Fort Ord Dunes State Park

This beach is so damn beautiful! It’s a bit off the beaten path but easy to get to either via the dedicated parking lot and a short walk, or by bicycle from one of the best paved bike paths in the nation! At the North end of the park, near Reindollar drive in Marina, the path turns to dirt and takes you to the beach which is a great example of California’s beauty. The beach seems endless in both directions and it’s not very crowded, ever! They don’t allow dogs technically but I see them there all the time (mine included). Just be responsible people, clean up after your pets!
As far a paved bike paths go, the path that takes you through this park is one of the best I’ve ever ridden. It’s mostly straight with some turns but it goes up and down just enough for you to have to raise your heart rate a bit and actually get a decent workout. It rides along sand dunes and beautiful coastal vistas for miles. You can continue on South past the park all the way to Carmel if you have the time. You can even start further North near Castroville and the trail forms a long connected ride but the north section is less remarkable… It’s really just an amazing resource for cyclists looking for an easy ride to do with the family.
Bikes and Brews tip: The English Ales Brewery just a couple blocks away from the North entrance on Reindollar is a great place to park, have some lunch and a couple beers, and then head out to ride the path! ;)

I showed up this afternoon and the parking lot had about 15 cars in it. But, I got down to the beach, and there was nobody. It couldn’t have been more perfect! Perfect weather, feeling like you have your own private beach, nobody looking at you funny when you scream like a little girl when the freezing water gets your toes, yeah, it’s freakin awesome!

Fort Ord Dunes State Park is an interesting and quiet beach north of Monterey.
To get to it, we drove through a maze of roads through a big, scary, abandoned fort. The fenced-​off fort buildings were complete with broken windows, kicked-​down doors, and breaks in the fences.
Our navigation directed us to a random street and told us to get out and start walking. It was totally wrong. We stopped listening to it, and looked for the small brown signs at each intersection.
We were also listening to «Welcome to Night Vale,» which is the perfect mood setter.
Once we crossed the last bridge, we left the abandoned fort area and entered the beautiful state park area. There was a nearly-​empty parking lot, a few trails down to the coast, and those big placards that tell you about the nature. We ate lunch on a bench near the top of the dunes. Only a couple of people were around, which was really nice after the Monterey Bay Aquarium crowds.

I’ve relaxed and kicked it here with a beach sun/​sand tent. It can easily get very windy quickly so be prepared!
A nice low-​key, minimal people and easy parking. Didn’t pay, climber up the little short hill and staked down our place to view sunset.
A gorgeous simple pleasure, worthy of toe-​wiggles and cheers!

Relatively secluded beach that can be a pain to find at first. It’s so worth the hassle. You can find great sea glass and sand dollars when the tide is right. Beware of the rip tides! They banned Soldiers from swimming here back in the day for a reason.

Need to climb down sandy slope a bit but this place is hidden and quiet. Quiet because waves are too rough to swim. But the beach is perfect for sun bathing. One of my favorite place in Marina.

Terrible beach. Dog poo, broken glass and and scary strange men hiding in the bushes. Lethal rip tides. Don’t even get me started about the unexploded munitions! Don’t bother coming here. There are many better beaches to choose from.

RIDING WITH THE VIEWS OF THE DUNES AND THE PACIFIC OCEAN — AMAZING!
It really makes you fall in love again with Monterey County!
Wow, if you don’t look up this place, it’s pretty hard to find. Not much street signs directing you to the park. We figured we needed to cross this one bridge after Imjin to get to the park. So we just drove past the old roller skating park and saw a small sign to go right, and followed from there.
A beautiful trail to safely ride your bike alongside Hwy 1 and the Pacific Ocean. The bike lanes are great. Many road bikers, and runners come here. I even saw a snake try to cross the bike lane. Good thing I didn’t run it over by accident. Lots of wildlife around for sure. Rode the good ol bike all the way from Marina to Seaside. If you want, you can even ride it further to Pacific Grove! GREAT TRAIL! GREAT VIEWS along the way. NICE WORKOUT — a good mix of uphills and downhills.

Never crowded here, love it!

Is there anybody out there? No. Not here. And that’s the beauty of it – solitude. If you are seeking your own private sanctuary, this is the perfect rugged, dune-​filled beach. There’s nothing like a fresh salt breeze and the roar of pounding waves to replenish your weary soul.
Relatively new, this State Park is the perfect beach to watch hawks catch thermals and take off your shoes and feel the coarse sand between your toes. Pop the bladders in the tangled seaweed that is washed up on the shore, and wonder why seaweed tastes so good when it is wrapped around raw fish.
It can be windy or foggy, so bring a jacket. This State Park is located about 9 miles north of Monterey. How to find it: Get off on 12^th street, Right on 2^nd Ave, and you’ll see the sign for Fort Ord Dunes on the right in less than a mile.

