California Beaches

When you bring up the subject of the amazing beaches in California, we naturally think about beach movies of the 60s, surfers and the "beautiful people" frolicking in the sand and surf getting a great tan with next to nothing on. That is an exotic and festive image. But what many have discovered is that California has a huge diversity to the kinds of beaches that are available up and down the coastline. And that big state and national resource offers far more to your family for vacation ideas than just a day of building sand castles and playing tag with the waves in the surf.

Imagine waking up in your tent or camper to the sound of the ocean virtually right outside your campsite wooing you awake with the sounds of the surf. When the first sight you see virtually takes your breath away as you gaze out on one of California's amazing coastal locations, that will be a camping experience you won't forget soon.

The California State Parks have done a great job of making available to families or to anyone who loves nature some of the most stunning coastline camping experiences imaginable. While the campgrounds may not often be right on the beach itself, you can find scenic campsites in a coastal park that give you breathtaking views of the beach that will have the family up and pulling on their swim suits at the break of dawn and scrambling down the beach for a day of fun as fast as they can.

The great thing about camping is that it is inexpensive, a natural experience and a great time of family bonding. With your campsite so near the beach, you can let the kids go down and play and the adults can relax in camp, build the fire, cook the food or do other camp activities and still keep an eye on the kids at the same time. And if a child wishes to come back from the beach to rest, they can walk right into their "living room" in the camp and really get that feel of living on the beach. It is a "back to nature" experience for the children that will make them confirmed campers for life.

Along with the beach itself and the myriad of activities your family can have playing near the water, camping in a California coastline park means lots of other great activities that you can add to your vacation time. From your "base camp" near the beach, you can find beautiful hiking trails, bicycling, horseback riding, cave exploration and rock climbing along with many sea related sponsored events like aquariums and whale watching tours. The odds are that you will not have enough time to do everything that is at your disposal at any of the many California beach side beach parks when you mean beach camping your vacation goal. But that just means you will have to come back next year and do it all again.