Manresa Uplands State Beach

Great place to camp, some of the sites have a ocean view. Would have given 5 stars but the sites have lost a little bit of privacy over the years, this might be necessary for the upkeep of the sites. Site prices have gone up thru the years, yet still very reasonable compare to motels/​hotels in Santa Cruz. Like the fact have to hike in a little bit, this way sites are not effected by cars headlights. Campground close to Santa Cruz, Pacific Grove.

We were in sites 57 – 60 which were great! Not too close or too far from the bathrooms– large sites… we had about 6 tents on one site that’s how big they were. Bathrooms are cleaned each morning and restocked with tissue– easy walk to the beach… nice warm days and evenings that were not too cold for a summer August night. You can hear the ocean at night and birds singing in the morning– Best part was the close drive back home to the South Bay…

Site 36 was pretty private, surrounded on all but one side.
Site 34 had the best ocean view.
I do not recommend this place for young children or dogs.
All over the campsite were these micro prickly weeds, that HURT! We had to switch out of our sandles because the pricklers keep stabbing our heals, toes, etc. Our poor dog was limping frequently and we had to constantly clean his paws. I’m not sure if we’ll ever get the pricklers out of the soles of our sandles.
We took a risk and did not use the food locker because it appeared to be infested with termites.
We left after 1 night. We will not be back.
Firewood bundles are $ 10. Staffers are friendly and lenient with early check in and the amount of time you can take to unload. Handicapped vehicles can stay parked in the unloading area. There are large basins for laundry, by the showers and bathrooms.
It was lovely to wake up to the sound of the ocean and song birds.

I used to surf here when I was a kid. It is a a shore break with some sand bars that make for a few nice rights and lefts. Great place to walk int he morning, especially if you like collecting sea shells, they are all over the place. This is Nature at its best. Love this place. They also have some camping sites as well. Have never used them, but might be fun in the Summer :)

Since we’ve already camped at Sunset, we figured we’d give Manresa a shot. Our campsite was in the perfect location. It was close to the drop-​off zone (Yes, lazy people, you have to walk your stuff in. God forbid!), bathrooms/​showers, and next to the paved pathway that leads to the beach. My only criticism about our campsite is there was no shade. However, that could be easily be fixed with a pop-​up shade. Plus, it was overcast the entire time so that was not a big deal. The crappy weather did not bother me. It was not hoped for but it was expected. The overall campground itself is pretty nice. Rangers, the camp host, and service workers are consistently around so no one seems to get too rowdy and things are clean. The camp host goes around at least once or twice a day selling huge bundles of firewood which is convenient. The bathrooms and the showers seem to get cleaned daily. They have warm running water and people leave soap for others to use. The showers are 2 minutes per quarter so be sure to stock up. As for the beach, it is way better than Sunset. It’s an easy walk from camp, just a few minutes. There are portable restrooms nearby and there are bonfire pits along the beach. The beach is vast enough for a decent run. If you’re lucky, you’ll see dolphins jumping (I saw three, at once!) and seals swimming around. There are also various colored sand dollars and pretty little crabs. If you are daring enough, the water temperature is not bad either but that could have been because I was just running. All in all though, a pleasant beach. The reason I am giving them a 4 instead of 5 is because they will not allow you to have more than 2 vehicles, even if you are willing to pay. I would understand this rule if they were busy but it was during the week and the parking lot had more than enough space. My boyfriend who was just staying for one night had to park a nearby neighborhood and I had to pick him up. Besides that, I am quite taken with this place. My boyfriend and I found some cute little spots for when we come back with just the two of us (;

LOVE this beach! Close to the bathrooms, and if you’re a local, you know the private beach which is very low key. My son loves this beach too! PROS: Very close to public restrooms.

This campground was beautiful. The sites were simple but had everything we needed. They had a picnic table, a cabinet, a fire pit, water faucet nearby, and plenty of space for a tent. The bathrooms were close by and clean. The path to the beach is paved and scenic, and the beach also has fire pits; great for bonfires. The downside: packing and unpacking can be a challenge because there is no parking near the campsites, but the trails are easy to walk. Overall, this campground provided a great experience for my family.

One of my favorite camping spots off highway 1. There is a parking lot, bathrooms (with showers), and a beach within walking distance of wherever you pitch your tent.
Word to the wise: bring something to haul your gear. We hoofed it the first trip with our cooler and supplies. It was a little rough because we decided to bring bottled instead of canned beer. The second time camping here was better because we had a wagon to haul our stuff from the parking lot.

