Pismo State Beach

I always love coming to this beach. Don’t have many sandy beaches up in Washington. It’s a great getaway!

Pismo beach is definitely a beautiful sight. Not only is this city famous for their clam chowder, but it is a really nice and clean beach. I like that the beach is extremely close to the shops and is a walking distance to all kinds of stuff. Parking is not a hassle and finding a spot to hangout is never an issue.
From sunset to sundown, the waves and the ocean continue to flow and stay beautiful. Definitely a nice beach to visit. The number 1 reason to visit Pismo in my books is definitely the chowder, but the beach is also fun for the family.
The drive is not too far from Bakersfield, so Pismo is one of the beaches that we get away to when we want to visit the beaches.

Nice Beach With Cool Old School Feel To The Shops
Giant pier to walk out onto or fish from.
Nice clean beach with soft sand to walk and Kay on…
Great spot to spend a lazy beach day…

Beautiful beach, as long as your cool to see/​hear quads, sand rails passing back and forth. Not your sit by the water by the beach type of beach. Beautiful sunsets.

Stop #3 on the Spring Break 2016 Doggie Road Trip :)
Pismo is beautiful as always, and a gorgeous early spring day is just the time to go – plenty of folks and critters for watching, but not too crowded. Granted, it was definitely chilly and slightly overcast, but there was still a decent sized crowd.
Why doesn’t Main Beach have more bathrooms? Boo.
Not as dog friendly as one would have hoped… or maybe I was just too blinded by the block-​long line at Splash Café to have researched the right places. I left Pismo hungry and a bit dismayed, but at least I got to use the restroom.
Roxy rates it: Four paws way up! Beach and sand, yay! Except I hate the water.

It’s absolutely gorgeous here and perfect weather. It’s a California beach and that’s the beauty of it. Good beach weather almost all year long! Definitely a place to atop and chill for awhile. Cute little downtown area but the beach is really the crowning glory!

Pismo Beach was Terrible, looks nice in photos but its was BUG CITY. I couldn’t go for more then a little hike before I just utterly went insane by the bugs and I was bundled up as much as possible. I had bugs in my ears and neck and face it was a mess. Little tiny bugs. I hated it I have never been to a beach that was like walking in a trash bin it was very sad and I hope you like the photos because I’m never coming back unless I get that bubble boy suit. It was like a horror film.

I LOVE Pismo!
We came up here from LA to meet friends from Silicon Valley and this worked out as a great midway point.
My first Pismo trip was a long weekend in January 2015, we combined it with Morro Bay, SLO & the Hearst Castle. Those are a couple of great ideas to add on to your Pismo trip! Weather in January was 60 and sunny, but your mileage may vary.
I would also like to point out Pismo is a great stop to add on to the quintessential Pacific Coast Highway/​PCH1 cruise from San Diego to San Francisco.
I came back to Pismo in August 2015, it was foggy, grey and cool, plus the hills were brown. Our recent trip (February 2016) was perfectly sunny and featured warm weather. I love how green the hills behind the beach are!
My favorite part of Pismo is the gorgeous beach by the pier. It’s pet friendly (as long as your fur friend is leashed) and perfect for walking. If you enjoy walking on firm sand, this is a great place for it!
We didn’t swim on any of our trips, but the water looks great for swimming. You can gradually work your way into the water or just dip your toes in.
When you are done at the beach, you can grab a bite to eat or stroll through the cute touristy shops.
I recommend trying to get parking on a side street and walking 10 minutes to the pier. I have usually had good luck with this in the off season, but be sure to look for parking restriction signs.
We stopped by Santa Barbara on the way back to LA (from Pismo) and soon realized how much we appreciate Pismo’s down to earth vibe. Santa Barbara seems to consist of trust fund babies and being seen at the cheesey wine bar. Pismo is the anti-​Santa Barbara, the people are way more laid back and not pretentious.

Softest sand ever!!! I loved this beach, you MUST put your toes in this sand. It’s so worth the drive!
I went to the campground right off the beach. The campground was pretty open, not privacy. They have outdoor sinks which is convenient.
There is a cute little walkway from the campground to the beach.

Great beach to just chill on the boardwalk or rent bikes and ride the hilly streets of Pismo.
It’s relatively clean compared to LA beaches with seagulls roaming around. There’s a few shops and eateries in the area to check out. We ended up grabbing some clam chowder and then rode around on a quad surrey catching a really great sunset.
Parking is metered along the streets.

Pismo Beach is a great beach for a stroll. I couldn’t imagine staying for more than a few hours, let alone a spend a whole weekend there. For us, it was just a visit to check it out.
The pier is nice and wide. You can watch sea gulls rest, the surfers, and listen to the ocean while the waves roll in. It’s very relaxing and nature at it’s finest.
The beach was clean and an excellent place to be to watch the sunset. Oh the sand pits are also fun to jump in and out of. However, I’ve heard that is a dangerous thing to do. Beware and be cautious and follow the rules about the clams!

