Natural Bridges State Beach

Natural Bridges SB
4.3
7 Reviews
Natural Bridges State Beach
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Dog Friendly
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About this place

Added by Blake Maitoza

Natural Bridges is an amazing place for photography, particularly at sunset!

Natural Bridges State Beach is a wonderful place to photograph located in Santa Cruz off of West Cliff Drive. This is a great place to practice long exposure photography to capture awesome water movement as it passes through the "Natural Bridge" formation.

The best time to shoot this spot is at sunrise due to the sun risng in the east directly behind the formation making for an awesome photo. Certain times of the year when there is a really high tide a lagoon will be created up on the beach. This is a perfect location to set up behind so you capture the reflection of the clouds on the water during sunrise/sunset.

This spot also gives wonderful wildlife photo opportunities as pelicans are usually on the beach. Pelicans are very photogenic and a "easy" bird to photograph due to their large size.

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Leave No Trace

Always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your adventures and be sure to follow local regulations. Please explore responsibly.
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Rosa S
11/26/2024
Great family friendly beach! It can get crowded, but wasn’t too bad in the morning. Large paid parking lot or you can use the ...
Good Views
Easy To Park
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Dominic Pascucci
11/4/2022
Busy on weekends but still nice
We came on a nice weekend. It was so busy. Don’t expect this to be a private beach environment especially on a warm Northern ...
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Andy
11/23/2020
Great picnic
Brought some food to the beach and picnicked here with friends. Gets popular during the summer. You can walk to the other ...
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Elena P
7/7/2020
Beautiful
The rock formation is pretty. There is lots and lots and lots of kelp. Skip the paid parking and park on the ...
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Sydnee Gaal
9/17/2017
Blown Away
Watching the sunset at this beach was a moment in time I wish I could stop and relive. The rocks are so beautifully complemented ...
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Janelle
8/2/2016
Beautiful
This is a beautiful spot to stop at while in Santa Cruz. It is easily accessible and a wonderful option for a family as ...
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Brian Fulda
7/21/2016
Pretty, but crowded
This natural bridge is stunning but located on a crowded Santa Cruz beach, which takes away the fun. If you go at sunset, there ...
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