Natural Bridges State Beach

Santa Cruz, California

Description

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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Features

Photography

Bathrooms

Beach

Dog Friendly

Scenic

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Nearby

Surf at Natural Bridges State Beach

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Photograph Monarch Butterflies at Natural Bridges' Monarch Grove

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Beach Day at Lighthouse Field State Beach

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Surf Cowell's Cove

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Hike Natural Bridges to Lighthouse Field

This is a paved trail that can be used for hiking, jogging, or walking. It offers over 2 miles of beautiful California coast. Walk through flowers, see the jagged cliffs, and of course the lighthouse at the end! This walk can be done from either direction. Start at Natural Bridges and head West to the lighthouse, or vice versa. Relaxing at Natural Bridges and exploring the tide pools is a ...

Photograph the UC Santa Cruz Arboretum

No matter the time you'll decide to visit the UC Santa Cruz Arboretum, you'll have thousands of interesting plants and birds to see and watch. The Arboretum is located on the west side of UCSC campus, between the main campus entrance and the west entrance. Parking is 5$ for adults and 2$ for children (6-17 years old) and free under 6.The arboretum is spread out with well marked paths, so you ca...