This beach is great for family outings and pier fishing. This beach has more covered picnic areas than anywhere in the bay and has beach front spaces for the RV traveler. Part of a continuous beach from Capitola to Moss Landing. Good place to watch dolphins playing in the waves. The park has low sand dunes, a sandy beach and is a good surf-fishing and surf area.
Swimming is hazardous here because of the rip currents, so be aware of local conditions.
This is the entrance to the Elkhorn Slough Estuarine Research Reserve, an important stop for bird watchers and kayaks. This park is located about half way between Santa Cruz and Monterey, look for the power plant. You can't really miss it. This slough is not a river, but a saltwater inlet from the bay. It is a wetland with mud flats, marshes and waterways protruding about two miles inland.