Seacliff State Beach

State Park Dr, Aptos, CA 95003, USA

Near Santa Cruz in the small town of Aptos, you’ll find the beautiful Seacliff State Beach. Seacliff’s famous fishing pier extends out to a concrete tanker, the SS Palo Alto. Built during WWI the Palo Alto spent a few years after the war as a restaurant. The boat has since broken apart and is closed to the public but it has become a home for mussels, barnacles, shorebirds and an occasional sea lion. The pier is still open for fishing. RV camping is allowed and there are several nice picnic areas. The bluffs above the beach are filled with fossils. You can’t remove the fossils because Seacliff is a state park but you’ll see dogwhelk shells which have been extinct for 2 million years as well as extinct ark clams. There’s a nice Visitor’s Center that has educational displays, a gift shop and a helpful ranger. Dogs on leash allowed. Call ahead to reserve a beach wheelchair.

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Famous Fishing Pier & Fossil Spotting

Near Santa Cruz in the small town of Aptos, you’ll find the beautiful Seacliff State Beach. Seacliff’s famous fishing pier extends out to a concrete tanker, the SS Palo Alto. Built during WWI the Palo Alto spent a few years after the war as a restaurant. The boat has since broken apart and is closed to the public but it has become a home for mussels, barnacles, shorebirds and an occasional sea lion. The pier is still open for fishing. RV camping is allowed and there are several nice picnic areas. The bluffs above the beach are filled with fossils. You can’t remove the fossils because Seacliff is a state park but you’ll see dogwhelk shells which have been extinct for 2 million years as well as extinct ark clams. There’s a nice Visitor’s Center that has educational displays, a gift shop and a helpful ranger. Dogs on leash allowed. Call ahead to reserve a beach wheelchair.

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