Lighthouse Field State Beach

Found in furbulous Santa Cruz, the Lighthouse Field State Beach is a fantastic place to take your pup for sand, sun and pawrific trails! Home of Steamer Lane, a famed surfing locale, and the first ever surfing museum, this is a must see spot for surfers. Nature lovers and beach bums love it too for its pawtastic views of Monterey Bay, and its dog-friendly beach!

With tons of parking, its free to check out all this state park has to offer. Trails for hiking and biking can be found in the interior section of the park on the north side of West Cliff Drive. Dotted with trees and surfaced in grassy areas, this section is woofderful for dogs who like an easy and gentle walk through nature. Dogs do need to be leashed throughout this section at all times.

For the beach pups, this beach is where its at! You can watch the surfers down in Steamer Lane, check out the the Mark Abbott Memorial Lighthouse which houses the Santa Cruz Surfing Museum with the humans in your pack, or just head to the sand! Also called Its Beach, access to this coastal spot is easy along paved paths from the parking areas. Dogs are welcome to romp in the sand and splash in the Pacific Ocean waves anytime on leash. 

With gorgeous views of the bay, you may even catch sight of sea lions on the rocks offshore, whales in the distance, and Monarch Butterflies as they winter on the coast. Boogie boarding, swimming, surfing and fishing are also pupular here. Check out Steamer Lane Supply right on site for snacks, drinks and surfing accessories. 

Public bathrooms and outdoor showers are available, as is drinking water, so be sure to bring a bottle and bowl for your pup's convenience. Clean-up bags are not on offered here, so bring your own from home, and always stoop and scoop anywhere in this state park.

No bones about it, Santa Cruz pups know that for a truly pawsome day in the sand and sun, the Lighthouse Field State Beach is the place to be!