Andrew Sayles

20 Best Beaches in California to Add to Your Bucket List

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20 Best Beaches in California to Add to Your Bucket List

Introduction - From Fort Bragg's Glass Beach to Laguna Beach's Thousand Steps Beach, this list has all the beaches in California to...

 
 
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Sausalito

Beach 1 - Protected from the sprawl of San Francisco by the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Sausalito has maintained a small-town identity...

 
 

Carmel-by-the-Sea

Beach 2 - Carmel-by-the-Sea is perhaps most famous as the town that Clint Eastwood once "Mayored," in real life, and this one-square-mile town...

 
 

Santa Monica

Beach 3 - Santa Monica is the last of the Los Angeles, CA beach towns to see on this list. Once you arrive...

 
 

Venice Beach

Beach 4 - Venice Beach and its world-famous boardwalk are cultural staples of the Los Angeles area. It was created as the "Coney...

 
 

Carlsbad

Beach 5 - About halfway between San Diego and Los Angeles, you'll find the town of Carlsbad. It's a resort community with a...

 
 

Half Moon Bay

Beach 6 - Half Moon Bay is further up the Pacific Coast Highway and into San Mateo County. Its proximity to San Francisco...

 
 

La Jolla

Beach 7 - About fifteen minutes from Downtown San Diego, the upscale beach town of La Jolla inhabits a craggy coastline with no...

 
 

Monterey

Beach 8 - Crossing into Northern California and cooler climates, Monterey beachgoers are less likely to go for a swim but are compensated...

 
 

Crescent City

Beach 9 - Finally, the northernmost of the California coastal cities on this list is Crescent City, near the border of Oregon. In-and-around...

 
 

Santa Cruz

Beach 10 - At the far northern end of Monterey Bay, you'll find the quirky Santa Cruz. Along with many smaller, hidden beaches...

 
 

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