Sunset State Beach
California State Park
Write a Review 191 Sunset Beach Road Watsonville, CA 95076 831-763-7063 Reservations: 800-444-7275 Official WebsiteGPS: 36.899, -121.832
Overview of Sunset State Beach
Last Price Paid: $42
Reported by Vardan_Camps on 7/20/2023
Longest RV Reported: 41 feet (Class A)
Reported by memorymachinefamily on 7/25/2019
Number of Sites 90
Pad Type asphalt
Reservations yes
Open Seasonally Yes
Elevation 65 ft / 19 m
Max Length 31 ft
Tent Camping Yes
Unlock pro campendium features
Q&A - Ask the Community about Sunset State Beach
To ask questions of the owner or manager please contact the campground directly. 831-763-7063
Reviews of Sunset State Beach 21 people have reviewed this location.
“Peaceful beach getaway ”
Reviewed 2/25/2021
Nightly rate: | $35 |
---|---|
Days stayed: | 3 |
Site Number: | 24 |
RV Length: | 24' (Travel Trailer) |
Small state park between the Pacific and strawberry fields behind. Feels secluded. We went Monday through Wednesday. We stayed at the south camp. There were plenty of empty sites. Basic facilities. Clean. We have a 24’ trailer. Easy to park. It is paved and level. The site across us was empty so we had view of the ocean and we could... more
Small state park between the Pacific and strawberry fields behind. Feels secluded.
We went Monday through Wednesday. We stayed at the south camp. There were plenty of empty sites. Basic facilities. Clean.
We have a 24’ trailer. Easy to park. It is paved and level. The site across us was empty so we had view of the ocean and we could hear the surf. That was neat. We really enjoyed it.
Cell service (AT&T) was good.
Caro would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Campsite OK, Beach is out of this world”
Reviewed 1/15/2020
Nightly rate: | $33 |
---|---|
Days stayed: | 2 |
Site Number: | 140RV |
RV Length: | 21' (Travel Trailer) |
The campsite is fine. I filled up my trailer tank with water on the way in, so we didn't use the toilet block so can't comment on that. Site 140RV had a good amount of privacy, if that is what you are looking for. Personally I prefer views. Site 24 has good views of ocean and the hills behind, the only downside is you have more people ... more
The campsite is fine. I filled up my trailer tank with water on the way in, so we didn't use the toilet block so can't comment on that. Site 140RV had a good amount of privacy, if that is what you are looking for. Personally I prefer views. Site 24 has good views of ocean and the hills behind, the only downside is you have more people around you.
Site 25 and 26 have a partial view of the ocean, no view of the hills, but have their own space. Site 25 is very nice, but almost always booked up on the weekend. But site 24 and 26 are very nice also. If none of those are free, sites 31, 32, 22, 21 look good also.
The kids enjoyed riding their bikes around the site and everyone seemed friendly.
Being so close to the beach has it's pros and cons. Pros are that the beach is nice and quiet (at least when we were there in November) and the sunset is out of this world. The Cons are that often clouds appear from nowhere and cover the beach and campsite, but you'll find a mile inland it's blue skies.
Unfortunately the site doesn't have a dump station, so we ended up driving North to New Brighton State Beach, which is free to dump at with your receipt from Sunset State Beach.
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Not Good”
Reviewed 7/25/2019
Nightly rate: | $35 |
---|---|
Days stayed: | 1 |
Site Number: | 87 |
RV Length: | 41' (Class A) |
If you (like me) have forgotten everything you dislike about staying in a campground then you really need to stay here. It is a great combination of being pricey and run down at the same time. Uneven and broken picnic tables and a shower for a quarter that was too expensive for me given the condition...I’m the section we stayed ... more
If you (like me) have forgotten everything you dislike about staying in a campground then you really need to stay here.
It is a great combination of being pricey and run down at the same time. Uneven and broken picnic tables and a shower for a quarter that was too expensive for me given the condition...I’m the section we stayed there was no convenient beach access so most people drove and you can’t see the beach anyway from your site.
Quite a few of the sites are merely wide spots in the road.
This state park is merely a slice of land carved out of the agricultural area surrounded by dilapidated homes.
Loud rowdy music playing neighbors really completed the picture for us.
Sorry - not my thing...we left a day early... maybe they can keep my extra $35 and clean a shower stall.
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Drove by to check it out”
Reviewed 6/15/2019
Days stayed: | 0 |
---|
Too far off the path for me. Excellent views. But amenities were spare. I did not stay because I wasn’t prepared with provisions and it was 15-30 minutes to the nearest town.
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Roomy sites, great beach access”
Reviewed 6/15/2019
Nightly rate: | $40 |
---|---|
Days stayed: | 4 |
Site Number: | 41 |
RV Length: | 22' (Travel Trailer) |
We have stayed here three times now. The park has roomy sites so that you don't feel like you are camping right next to your neighbor. There is beach access in the park itself, both walking from the campground (a bit of a hike) or via a very short drive to the end of the campground road. This park is centrally located between Santa... more
We have stayed here three times now. The park has roomy sites so that you don't feel like you are camping right next to your neighbor. There is beach access in the park itself, both walking from the campground (a bit of a hike) or via a very short drive to the end of the campground road.
