California Beaches Are Located in 15 Counties

15 out of 58 counties in California have beaches fronting the Pacific Coast.

Northern California beach counties include sparsely populated areas in the northern portion of the state where you'll delight in national forests, rocky, rugged shoreline, and cold water temperatures (though never dipping into the 40's by degrees Fahrenheit.)

Northern California Beach Counties (north to south)

• Del Norte
• Humboldt
• Mendocino
• Sonoma
• Marin
• San Francisco
• San Mateo
• Santa Cruz

Central California's beaches begin to heat up slightly as the Alaskan ocean current begins to fade around Point Conception of the Santa Barbara coastline. Ocean temperatures in this region are in the 50s and 60s throughout the year.

Central Coast Beach Counties (north to south)

• Monterey
• San Luis Obispo
• Santa Barbara
• Ventura

Southern California features the states warmest beach weather and warmest ocean temperatures, making them hands down the most popular destinations for tourists and locals.

Southern California Beach Counties (north to south)

• Los Angeles
• Orange
• San Diego