Though California State Parks maintains a fraction of the coastal beaches in California, they operate some of the most visited beach destinations. Attendance is in the millions at popular Southern California and Northern California beaches such as Sonoma State Beach, San Onofre, Bolsa Chica and Huntington State Beach. State parks consists of more than 280 properties and of those 62 are state beaches. Parking fees vary per beach, as do amenities. There are close to 23,000 acres of state beach properties, 2622 individual beach campsites, 60 group campsites, 879 picnic sites at beaches, plus 103 group picnic sites. It is possible to work with local state beach entities to obtain permits for special events. There is no single point of contact throughout the state. You must select your beach destination and obtain the contact of the on-location officials. You usually will find that contact on the website, parks.ca.gov

California State Beach Name | County
Asilomar State Beach | Monterey
Bean Hollow State Beach | San Mateo
Bolsa Chica State Beach | Orange
Cardiff State Beach | San Diego
Carlsbad State Beach | San Diego
Carmel River State Beach | Monterey
Carpinteria State Beach | Santa Barbara
Caspar Headlands State Beach | Mendocino
Cayucos State Beach | San Luis Obispo
Corona del Mar State Beach | Orange
Dockweiler State Beach | Los Angeles
Doheny State Beach | Orange
El Capitán State Beach | Santa Barbara
Emma Wood State Beach | Ventura
Gray Whale Cove State Beach | San Mateo
Greenwood State Beach | Mendocino
Half Moon Bay State Beach | San Mateo
Huntington State Beach | Orange
Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park
Leucadia State Beach | San Diego
Lighthouse Field State Beach | Santa Cruz
Little River State Beach | Humboldt
Malibu Lagoon State Beach | Los Angeles
Mandalay State Beach | Ventura
Manresa State Beach | Santa Cruz
Marina State Beach | Monterey
McGrath State Beach | Ventura
Montara State Beach | San Mateo
Monterey State Beach | Monterey
Moonlight State Beach | San Diego
Morro Strand State Beach | San Luis Obispo
Moss Landing State Beach | Monterey
Natural Bridges State Beach | Santa Cruz
New Brighton State Beach | Santa Cruz
Pacifica State Beach San Mateo
Pelican State Beach | Del Norte
Pescadero State Beach | San Mateo
Pismo State Beach | San Luis Obispo
Point Dume State Beach | Los Angeles
Point Sal State Beach | Santa Barbara
Pomponio State Beach | San Mateo
Refugio State Beach | Santa Barbara
Robert H. Meyer Memorial State Beach Los Angeles
Robert W. Crown Memorial State Beach | Alameda
Salinas River State Beach | Monterey
San Buenaventura State Beach | Ventura
San Clemente State Beach | Orange
San Elijo State Beach | San Diego
San Gregorio State Beach | San Mateo
San Onofre State Beach | San Diego
Santa Monica State Beach | Los Angeles
Schooner Gulch State Beach | Mendocino
Seacliff State Beach | Santa Cruz
Silver Strand State Beach | San Diego
South Carlsbad State Beach | San Diego
Sunset State Beach | Santa Cruz
Thornton State Beach | San Mateo
Torrey Pines State Beach | San Diego
Trinidad State Beach | Humboldt
Twin Lakes State Beach | Santa Cruz
Westport-Union Landing State Beach | Mendocino
Will Rogers State Beach | Los Angeles
William Randolph Hearst Memorial State Beach | San Luis Obispo
Zmudowski State Beach | Monterey