Manchester State Beach has the most coastal wildflowers I’ve ever seen on a beach. I visited in May which is prime time for the flowers to bloom. The beach is quiet and wide which makes it great for long walks and has a ton of driftwood to form forts.
Category: Beaches
Exploring Tidepools at Fitzgerald Marine Reserve
Fitzgerald Marine Reserve’s main attraction are the tide pools where you can see crabs, sea anemone, starfish, and more. The best time to go is during low tide so you can actually walk around and look for sea creatures. Because this is a protected reserve, nothing can be collected or harmed.
Secret Cove Beach
This is a cool spot in Lake Tahoe to take a dip and it is officially listed as a nude beach. Sadly, I didn’t see any nudity when I was there in the fall, perhaps the weather was too cold.
Glass Beach
The famous Fort Bragg Glass Beach is the product of a water dump site. Back in the 1940s, people threw away all their trash in this area and after years of cleanup and ocean waves all that was left behind were colored glass pieces. It takes approximately 30 years for the ocean to break down glass.
Calla Lily Valley at Garrapata Beach
If you are coming from Monterey, this is the car pullout before hitting the official Garrapata State Park Beach parking area. If you are coming from San Luis Obispo, this is the pullout after the beach. To see these flowers you need to come here during the late winter to spring months.
Rock Inception at Bean Hollow State Beach
The coolest thing about visiting Bean Hollow State Beach is the rock formations. These rocks, called tafoni, are created by rock weathering processes. Salt water hits the rocks and eventually evaporates into salt. The salt is absorbed into the rock and overtime creates these little holes. The holes grow larger over time through wind, rain, and water and trap pebbles to create this unique rock.
Purple Sand at Pfeiffer Beach
If you’re in Big Sur, this should be on your list of iconic attractions to visit. This is the famed purple sand beach in California with the hole in the rock that looks even more gorgeous during certain hours of the day. The purple sand is all natural and caused by deposits of manganese garnet particles from rocks.