This park is centrally located between Santa Cruz to the north and Monterey to the south which provides excellent access to nearby attractions (Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk and Roaring Camp Railroad are 40 minutes away and Monterey Bay Aquarium is 45 minutes away, to name a few).
Brett would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Near a beach. Reserve site 25 if you can, apparently that’s the hot spot with a water view. ”
Reviewed 9/25/2018
Nightly rate: | $1 |
---|---|
Days stayed: | 1 |
Site Number: | 19 |
Bathroom at the beginning of the site, not super convenient.
You have to check the list to see what’s taken, don’t just assume you can have spot 25 (our bad). Walk to the beach is a bit of a walk but not too bad.
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Close to San Francisco and Big Sur Area”
Reviewed 5/1/2018
Nightly rate: | $35 |
---|---|
Days stayed: | 4 |
Site Number: | 34 |
RV Length: | 22' (Travel Trailer) |
Nice State Park by the ocean and pretty decently priced for being this close to the beach. If i come back i will be sure to reserve as they go day by day unless you reserve online.
FulltimeRVexplorer would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Nice site, close to the ocean but pricy”
Reviewed 3/23/2018
Nightly rate: | $35 |
---|---|
Days stayed: | 1 |
Site Number: | 28 |
We stayed here in a bit of a pinch after our free Nationals forest site plan got thwarted due to a Hwy. 1 closure. This is a state park and our visit in March was fairly quiet. Lots of nice parking and even pavement for rigs. Spots for tents are very flat. The area is wooded and is really beautiful. The last loop is just a short eas... more
We stayed here in a bit of a pinch after our free Nationals forest site plan got thwarted due to a Hwy. 1 closure. This is a state park and our visit in March was fairly quiet. Lots of nice parking and even pavement for rigs. Spots for tents are very flat. The area is wooded and is really beautiful. The last loop is just a short easy walk to a VERY nice overlook of the beach and you can drive down. The bathrooms are not heated or air conditioned so that would make for a pretty uncomfortable shower experience if it’s cold outside :) The showers are also coin operated, something like 50 cents per 2 minutes. This is because of the drought to encourage water conservation. Overall, nice experience, we are just normally cheap-o’s and the $35 price tag was pretty steep for us.
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
Reviewed 4/24/2017
Nightly rate: | $35 |
---|---|
Days stayed: | 2 |
Site Number: | 79 |
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Nice state park. Close to hipster Santa Cruz, but not too close.”
Reviewed 2/6/2016
Nightly rate: | $35 |
---|---|
Days stayed: | 8 |
Site Number: | 19 |
We stayed here during the offseason - Jan 30 through Feb 7. Two of the three campgrounds all closed this time of year and the park was nearly empty during the week, but did fill to capacity with a mix of tent and RV campers over the weekend. The campground was well maintained in my opinion - tidy, and to my pleasant surprise provi... more
We stayed here during the offseason - Jan 30 through Feb 7. Two of the three campgrounds all closed this time of year and the park was nearly empty during the week, but did fill to capacity with a mix of tent and RV campers over the weekend.
The campground was well maintained in my opinion - tidy, and to my pleasant surprise provided both garbage and recycling bins. Bathrooms with pay showers available ... old, but sufficient. No hook-ups are available at campsites, but water spigots are scattered throughout. There is no dump staton in the park, but paying guests may use the dump station at New Brighton State Park, located about 15 minutes north on HW1. Alternately there is a KOA five minutes away.
For a California state park, the sites are pretty spacious. The result is a moderately open feel, less a number of fully mature trees which are quite effective in blocking solar panels. Even my portable ground panels struggled to fully track regular sunlight, so expect to use your generator if you are here for more than a few days. As remote workers, we would would have been hosed without the generator.
If I had to stay again, I'd target sites 24, 25, or 26 as they sit atop the highest point in the park, with clear south/southwest access to sun. An added bonus - these sites are closest to the easily accessible ocean beach.
Working remotely was no issue in the park - good voice call quality on both Verizon and AT&T. Boosted (AT&T) data speeds at ~ 7-10 Mbps down were workable, but not without the occasion latency hick-up during video chats or when streaming video.
Overall, a very nice park. Timing of our visit likely contributed to the pleasant experience - during warmer months I would expect the park to be a bit of madhouse when all three campgrounds are operational.
Dave Burns would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
Be the first to add a video for Sunset State Beach!
Have you written a blog post about Sunset State Beach?
Contact us to update this listing.
Amenities
Hookups
- dry camping
Recreation
- recreation trail
- swimming beach
- water access
Site Amenities
- fire ring
- picnic table
Facilities
- ADA Accessible
- recycle
- restrooms: flush
- showers
- trash
- water available
Pets
- pets
Nearby
Santa Cruz-Monterey Bay KOA
Very nice park with tons for kids to do. - Get ready to get cozy....
- K&R
Please select a reason for flagging this item: