Its Beach

This beach is also called Dog Beach because of the many bitches running around. Not to mention the sand that’s full of pee and poo’s by those bitches.
Okay, so there are male dogs too. There were small bags full of shit all over the place. Irresponsible F&$;* owners need to clean up your dog shit and throw them in the trash can. This beach is not only used by dog lovers but also by people who loves the beach.
PICK THE DOG SHIT UP AND THROW THEM IN THE CAN.

I go here almost every week, commuting from Santa Clara is so worth the happiness on my dogs face. My ultimate favorite dog beach. This place is enclosed so your dogs wont run away! HA! No worries for them running off because they cant! well… unless they climb up the stairs, but anyway great beach & very lively.

Unilocal has the wrong location for this beach. The flag points to 2222 beach, Santa Cruz finest nude beach, where off leash dogs are prohibited by city law. 2222 boasts clean water and a cove that keeps the beach extra warm. This is a traditional ocean swimming beach.
Its beach is almost two miles away next to the lighthouse, is not clothing optional, and is a great place to take your dog. It’s kid friendly except for the part where some of the dog owners don’t really clean up after their dogs.
So far, the other reviews are about half for 2222, and half for Its beach. Hint: there aren’t any naked people on Its beach.

This cove is a fully enclosed dog beach and faraday cage that offers privacy from both cellular calls and form the gawking eyes of onlookers. It’s a little tricky to spot this beach from the road and it’s really no better from the sidewalk. Unilocal has a red pin right on top of it so be sure to have your mobile maps going when you try to hone in.
The walk down to the beach is a bit treacherous. There’s a sheer edge that could really cause trouble in any of these situations:
A. You have bad balance
B. You arrive during an earthquake
C. You attempt the descent drunk.
If you have a dog with you and you have the good fortune to get down to the beach alive you may want to check the tide tables on your favorite mobile tide tables app. «Doh!» you say at this point. The faraday cage at Its Beach has snookered you because you can’t get any cell signal. Oh bother. Now you have to take you chances and let the dog run out into the potentially crushing waves. Aspirin may be required after your little precious returns to the car. Those waves can wreck havoc on the older ones.
In all, Its Beach is a blast. Play safe!

I just completed an acrylic painting of «Its Beach», aka the dog beach. The beach to the right of the lighthouse on West Cliff Drive, Santa Cruz.

Yay! Off leash dog beach on the down low. Nice romp in the surf for the pup.

I give this beach four stars because my little woofs can come and romp around when she feels like it. There are usually several other dogs and everyone is really nice and responsible about cleaning up after their dogs. The only reason it is not five stars is that the beach is frequently covered in decaying kelp. Not fun for walking on and dogs like to do their business on it.

me, wifey, boston biggie stop by here after walking past lighthouse… not bad short stretch of beach that some owners let their pups run wild. I did not get ranger Ron’s harassment or anything negative. Big did the meet and greet… will go back nice stop for some sun and big to run around but Carmel by the sea would probably be more ideal if u want your pup to run wild without running through sunbathers.

BBBOOOOOOO!!!
Greeting you at the stairway is California State Parks truck parked on the sidewalk and the beautiful pine green pants Ranger with the ticket pad if you are caught:
Smiling
Laughing
Drinking a cold beverage, it must be warm
Excessive inhaling of air
Liking Dogs!
Thanks Bastards! Was a great place to take your dog, hang out. Now, I will hurl my dog poop bag down on that Ranger! FIgeratively and Literally…

I was a bit disappointed today when I took my dog to this beach at 1PM — turned out that NO DOGS are allowed on beach between 10AM and 4PM, as the sign says next to the stairway. I could see that a couple of people with dogs were debating whether to break the rule or not and some intrepid blazed the trail. I followed suit and took my pug down there for 10 minutes but had her on leash the whole time.
Too bad that they would not even allow dogs on leash during 10AM and 4PM. Otherwise, a nice little enclave. Did not see any hippies though.

Watch out for the naked frolicking hippies and the dogs running wild! This is a cool beach where you can bring your dog and enjoy the ocean, away from most of the tourists. Good boogie-​board and skim spot as well, but you didn’t hear it from me.

My favorite beach in Santa Cruz by far (let me hear it for the West siiiiiide!). I went every weekend when I lived there a decade ago and though I didn’t go tutto nudo myself, I got accustomed to the naked people and dead heads. (Drum circles and patchouli do make me twitch nowadays, but that’s why I escaped to the City!) The cozy enclave feeling of this little crescent moon of a beach made me feel safe and I could sleep and read and roast for hours without being bothered.
Speaking of roasting, one of the many things I’m burning in hell for happened at this beach – wanna hear it? K, I had my little brother in town – he was 5 years old – and we decided to walk to the beach and have a picnic and meet up with a friend of mine who was getting off work at 4:30. Forgetting that Its Beach is not exactly Rated G, we held hands while we walked and planned what sort of sand castles we were going to make. Coming down the stairs and turning the corner to my favorite plot of sand, it dawned on me, too late, that this might just scar my dear, sweet, cute little brother for life. Just north of where we’d set up camp was an older, completely naked guy with big red shiny balls displayed in the sun like two heirloom tomatoes at the farmer’s market.
I quickly turned my brother toward the ocean and tried to distract him with talk of PB&J and sand castle strategy, but the damage had been done – plus there were other naked people at water’s edge, in plain sight. I added up the shrink costs I’d need to start saving for and wondered if I was too old for my mom to hide me when she found out, then Cody asked worriedly, «Um, do YOU take your bathing suit off at the beach too?» I assured him that I do not and that we’ll leave as soon as my friend arrived. «So does your friend take HER clothes off at the beach?» She did, but not today she wasn’t! «No, it’s okay Cody, we’ll just play in the sand and have some lunch and then leave, k? Don’t worry.» Now digging furiously and not lifting his eyes, he asked the kicker, «Do I tell my Sunday School teacher about this place?»
Crap, if only mom had only stayed a hippie instead of going Christian when she raised this later generation of siblings, I wouldn’t be faced with the conflict: tell the child to lie, or let him tell the world that I took him, a 5-​year old, to a NUDE beach with a bunch of hippies and pervs. Greeeeat. Thankfully, my friend arrived and just as she was about to whip off her top and plop down, I deflected her like a offensive lineman and told her we were leaving NOW.
Like any guilt-​ridden older sister, I plied my besmirched brother with sweets and rides at the Boardwalk (which, in my opinion, is more traumatic than a nude beach in terms of sheer numbers of disturbed people) and hoped that he’d forget the ordeal. Now that he’s 17, I suppose I should ask him if he hates me and if he’s ready to put that shrink money I saved to use…
I went back to Its Beach yesterday for the first time in many years, and almost disappointingly – no naked people! But it is still cozily protected from the wind and was as inviting as ever, even with the clutch of goth kids in a smoking circle and the anarchy carvings in the cliff.

The best beach in Santa Cruz. It has lots of cool dogs, a few naked hippies, and a fun little beach break to play in. And its right around the corner from steamer lane.
One time I was tossing around the frisbee with some frineds there and this old guy wearing nothing but short cutoff jean shorts w/​a book stuffed in the back walks by us a little ways, dropps his drwaers and starts reading his book. Well, we all kinda wanted to move away from him cause he looked like a creep, but my buddy went and launched the frisbee past him so I’d have to run by and get it. So as I’m walking back with the bee, the guy stand up and says «Hey– watch out for that pile of dog doo over there!» I kindly nodded my head, having already seen the doo and stepped around it. He continues «Yeah, I’m a dog owner myself and I hate it when people dont pick up after their animals.» Yeah, me too. But I’m not gonna have a conversation with you about it while your old ass balls are hanging out.
I love this town.