in august.
• mendocino. rugged coves, sea caves, and glass beach near fort bragg, where decades of surf turned old bottle glass into smooth pebbles. clear, cold, beautiful.
• the redwood coast. the far north, where the trees come almost down to the sand. more for a misty walk than a swim, but unforgettable.

what to bring for a coast this long

a coast that goes from warm swims to foggy walks rewards gear that does a little of everything and packs down for the next stop. our sand free towel is light enough to carry from a far-off lot, dries fast when the morning fog burns off, shakes clean of sand, and is made from recycled ocean bound plastic. it lives in the trunk for exactly this kind of trip, where you might use it to dry off in del mar and to sit on a cold overlook in big sur on the same day.

from our coast to yours: beach more, worry less.