Shore Acres State Park
add photosThis beautiful park is located on sandstone cliffs high above the ocean. See the luscious gardens containig flowers and plants from across the world.
2 Reviews for Shore Acres State Park
200
160
'10, '11, '12
0 families found this helpful
"Awesome tidepools and roses"
The beach at Shore Acres is some wonderful tide pools. Even for a family that lives near many wonderful CA beaches, we were pretty impressed with the tide pools here. The Shore Acres garden was also beautiful. We really loved walking through the beds and beds of rare roses. The kids had so much fun smelling all the different heavenly scents, excited to declare which ones were the favorites. Bring a picnic and enjoy it in the gardens or on the picnic benches near the parking lot. A little down the road, is a viewing platform from which you could can see tons of sea lions and seals.
Send a Message 
Send a Compliment
It's helpful
2 families found this helpful
"Pirate's Cove, Pounding Surf, Spectacular Gardens"
Something for everyone.
For the elementary school and older crowd, come view the spectacular surf pounding over sheer cliffs and give an impromptu geology lesson on wave action on the sandstone and rock formations on the coastline right at the lookout by the parking lot. Enjoy a beautiful botanical garden with plant species from all over the world, legacy of timber baron Simpson.
For the toddlers and up, enjoy an easy ½ mile hike down from the gardens to a perfect sandy pirate's cove complete with a sea cave and excellent tide pools. We saw sea stars, sea anemones, hermit crabs and rockfish in the numerous tidepools. Spend several hours there exploring and paddling within the cove on the soft sandy shore and sheltered paddling area.
If you are in the area, its definitely worth a visit.
Go in the summer to enjoy all these attractions but be sure to watch currents and the tides coming in as they can come in very fast in the cove. In winter, the winter storms lash the cliffs and its spectacular viewing but the walk down to the cove will be unsafe.
A five minute drive down the road will bring you to Simpson's Reef, where you can view the sea lions taking a break along their migratory route between California and Alaska. There are thousands of them talking to each other which to our ears sound like a chorus of barks and whoops. Bring a pair of binoculars for a close-up view.
Great Value. Only $3 per car to get into the park at the time of writing.
What's Nearby? Hotels » Activities »
Find Hotels near Shore Acres State Park »
Find Activities near Shore Acres State Park »
Find Restaurants near Shore Acres State Park »
Get the inside scoop from parents who have been there!