First time camping here Aug 2012 and loved it for beach camping. You do need to haul stuff to your campsite with only a 20 min drop off point and a little hike to park your car overnight. Advantage, no cars/​lights driving by the sites all night long. This lends itself to really hear the ocean/​waves at night. Disadvantage — getting all the stuff to and from your campsite. We saw a lot of «little red wagons» hauling a lot of stuff (also nice to bring stuff down to the beach). We tried a hand truck, but the wheels on it were just not big enough to handle the trails without dumping everything off of it or wheels getting stuck on rocks. So be aware when choosing a site that is farther away from the drop off point. Most sites are not too far, but if you have mobility issues you might want to think twice about camping here. We were thinking that the camp hosts or rangers should charge for golf cart rides with heavy stuff to make some money for the campgrounds! :) The camp hosts did drive the golf cart around several times a night so you could buy wood right at your site. They charge $ 10 a bundle. Oh yeah, skunks abound… so we had to be ever watchful of the dogs… that would have ended out campout pronto!
So here is my take on the different camp areas.
Willow Camps
In general seems a little more spread out and feels a little less crowded. For the most part, unless noted, all of these sites are pretty open to other nearby campsite and to the sky (no tree cover). Sites 10 – 16 are more likely to have ocean view.
#1: seemed like a pretty nice site, some privacy
#2 & 3: close, good for a share
#7: nice site, some decent privacy and size
#8: seemed very private, small size
#9: up a small hill, away from other sites, pretty large, gorgeous view of ocean (really open)
#10: great view of ocean
#13: huge site, good for multiple tents
#14: small site that is separated from other sites by brush
#17−18 –completely open, but huge sites, can accommodate multiple tents (great for sharing)
#21, 24 & 25 — completely open to trails & sky, no privacy
#22 & 23: are a bit tucked away from the trail and from other sites, but slightly smaller (good for 1 tent)
Bay Camps
Seemed like the sites in general were a little closer together, a little more cramped for space. That might have been since it seemed like all the sites where really sold out.
#28 & 29: handicap sites are well shaded and seem pretty nice
#32−35: nice in the trees, but no privacy, good for sharing.
#38: very private, farther off the trail, no real good shade. * see picture as example
#46: very open, no privacy. *see picture as example
#47: a little more private and farther off trail, but no real shade
#48: very private, tucked away from the trail
Lupine Camps
#51: another fairly private, a little off trail *see picture
#56 & 57: fairly private, nice trees/​shading
#58: really private but no shade
#59 & 60: good for a share, very close and open to each other
#64: huge and very open

Boy I love this beach! Fantastic for the family!

Fantastic campground. most of the spaces are quite spacious, and the ocean is just a quick walk away. There is a small walk from the parking area. but umm you’re camping. so shouldn’t walking be part of it?

Manresa was the perfect camp spot for a girl’s week-​end away from home. We had a great site… thanks to Erin S… and only had to drag our things a short distance from the 20 minute loading zone. It was also secluded and felt like we had the place pretty much to ourselves. We got to watch a drift of Quail pass through our camp a couple times and a friendly bunny frolicked in our camp for a few hours. The beach access is a short stroll down a path. There are fire rings available on the beach but I believe quiet hours apply there as well so it is best to start your campfires early. No alcohol is allowed so bottoms up my friends before you head to the beach or, as the most interesting man in the world would say, ‘Stay Thirsty’.
The only bad part about Manresa is you must unload your car and then park it pretty far away. I don’t mind walking but it is uphill and at night it is difficult to find your way back down into the campgrounds as your options are the road or the unlit paths. Bring some form of light as the paths are steep and slippery from the overnight parking area.
The bathrooms are cleaner than most so it is nice to see this SB not taking a hit from California’s money woes. The rangers do seem to be a little zealous in enforcing quiet hours. My friends and I were sitting around enjoying our fire and having pleasant conversation. As usual, I was napping as close to the fire ring as possible. This was about 9:30pmish. A ranger stopped and came over to tell us that quiet hours were at 10:00 and they ‘do cite’ for noise. Hmmmm… well that woke us all up and quite a lively discussion began. Had she not said anything we probably would have been in bed within about five minutes.

After reading the variety of reviews I have to add my two cents. I grew up camping and backpacking my husband did not. After some cajoling and the promise of hot showers I convinced him to try Manresa. We have not been disappointed. We always stay at various sites on the bluff overlooking the ocean. I read a couple of reviews mentioning theft, am disappointed to read that happened. The park rangers and cleaning crew made visits 2−3x per day. We have not experienced theft but do not take valuables with us. I personally enjoy that these are tent only sites. We purchased a beach cart to load things in and out and have not been bothered by the process.
A couple of notes: hot showers are .25 for two minutes, there are free cold showers to clean off the sand and saltwater. The sinks are for washing hands not dishes as there are numerous water spigots located at the sites. When the camp is crowded, bathrooms tend to get gross. Can be noisy at night until everyone settles down for bed. Walk back from the beach is a little steep, be prepared. Trails around campground nice, beach is beautiful, many varieties of birds and sand dollars during certain times of the year.
All and all it is a great, affordable get away. Close enough to Capitola if you forget something. We will continue to return.

