A Day Trip to Manresa Beach

Manresa Beach is a great day trip for those living in the Bay Area. Manresa Beach is located approximately 16 miles south of Santa Cruz off of Highway 1. To get there from the Bay Area, take Highway 17 toward Santa Cruz. Highway 17 ends once you reach Santa Cruz. When Highway 17 ends, head south on Highway 1 toward Aptos. Continue on Highway 17 approximately 16 miles until you reach the San Andreas Road exit. Veer right off the freeway exit and take San Andreas Road about 3 miles toward the ocean until you get to the Manresa Day Use parking lot on the right side of the road. From San Jose, this is about an hour to an hour and a half drive. The Manresa Day Use beach should not be confused with Manresa State Beach, which is another half mile south along San Andreas Road (although the beaches do connect along the coast).

Manresa has a day use parking lot for visitors, as well as public restrooms. Manresa is a beautiful, scenic beach with plenty of shoreline for walking and jogging long distances. Although the beach area located immediately below the day use parking lot can get crowded on hot summer days, the farther south along the coast you go, the less crowded the beach becomes. There is even a “secret” entrance to Manresa beach with its own little parking lot, used primarily by surfers. The secret parking lot is located off the next road south of the day use parking lot along San Andreas Road, before you get to Manresa State Beach. If you get to Sand Dollar Drive, you’ve gone too far. This entrance consists of the small dirt parking lot (no one is collecting day use fees here!) and a steep staircase leading down to the beach below.

Although this part of the beach is generally less crowded than the day use area just to the north, there are no public restrooms available, and swimming or surfing is done at one’s own risk (the beach brochure for Manresa states that dangerous rip currents, cold water temperatures, and deep offshore holes make surfing and swimming hazardous activities). Compared to Manresa State Beach which boasts camping, picnicking, and fishing opportunities, the Manresa day use area offers little in the way of civilized amenities. This is probably for the best, as uncrowded and lesser known California beaches are becoming a thing of the past.

Manresa is not without its wildlife. While combing the shoreline or sunbathing on the sand, I have spotted schools of dolphins out at sea, as well as pelicans and sea otters. Manresa’s two major plant communities, coastal scrub and coastal strand, support a variety of birds as well as brush rabbits, gulls, and sand crabs. Plenty of seashells can be found along the shoreline for those interested in beach combing.

Manresa also offers beautiful sunsets and enjoyment long after the sun sets. Many visitors enjoy a campfire on the beach after an afternoon of surfing, swimming or sunbathing. The Manresa Day Use beach and its adjoining less crowded beach area offer visitors looking to escape the stress of daily living and the noisy crowds of Santa Cruz a beautiful, peaceful experience. For more information on Manresa Day Use Beach and Manresa State Beach please visit http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=545.