Skip to content
Twin Lakes State Beach, Santa Cruz, CA

Photo: Don DeBold from San Jose, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

Sports & Outdoors

Twin Lakes State Beach

A Monterey Bay beach beside the small-craft harbor in downtown Santa Cruz, known for swimming and picnicking.

Santa Cruz, CA

About Twin Lakes State Beach

This state beach lies along Monterey Bay in Santa Cruz County, with its harbor near the middle of the shoreline. The sandy stretch runs alongside East Cliff Drive and Portola Drive. Visitors come to swim and picnic, and the adjacent Schwan's lake draws bird watchers. Dogs may visit the east side of the Santa Cruz Yacht Harbor on a leash of up to six feet.

  • #beach
  • #swimming
  • #picnicking
  • #bird watching
  • #dog-friendly

What's around here?

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

  • Attractions
    Iconic

    Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk

    No admission fee

    Ride a 1924 wooden roller coaster and a 1911 carousel at a seaside amusement park set right on the sand of Main Beach.

    Transit: reachable by public transit

    1.0 mi awaySwitch it up: Attractions

  • Stay

    Courtyard by Marriott Santa Cruz

    $50+

    A 151-room Marriott hotel on Riverside Avenue, two blocks from the beach and the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.

    Transit: reachable by public transit

    1.1 mi awaySwitch it up: Stay

  • Stay
    Outdoor Adventure

    Beach RV Pleasure Point

    $50+

    Small full hookup RV park near Santa Cruz's Pleasure Point surf break.

    Transit: reachable by public transit

    1.2 mi awaySwitch it up: Stay

  • Sports & Outdoors
    Local Gem

    UC Santa Cruz Arboretum and Botanic Garden

    Under $25

    A 115-acre botanic garden of Mediterranean-climate plants from South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and Chile.

    Transit: reachable by public transit

    3.2 mi awayMore like this

  • Sports & Outdoors

    New Brighton State Beach

    Under $25

    A Monterey Bay beach park in Capitola with forested bluffs, a campground, hiking trails, and fishing and beachcombing along the shore.

    3.6 mi awayMore like this

  • Sports & Outdoors

    Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park

    Under $25

    A Santa Cruz Mountains state park known for a 40-acre old-growth coast redwood grove and varied habitats.

    4.7 mi awayMore like this

Near Twin Lakes State Beach

More of the same kind

Keep exploring