Right Beaches › California › Santa Cruz
Santa Maria Beach (80 23rd Ave)
4.6★ · 162 Google ratings · Santa Cruz, California
✓ Parking✓ Short walk✓ Good for kids✓ Free✓ Restrooms
At a glance
Parking
Street parking · 225 yd away · free · fills up
Walk
110 ft · under a minute
Restrooms
Yes
Cost
Free
Water
62°F · modelled, no buoy nearby
Tide
2 ft range today
Children
Reported good for young kids
Length
700 yd of shoreline
Sand
225 yd from the water to the back
Water quality
Good · all 10 samples clean · 2025
Crowds
Quietest Mon 8am
Map of Santa Maria Beach (80 23rd Ave)
Guide
Good to know
Best for sunset walks and watching waves
The beach excels for evening walks, wave watching, and photography, especially during sunset hours.
Excellent dog-friendly destination
Dogs are allowed off-leash and welcomed, making this a popular spot for dog owners to socialize pets.
Reported good with little kids
Visitors often mention shallow or calm water. This is what reviewers report, not a safety assessment.Mentioned by 3 visitors · 2017–2026
Free parking reported
Visitors report no charge to park here.Mentioned by 2 visitors · 2017–2026
Visit on weekdays for parking
Parking is severely limited, so arrive early or plan your trip for a weekday to find street spots.
Bring water and plan bathroom needs
No permanent restroom facilities are available, so use facilities beforehand or bring supplies for your visit.
Check conditions after storms
Heavy rain can wash out the beach and affect access routes; recent storms may temporarily improve access points.
Conditions
How it is right now
Air
62°F · overcast
Water
62°F · modelled, no buoy nearby
Waves
3.5 ft · 11 s apart
Wind
5 mph from the SW
Shelter
Onshore · wind blowing straight in off the water
UV index
7 peak today
| Time | Tide | Height |
|---|---|---|
| 06:32 | High tide | ↑ |
| 09:16 | Low tide | ↓ |
| 16:18 | High tide | ↑ |
Last updated Sep 4, 5:36 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
📍 80 23rd Ave, Santa Cruz, CA 95062, United States
🅿 Parking 225 yd from the listing
🌊 Water 110 ft away, under a minute walk
Nearby
Other beaches close by
175 yd away
600 yd away
0.6 miles away
0.6 miles away
1.1 miles away
1.2 miles away
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Questions
Common questions
Where do you park at Santa Maria 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 Santa Maria 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 Santa Maria 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 Santa Maria Beach least busy?
Google visit patterns put the quietest hour at Mon 8am and the busiest at Sat 3pm.
Measured from OpenStreetMap, public aerial imagery and live conditions data, and counted from visitor reviews. Every source, in full.