I went camping here twice this year and I really love this place.
It is such a lovely place to visit for a good time. Staying at the beach is just as if you are at Hawaii (of course it’s colder than Hawaii =))
Restrooms are clean and there isn’t really anything bad here.
There is some walking required to load and unload your stuff due to no car access to your site but, if is fine if you think of it as a little exercise.
If you really prefer not to walk to much with your stuff, look at the map and choose the space near parking circle.
As other Unilocalers mentioned, there is an old man driving around saying «firewood» in a very funny sound.
I will definitely will be back next year!

Have you ever driven along the Pacific Coast Highway and dreamt of owning the expansive ocean view from one of the million dollar homes perched on the coastal cliffs?
If so, and you’re discouraged because the dream seems out of reach, then take heart — you can enjoy that view from a campsite in Manresa Uplands State Beach nestled between aforementioned mansions which are pleasantly out of sight and out of mind. All for only $ 35 per night.
The campground is in a clearing on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The clearing is bordered by tall windswept trees that allow you to pretend your more isolated in the wilderness than adjacent to developed land. I tell you this fact about the clearing because I had imagined the sites were beneath a redwood tree canopy and they are not. The benefit is you have a panaromic view of the ocean. Bushes as tall as a man separated the campsites and afford privacy.
The campsites are walk-​in. We fairly easily toted in all of our standard car camping equipment sans car.
OMG! Do families like the campsite. As a group of three couples we were in the minority of campers. I had assumed that the walk-​in campsite wouldn’t seem kid-​friendly, but that’s because I forgot how much energy children have.
There are two routes down to the sandy beach. You can either follow a switch back, paved trail or take 100 stairs down.
This campground is listed in the Moon California Campground guidebook as one of the Top 10 most scenic campgrounds in the state.
It earns this designation as a premier, panoramic view of the Pacific with about 2 dozen campsites.
In addition to the fire rings at our campsite, there are fire rings on the beach.

Just came back from camping here this weekend and here are my tips:
This is a «walk-​in» campground, meaning you cannot drive to your site, even to just unload, so pack very lightly or if you are bringing alot of stuff, bring something on wheels to lug it all from the 20 minute unloading area that can be pretty far, depending on where your site is. There was a cart that everyone was using, but you are lucky to get a hold of it.
Two «licensed vehicles» are allowed per site, so if you have a car and trailer, those are your two vehicles. We had to park another car in a residential area (per the rangers’ advice) and that worked out okay. Many other campers were doing the same thing. The overnight parking is up a hill, so don’t expect to go back and forth to your car without a nice workout.
Bring quarters if you want to take a shower, it is 25 cents for every two minutes. We had to stand in line around dinnertime, try late evening (after 8pm) or early morning.
Every site has a picnic table with a food locker at the end of it. Use it. Not only for rummaging wild animals, but for thieves too. A fellow camper got their ice coolers stolen overnight, or pack your stuff in your tent at nite. Don’t take any serious valuables with you to camp, they seem bold enough to go through your tent while your gone at the beach.
Sites 39, 40, and 41 are really close together (we were at 40), perfect for a group.
We saw skunks many times at night, the ants gathered quickly when food was left out (duh) and although there were yellow jacket traps hanging from the tree, we did not see any buzzing around.
Firewood is sold there for $ 8 a bundle and a guy comes around in a golf cart (one time around 5 – 7 pm) selling it. The way he robotically calls out «Fire-​Wood» is hilarious. Firewood is also sold near the overnight parking where the «campground host» is located.
We tried going to the beach itself (the path is nice, slightly uphill on your way back, but no stairs) around midnite and were turned back by rangers. The beach closes at 10pm, even for campers, so if you lite a bonfire at sunset (around 830−9pm lately), it will be shortlived.
Alcohol is permitted at the camp, but not on the beach.
Not sure about dogs at camp, but they are allowed on the beach for sure with a leash.
The porto potties at the beach are disgusting…
Also, I did not explore the camp fully, but from going back and forth to the unloading zone and going to the beach, I saw that tall shrubs separated the camps, not many trees at all.
If I had to come back here again, it would be for an overnite stay only with few belongings to haul so I could spend the day at the beach and enjoy a campfire at night…

