What is your niche beach?

Published June 1, 2022

By HEATHER ALBIOL

As the days grow languidly warmer and a lazy desire for simple existence creeps into the air as the sun replaces the clouds, it is only natural to gravitate toward the beaches where one can enjoy the cool, saltiness of the waves and the feeling of prickling, hot sand against skin. But what beach is exquisitely perfect for your summer adventures? 

Carmel Beach

A typical vacation destination known for its turquoise blue waters and proximity to the storybook town Carmel-By-The-Sea, Carmel Beach never fails to disappoint an array of personalities from the long-living community of surfers who enjoy the steep waves at 11th street to the elderly residents and daily dog-walkers just enjoying a fresh breeze in balmy sun. Although this beach offers a variety of activities with dirt paths for walking and running, a flat street for biking and massive rocks for tidepooling along both ends, it is a tourist hot-spot, something for locals to keep in mind before spending a day with the crowds. 

Monastery Beach

Often nicknamed “Mortuary Beach” for its unusually dangerous undertow and rip currents, this beach just south of Carmel is not the place to take a dip, but conversely the best place to scuba dive, if you’re well qualified, for it is home to one of the most pristine kelp forests in the area. The north end of the beach provides easy access to deep waters at the edge of the Carmel Submarine Canyon, while the south end invites an adventure into Monastery Middle Reef, a sea of corals, anemones and kelp that’s home to marine life such as the deceitful angel shark and the widely loved sea otter. 

Andrew Molera State Park

At the north base of the world-renowned Big Sur coast, Andrew Molera State Park is a driftwood-covered sandy beach perfect for any hot summer day. To reach the beach, one takes an easy mile-long stroll through spacious meadows, forests of redwood and sycamore trees and a switchback river that flows into a peaceful lagoon. Popular among surfers for its rare but ideal conditions, these adventure-seekers are often seen carrying their boards over their heads or on bikes to reach this little utopia. 

Asilomar State Beach

On the Pebble Beach side of the Monterey Peninsula with an earned title of “Refuge by the Sea,” Asilomar is similar to Carmel, despite its lack of tourists. Instead of attracting tourists, it’s a magnet for surfers, and this spot also has a large community of dog-walkers and families that walk the paths above the sand. Though the waves are excellent for learning on small swells, beware of the sometimes treacherous water. It might be better to instead engulf one’s attention to the many tidepools hosting unique muscles, hermit crabs and sea anemones well adapted to this fierce intertidal zone. This beach also connects to Spanish Bay, a nice surf spot in Pebble Beach and overall one of the more private places in the area, if one is looking to try something new. 

Del Monte Beach

At the northern end of Monterey, this beach is often lost behind the many other magnificent beaches on the peninsula, but is no let down with a long, open sandy space perfect for sprawling out with the whole family. This is a prime spot for strolling on the wood boardwalk that winds through verdant dunes full of natural wildlife. Picnic tables and fire pits placed arbitrarily around the beach allow for fun activities in the sun and a place to warm-up when the sun slips past the horizon.