Right Beaches › California › Santa Cruz
Panther State Beach
4.7★ · 293 Google ratings · Santa Cruz, California
✓ Parking✓ Short walk
At a glance
Parking
On-site lot · 225 yd away
Walk
60 ft · under a minute
Restrooms
None reported
Water
61°F · modelled, no buoy nearby
Length
550 yd of shoreline
Sand
175 yd from the water to the back
Crowds
Quietest Tue 8am
Map of Panther State Beach
Guide
Good to know
Visit for sunset photography
The natural rock arch frames the sun beautifully, especially with some clouds in the sky.
Go on weekdays or off-season
Weekday visitors report empty beaches, while weekend and summer crowds bring trash and overcrowding.
Check tide times before arriving
Low tide exposes more beach, but high tide can trap you or make water access dangerous.
Wear sturdy hiking boots
The unmarked trail down has steep, rocky, uneven terrain with loose rocks and potential poison oak.
Conditions
How it is right now
Air
64°F · overcast
Water
61°F · modelled, no buoy nearby
Waves
4.8 ft · 11 s apart
Wind
1 mph from the WSW
Shelter
Offshore · wind blowing off the land
UV index
7 peak today
| Time | Tide | Height |
|---|---|---|
| 06:32 | High tide | ↑ |
| 09:16 | Low tide | ↓ |
| 16:18 | High tide | ↑ |
Last updated Sep 4, 5:34 AM.
Crowds
When it gets busy
| 8a | 9a | 10a | 11a | 12p | 1p | 2p | 3p | 4p | 5p | 6p | 7p | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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QuietBusy
Practical
Plan your visit
📍 Santa Cruz, CA 95060
🅿 Parking 225 yd from the listing
🌊 Water 60 ft away, under a minute walk
Nearby
Other beaches close by
300 yd away
0.8 miles away
1.1 miles away
1.1 miles away
1.7 miles away
2.0 miles away
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Questions
Common questions
Where do you park at Panther State Beach?
The nearest mapped parking area is 225 yd from the listed location. Positions come from OpenStreetMap, not from review text.
How far is the walk to the water at Panther State Beach?
60 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 Panther State Beach have restrooms?
No restrooms are mapped within 600 m on OpenStreetMap. That means nobody has mapped any, which is not the same as there being none.
When is Panther State Beach least busy?
Google visit patterns put the quietest hour at Tue 8am and the busiest at Sun 3pm.
Measured from OpenStreetMap, public aerial imagery and live conditions data, and counted from visitor reviews. Every source, in full.