Long stretch of beaches with a pier, drive on beach experience, ATV rentals and home to many others. Been here on multiple occasions and for my most recent experience. rented a Beach House for a party of like 20 people.
If you’re looking for something to do spring break or summer… i highly suggest renting a cabin or beach house for a party full of people near the Pismo Beach to have a great time.
Let’s talk about the ATV experience (s). Very affordable and obviously cheaper in bundle pricing. Was able to get it to $ 60 per person for 2 hours at bundle pricing of 20 people. By this pismo atv experience i was already familiar with all the rules and dos and donts.
Went straight to the hills to bomb it down. I still have my scar on my knee from my First pismo ATV experience 3 years ago.
The sand dunes are numbered and dunes are steeper the high the number is.
I would suggest travelling in small groups just in case of an emergency but large groups tend to be difficult or follow through with. Nothing much of a scenery out in the dunes but still very fun to be bombing down dunes at high speeds.
Driving on Beach experience– This was my first trip to pismo 3 years ago… It was cool to drive on the sand by the water… especially if your car has a sun roof then you can kind of just poke your head out and enjoy the breeze and stunning views…
Pier at Pismo– pretty much what you would find at any beach… small shops and restaurants and that typical wooden pier path onto the water. Nothing tooooo amazing in terms of that. I do recommend visiting local restaurants for seafood here though especially clam chowder at splash café. Do expect long waits though as it is very popular.
Great spot for a mini vacation from the Bay area.

Wow i am amazed how beautiful this beach is! I like how there’s safety guys out there watching to ensure we are safe! I love the sound of the waves! Fun! Thank you!

A perfect weekend getaway!
Pismo is smaller & feels more intimate than most coastal cities which is exactly what my friends and I were looking for on a weekend getaway from Vegas.
It’s a small community with beautiful coastal parks and a pier and there are busier areas like anything near the pier or quiet and secluded areas left & right of it. The great thing is that you can choose what you’re in the mood for and we opted for the more secluded parts which don’t disappoint.
There’s tons of restaurants, shops and liquor stores! I kept wondering why there was a liquor store on every corner and the simple answer is that in this quiet little town people love their liquor!
The beaches offer soft white sand and endless views of beauty. Writing this review has inspired me to visit the ocean again and there’s still time left before this weekend is over…

It’s a wide sand beach on the Pacific Ocean! How bad could it be? I spend a few hours every morning running from W. Grand to Shell Beach then up the Wadsworth hill and back to the beach ending at the parking lot at Grand. It’s a total of 6.3 miles of incredible beauty. Pismo state beach looks like a SoCal beach but the water is NorCal temp. Surfers, whales, seals and birds are seen all the time. Sand Dollars are plentiful for the beach comers bounty! Enjoy my home but please leave it as you find it. If you see trash please pick it up!

It’s a typical beach. It’s seems like it would be a nice place to vacation to rather than just doing a day trip. Parking can be difficult at 11am on a Saturday, and you’re most likely going to have to pay for it.
The pier is nothing exciting, but it is a nice place to walk if you’re not a fan of getting sand in your shoes & enjoy people watching. There are a ton of flies from washed up seaweed that goes away once the wind starts blowing. But then again, if the wind is blowing, make sure you have your stuff staked down or it will fly away.
I do love that it’s free to enter the beach & that it’s dog friendly. They have poop bag stations & most people don’t seem to mind that your dog is playing in the water near their kids.

hi-​ya!
Can’t complain about California’s coastal beaches (except SF) as the water is clean-​appearing, the people seem nice and the scenery was awesome. We saw people surfing, sunbathing and enjoying the beach as they should – in a clean not overflowed beach area!
Parking was really easy to find (3 hours free) nearby the shops and after playing in the sand they have foot and body showers spouts (both standard) but still it’s nice they worked perfectly, with benches nearby to dry your feet on afterwards while people-​watching!

Good beach to visit for a day trip from my hometown. Not too crowded. Close to plenty of shops and restaurants. Temperature is great all year round.
Pismo State Beach is A-​OK in my book.

Softest sand I came across on my trip along the coast from NorCal to SoCal. However, there were some sharp shells scattered around in the sand, so beware. I still wore some sandals, but the sand still felt really nice. I also really liked the swing set right on the beach, not to mention the cute dogs running around!
Was a bit chilly the day I went though. be sure to bring a light jacket in case :)

I really enjoy coming here. This is one of my favorite places on the planet.
Perfect beach to spend Mother’s Day weekend or an anniversary.
It’s a popular place in the spring and summer with lots of neat little beach shops and eateries. The Old West Cinnamon Roll place is a must try. They have the best, cinnamon rolls!
You can’t go wrong staying here a night or even two. The pier is kind of lacking but the rest of the city is awesome!
The beach goes on for miles… Perfect place for a long walk. Nothing like the salty sea air to clear your mind. I have NO stress when coming here. Instant relaxation.
Pismo Beach, 5 stars.