Amazing… If you’ve ever wanted to be alone on a beautiful beach, this is the place.
I went here one day when we were looking to do a little hiking. It was myself, my ex and my daughter who was 7 at the time.
Finding the beach is tricky as you’ve got to drive on some relatively unimproved roads to get thru the old Fort Ord, to a switchback to get across the Interstate, but once you get there, it’s spectacular.
It reminds me of some of the beaches on the west side of Oahu with some cliffs and trails, but the beach is wide and long and the day we were there, we didn’t see another person the entire time. It made me wish we had brought our lunch.
If you’re looking for a quiet place to listen to the waves and be alone, this is the place. If you’re looking to surf… and I was tempted, this ins’t the beach. No matter how clean the sets are, there’s a nasty rip current that will pull you out quickly and many GI’s met their death there prior to Ord closing in ’95.

Home sweet home! You never know what is in your own backyard until your backyard becomes wasteland middle-​America. I love coming back home to the Monterey Bay. Not to ‘touristy’ and natural. The weather is foggy in the mornings and sunny in the afternoons (during the summer). Always come equipped w/​a sweater because the weather can change quickly.

So the story is that Ford Ord used to be an old U.S. army post and it just opened three years ago to the public as a state beach. Since it is a new beach, the gps wasn’t helpful at all in getting us there– a bunch of roads were closed and there’s only one sign for the beach at the VERY end. yea, thanks a lot sign… (–1)
For those who might feel discouraged… DON’T GIVE UP! it’s one of the most beautiful beaches ever. It looks simply untouched and there were only a handful of people there, so it’s like having your own private piece of sand.
What’s also cool is when you’re driving to the beach, there is a road with debilitated army houses. Shattered windows. Plants encroaching on the the roof. The whole area is a fascinating salute to history. I’m surprised they haven’t done any renovation as Cal State Monterey Bay is only blocks away.
p. s. I envy those students…

Inspirational! Coastal beauty at it’s finest.
This new coastal dunes state park is very remote on the former Fort Ord in Marina, between Highway 1 and the coast. A parking area, porto toilets, picnic tables, walking paths and informational boards have been installed; but camping facilities are not yet available. The semi-​arid landscape of the area is displayed well.
Enjoy the Ambiance! Just Breath!

Great place to walk the dog, especially 8 – 10. It can be a little dirty at times, but if you catch it at the right time it can be only you & the waves… on a clear day you can see all the way down the coast line, truly beautiful!

As a local, born and raised, I’ve always looked out to this stretch of beach along Highway 1 and wanted to know what was out there. It’s been great to be able to walk the trails, see the old firing ranges and buildings that are scattered around the park.
This park stretches from the north end of Seaside to the southern end of Marina. On any given day the park will have walkers, joggers, bikes, para-​gliders, and those just out to take in all of the coastal beauty. Dogs are allowed, but must be on a leash. Some of the trails do not allow dogs, as well, on leash or not. There are some access points to the beach itself, as well as an overlook a short distance from the parking lot. One of my favorite aspects of the park is that even though there are many people using its trails every day, all day, you still get a great deal of solitude. My wife and I usually walk our dogs and daughter along the main trail (what used to be the main road for this part of the old Fort Ord), but there are many smaller trails leading to the beach that are available.
I’m not sure when the park opens (I’m not a morning person), but it is open for half an hour after sunset. It can be chilly at the park, especially for those not accustomed to Peninsula weather. Fort Ord Dunes is a treasure where you can really experience our unique slice of central coast coastline.

Hands down my most favorite place for beaches. I’ve never been to Mexico or the north coast though and I’m sure I’d love those places too, but Seaside/​Ft. Ord stole my heart first.
Excellent for bike riding or walking the miles and miles of beaches. I especially, like to pick out secluded spots shielded from the snapping winds and just chill for hours until the sun sets.

A lot of potential here. The former site of Stillwell hall. I started a ride on the Monterey Rec Trail here. My only complaint is the connection to the trail is very convoluted. The rail right of way separates the two, maybe they could knock these rails out, make a betetr connection.

Brand new state park, hard to find, 4 miles of decent beach. Exit 12^th street, turn right on to 2^nd ave, go about ½ mile and you’ll see a sign on the right. From this point on, the signs will guide you on a convoluted path past a bunch of closed fort ord buildings. Parking lot w/​porta-​potty. It was OK, but there are nicer beaches along the coast.