Pismo State Beach, Grover Beach

Pismo State Beach, on Grand Ave in Grover Beach town, is a glorious spot. There's a myriad of sand dunes of all sizes that kids can have fantastic games on. The sand at the dunes is perfect, fine and white. Wildflowers in all colors make this a wonderland. Play hide-and-seek with your child behind the little dunes!

From the campground to Fin's Restaurant, there's a wooden boardwalk called the Meadow Creek Trail that takes you through the dunes with expansive views all around you. On the Fin's Grill end there's an octagon-shaped wooden pier in the sand that is ravishing at sunset (see photo above). The sun sets right over the water, and often there are whales breaching out at sea. There are also picnic tables, an oasis of palms, and restrooms in a little plaza where the Meadow Creek Trail wooden boardwalk starts on one end and the octagon pier starts on the other. On the campground end of the boardwalk, there's a monarch butterfly preserve, a special spot in wintertime where you can see monarch butterflies flutter about in the sun. Take a long stroll down the shore toward the Pismo Beach Pier and enjoy the wonderful patterns the water makes in the sand. This is a wide white sand beach with views of hills behind. On the northern end of Pismo Beach are the amazing white Pismo Caves.
On weekend nights, groups of high school and college students gather to have bonfires on the beach. The fires look beautiful, as does the fog making palm tree silhouettes in the sky, and the city lights glistening to the north. What joy!
Fin's Restaurant, at the very end of Grand Ave has a rare spot right in front of the ocean. You can sit outside around a fountain and tables with fire pits, surrounded by glass panels that block the cold air. Kids like the pirate statue. It's your typical not-very-good tourist food but the clam chowder is decent. Sunsets here are a joy, and so is the frequent live music, 6-9pm, often on Mon, Thurs, Fri.
Grover Beach is the town right here, across the railroad tracks. There are some nice cafes in an area called West End, on the corner of Grand Ave and 3rd Street. Drive one minute to check them out!
I didn't know until recently that six minutes drive away there are huge dunes like a national park or the Sahara Desert! Check them out at Pacific Dunes Ranch Campground Trail.

Directions

From Highway 101 southbound, exit at Five Cities Dr and turn left. Turn right on 4th St and follow it for a mile, enjoying the views, then turn right on Grand Ave. Follow it to the end. There is a large parking lot.
From Highway 101 northbound exit at Brisco Rd. Turn left on Brisco Rd and then right on Grand Ave. Follow it to the end. There is a large parking lot.
There are restrooms.
Fin's Restaurant, 25 W Grand Ave, Grover Beach CA 93433, call (805) 473-3467.

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