Marina State Beach & Ranger Station

Packed on sunny weekends, perfectly not-​so-​crowded on week days. It’s more windy here, but that brings big, beautiful waves. You also get great views of the peninsula, and can walk north a bit and get your own rather large chunk of secluded beach all to yourself on most days.
I wouldn’t get in the water here because of the waves, and there are no dogs allowed. But it’s otherwise great for walks, runs, picnics, and beach hangs.
Located at the end of Reservation Road. There’s a small, free parking lot. If that fills up, you can find free parking roadside parking not too far.

Marina State Beach is scenic, clean, safe and free.
The only animals welcomed on this stretch of ocean sand are wild. Dogs are not allowed.
I love dogs and have owned several but it’s okay there’s at least one spot on the Monterey Bay coast where dogs and their waste don’t have to be dodged.
According to
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«Dogs on leash are allowed at Monterey State Beach (South of the Monterey Beach Resort hotel), Asilomar State Beach, Carmel River State Beach, and Garrapata State Park.»
The ranger station is situated just off the main beach parking lot so it feels safe.
On our visit here today we noted numerous women enjoying their lunches on benches or in their autos which underscores this is a safe environment. Since the beach is located so close to the Highway One Reservation Road off ramp it is easily accessible, and it is free.
Views from Marina State Beach are sweeping.
This is also a great place to watch seals, dolphins, whales, pelicans and ever present seagulls.
Tall dunes are a signature and this invites hang gliders and kite flyers. There is a ½ mile dune nature trail that begins on the dunes with a return via the beach.

This is a fun beach but always windy! I feel like every time I visit this beach, I have always see whales or dolphins! How fun is that?!
Parking can sometimes be a pain, but usually one spot opens up at the right time!
Bring a jacket and you’re good to go!

always have a jacket here

This section of the beach has the no dogs signs.

This is the other part of (and easier to access) Marina State Beach. Located at the western end of Reservation Road (at the Dunes Rd intersection — 200′ from CA-​1), this beach offers bathrooms, parking (vehicles must be under 21′ long), and easy access to Handglider Launch points and a barely used beach.
If you want a little privacy, you can access the same beach further south (at the other Marina State Beach entry — intersection of Lake Dr & Lake Ct), but you have limited parking by the Marina PD K9 unit, and have to walk over the hill. Another option is to turn right on Dunes Dr (right before you enter the beach), and drive to the cul-​de-​sac at the end. There is a ¼ mile easy walk to another part of the beach that is usually empty.
The Park Rangers also have a station by the entrance to the parking lot and the Marina Coast Water District Office is co-​located.
I run through here almost daily and always see guys surfing and hanging out watching the awesome waves and great view of Monterey from the parking lot.