This is the second campsite in Santa Cruz that I have stayed at, and I must say, that this one is my favorite. Not only is it dog friendly, the beach is also dog friendly!
The campsite’s definitely vary by the lots. We got lot #63 and I must say, it was probably one of the better ones. The lot was huge! and closer to the unloading area. The only thing that I did not like about this lot was that since it was so huge, everyone would cut through our campsite to get to the parking area. Also, it is situated close to the bathroom, so at night, you might be awaken by people. But, if I were to stay here again, I would probably try to book the same lot.
The beach was awesome! It was probably a short 5 – 10 minute walk from the campgrounds, and an incredibly easy walk. There were no cliffs, steps or sandy areas that were slippery. Also, when we went, the beach wasn’t packed.
Overall, I would totally stay here again. In fact, I tried to book another 3 days at this site after just leaving it 2 days ago.

Ditto to what hubby Dave W. said.
I want to include that this was my first time ever camping. I was a bit scared, but was calmed by seeing how clean the area and restrooms are.

At first I was a little worried, I had grown up camping at New Brighton, up the road about 5 minutes, and had awesome memories. How could Manresa compete with childhood memories? Well it may not have competed with them, but it allowed me to have newer memories with my family.
We (2 other families and my family) decided to go camping and when booking our stay, NB was sold out so we chose the next best thing. We were not disappointed. Manresa is a decent sized campsite area but has the smaller feel to it since it has several sections. The bathrooms were clean, private, and not a far walk from any site. The showers were 25 cents for 2 minutes and from what I heard since I chose the dirty route, the water went from cold to hot instantly so you didn’t waste money waiting for it to warm up.
The downside is that, as stated before, you can’t park at your site, you must unload at a small lot and then move your car to the overnight lot. However, with this, you don’t hear car doors opening and closing as people get and put stuff back in the cars. There were 2 Costco style flat bed carts available for lugging stuff to the site. Or, plan ahead and bring a big toy wagon like we did. :)
Almost every site was inhabited by a family (or multiple families) so be warned that there may be kids nearby having a good time and being loud. Since we were one of those sites, it didn’t bother us.
This may become a yearly site to visit.
The beach is a 5 minute walk with a good amount of fire pits. It wasn’t crowded when we where there.
Extra notes:
Do not plan on using the fire pits to make dinner, they only have a small grate on them. If you want to use them for food, bring another grate.
If you can book site 13. Trust me, you’ll like it.
Don’t book site 11, it’s next to the bathrooms.
sites 17 and 18 are pretty big and a great place to book if you have a large group.
You can only have 2 cars per campsite. The first one is included in the fee, the second one is $ 8. If you have more cars, plan on getting another site, asking your neighbors if they have only 1 car, or parking and walking from a distance. Plan ahead. Since this place gets busy and doesn’t necessarily care about the number of people to site rule, spots get taken quickly.

«Day 1 Overnight for Gilroy Garlic Festival»
This campground is a hidden gem and frequently ranked as the best beach camp in California. Who knew? I chose it because it fit my strategy for a Gilroy Garlic festival weekend. And I’m glad I did.
After you part from Highway One, you must roll your windows down so that you can be absorbed by the colors and smells of the tall central coast trees. You’re surrounded by old growth hardwoods, scented conifers, rich eucalyptus, nature’s aromatherapy. And as you soak the pastoral views and deeply-​set gated homes, you will notice that the chatter from people inside the car has quieted. Everyone is staring out the windows in silence and listening to the wind in the trees. But don’t drift too far into la-​la-​land or you’ll miss the park entrance sign that leads you down a tree-​lined path. And in Robert Frost’s own words, this truly looks like the path less traveled.
When we arrived at the campgrounds, I was struck by the careful planning of the sage, chaparral, and native plants, all woven to provide as much privacy as possible for each camp site. I quickly ran through my mental checklist:
— Campgrounds clean. Check!
— The bathrooms removed enough to be private. Check!
— The sites secluded enough to avoid uncomfortable stares and half-​hearted waves from neighbors. Double Check!
Ahhh. We were going to have some fun. But the best part of this campground isn’t the campsite. The best part comes from taking a 5 minute walk towards the beach. As I passed through beautiful sand swept bluffs, I could feel that familiar off-​shore breeze on my face as I listened to the low mumble of waves in the distance. I was hyptnotized by the beautiful, tall eucalyptus trees, and wondering what their aged eyes have seen… when I suddenly find myself alone, in a surreal peaceful sort of way. There I was, standing in a giant span of a beautiful sandy beach; a beach with notably few footprints. As I stood staring at the ocean, I spotted a lone local resident meandering with his dog, while a few random sea gulls floated overhead. A postcard perfect sample of central coast beach. All to myself, and all I could think was how I was going to squirrel away enough time to come back.