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Pirate's Cove Beach, Avila Beach, CA

Photo: Sergei Gussev, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

Sport & OutdoorLocal GemOutdoor Adventure

Pirate's Cove Beach

Pirate's Cove Beach is an outdoor activity in Avila Beach, CA, part of the Central Coast guide. Cost: free.

Cave Landing Road · Avila Beach, CA

Why you should go…

Pirate's Cove Beach is a small cove along the Shell Beach Bluff Trail near Avila Beach in San Luis Obispo County, California. The trail runs from a trailhead at Cave Landing Road, passing Smuggler's Cave to the south and Pirate's Cove Beach in the middle, before reaching Bluff Drive in the Shell Beach neighborhood of Pismo Beach. Visitors access the beach on foot via the bluff-top coastal trail.

  • #beach
  • #hiking
  • #coastal
  • #views
  • #outdoor

What's around here?

The closest stops to Pirate's Cove Beach, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Sightseeing
    History Buff

    Point San Luis Lighthouse

    $25–$50

    A restored 1890 lighthouse above San Luis Obispo Bay, reached by guided van or kayak tour from Avila Beach.

    2.6 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Stay
    Date Night

    Inn at the Cove

    $50+

    Stay in an oceanfront room with a private patio or balcony above a secluded cove in the Shell Beach part of Pismo Beach.

    3.9 mi awaySwitch it up: Stay

  • Stay
    Family Favorite

    Edgewater Inn & Suites

    $50+

    Beachfront hotel in Pismo Beach with 99 rooms, ocean-view balconies, a heated pool and spa, a short walk from the Pismo Beach pier and downtown restaurants.

    5.1 mi awaySwitch it up: Stay

  • Eat & Drink
    Foodie Favorite

    Nicola

    $25–$50

    A San Luis Obispo restaurant serving Bachiche cooking, the Italian and Peruvian blend, from ceviche to wood-fired pizza.

    5.6 mi awaySwitch it up: Eat & Drink

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Outdoor Adventure

    Margarita Adventures

    $50+

    A six line zipline canopy tour over Santa Margarita Ranch wine country with a suspension bridge crossing.

    16 mi awayMore like this

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Outdoor Adventure

    Circle Bar B Stables

    $50+

    Guided horseback trail rides through canyons and along the Gaviota Coast north of Santa Barbara.

    59 mi awayMore like this

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