Right Beaches › California › Santa Cruz
Mitchell's Cove Beach
4.5★ · 966 Google ratings · Santa Cruz, California
✓ Parking✓ Short walk✓ Restrooms✓ Free
At a glance
Parking
Street parking · 100 ft away · about 33 spaces · free · fills up
Walk
110 ft · under a minute
Restrooms
Yes · 625 yd away
Cost
Free
Water
61°F · modelled, no buoy nearby
Tide
2 ft range today
Length
300 yd of shoreline
Sand
250 ft from the water to the back
Water quality
Mixed · 21% of 53 over the limit · 2025
Map of Mitchell's Cove Beach
1
1Parking100 ft from the listing
Guide
Good to know
Ideal for dogs, specific hours
Off-leash hours are before 10am and after 5pm, with a small enclosed beach perfect for puppies or dogs.
Visit early morning or evening
Reviewers consistently recommend dawn or dusk for peaceful walks, wildlife sightings, and sunset photography with minimal crowds.
Free parking reported
Visitors report no charge to park here.Mentioned by 3 visitors · 2015–2026
Litter reported
Visitors mention rubbish on the sand.Mentioned by 28 visitors · 2015–2026
Check tide before going
Sand area varies dramatically with tide; reviewers note the beach shrinks significantly at high tide, limiting usable space.
Expect heavy seaweed and flies
Kelp washes ashore frequently, creating odor and attracting large numbers of flies, particularly around decomposing seaweed patches.
Conditions
How it is right now
Air
62°F · overcast
Water
61°F · modelled, no buoy nearby
Waves
4.0 ft · 11 s apart
Wind
6 mph from the SW
Shelter
Cross-shore · wind running along the beach
UV index
7 peak today
| Time | Tide | Height |
|---|---|---|
| 06:32 | High tide | ↑ |
| 09:16 | Low tide | ↓ |
| 16:18 | High tide | ↑ |
Last updated Sep 4, 5:31 AM.
Practical
Plan your visit
📍 Santa Cruz, CA
🅿 Parking 100 ft from the listing
🌊 Water 110 ft away, under a minute walk
🚽 Restrooms 625 yd away
Nearby
Other beaches close by
775 yd away
0.7 miles away
0.7 miles away
0.9 miles away
1.2 miles away
1.4 miles away
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Questions
Common questions
Where do you park at Mitchell's Cove Beach?
The nearest mapped parking area is 100 ft from the listed location. Positions come from OpenStreetMap, not from review text.
How far is the walk to the water at Mitchell's Cove Beach?
110 ft in a straight line from the listing to the mapped shoreline, under a minute. Soft sand and dune make the real walk longer than the straight line.
Does Mitchell's Cove Beach have restrooms?
Restrooms are mapped 625 yd from the listing.
Measured from OpenStreetMap, public aerial imagery and live conditions data, and counted from visitor reviews. Every source, in full.
