Open today: 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Save
Review Highlights
Nice Hideaway

We just strolled here from our hotel to check out the arch, but found this to be a hidden gem! A... read more

Reviewed 1 week ago
glennmartinwc
,
San Francisco, California
Worth a stop

We missed butterfly season, but there were still 2-3 fluttering around. The trail through the... read more

Reviewed April 13, 2023
LegoAthos
,
Nevada City, California
Read all 855 reviews
  
Recommended experiences in and around Santa Cruz
from €114.66
More Info
Reviews (855)
Filter reviews
855 results
Traveler rating
470
282
93
9
1
Traveler type
Time of year
LanguageAll languages
More languages
Traveler rating
470
282
93
9
1
Show reviews that mention
All reviews tide pools monarch butterflies visitor center during low tide state park sea anemones west cliff drive tidepools migration rocks parking trail butterfly formations grove ocean birds
Selected filters
Filter
Updating list...
17 - 22 of 855 reviews
Reviewed June 19, 2021

This was our first trip to Natural Bridges State Beach. It was a Saturday and we arrived ~1pm. The parking lot was full so we ended up parking on the street a couple of blocks away. We walked along the trail that runs along the cliff. It was crowded with pedestrians and bikes but the view was beautiful. The beach itself was small compared to other nearby beaches (like Seabright or Seacliff) and it was hard to find a spot with some space relatively close to the water. The natural bridge is the star of the show and It's definitely worth the trip to see it. I suspect that most weekends the beach will get crowded like we experienced. Our girls (6 & 8) enjoyed themselves but my preference is for a larger beach. I can see this as a great spot on less crowded days.

Date of experience: May 2021
1  Thank Fred L
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed May 30, 2021 via mobile

Beautiful views for watching the sunset. One night, everyone parked in a circle and then more cars parked in an unmarked center row. Some music was playing from a handful of cars, the sunset was chilly but beautiful. It seemed well orchestrated. Go back the next night, cops were threatening folks parking in unmarked spots, while they were also parked in a no-parking zone enjoying the sunset. Very rude!!!

Advice, get their early and get a good spot. Take a blanket, binoculars and your honey!

Date of experience: May 2021
Thank SamanthaBailey124
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed May 28, 2021

Beautiful and relaxing! I went to the West Cliff Drive outlook and along West cliff drive because it was more people than I wanted to be around at the time! It was peaceful and clean. I loved just sitting and listening to the waves!

Date of experience: May 2021
1  Thank MsKiesha
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed May 20, 2021 via mobile

Very small and access if difficult. Have to pay $10 to park if you want to walk down to beach and rock area

Walk down for best pics of the 1 natural bridge

It is worth seeing but not more than 1 hour of time is needed

Date of experience: May 2021
Thank dacklc
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed May 10, 2021 via mobile

We sent here looking for tidepools and there were none though tide was out all the way. There was so much seaweed on the beach all over the place we left after less than 5 minutes.

Date of experience: May 2021
Thank dil345
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
View more reviews