Natural Bridges State Beach, Santa Cruz

Natural Bridges State Beach is a beautiful beach in Santa Cruz, with sunlit dunes in the afternoon. A creek empties into the ocean here. A freezing cold wind blows off the ocean. There is a bird rock in an arch shape, with hundreds of cormorant birds. The smell from the bird poop is strong. The 20-minute lookout point parking is a nice spot to view the beach if you don't want to pay for parking in the adjacent lot. This beach faces south, so the sun doesn't set over the water. If you come in the morning, there will likely be fog. Your GPS might take you to the wrong place for this beach- you can use the address 2531 W. Cliff Drive. 

After, drive three minutes to have a coffee in the Westside area of Santa Cruz, near Swift Street and Mission Street.
Another beach nearby is Lighthouse Field State Beach, a stunning spot which is even more fun because people surf the huge waves there.

Directions

Natural Bridges State Park is located at 2531 W Cliff Dr, Santa Cruz. Google maps takes you to the wrong spot, so type in this address or type in "Parking 20 Minutes Only."

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