Enjoying the Beach at Cayucos, California
My First Visit to Cayucos
Although I’d lived on the California central coast since 1993, I did not get around to visiting Cayucos until 2012. We live on Highway 46 W, the main road from the 101 freeway to the coast, and we’ve just always turned north towards Cambria and San Simeon when going to the coast. Cayucos was on our list of places to visit someday. We finally decided to take an alternate route home from San Luis Obispo after some errands there and stop at Cayucos, located on Estero Bay.
Cayucos is so close to Morro Bay you can see Morro Rock and the smokestacks across the Estero Bay south of Cayucos.
We arrived in Cayucos by-the-Sea, as it is officially called, around 5:30 PM, and those who had come to go into the water were beginning to leave. We did see one person out in a kayak, and a few families were left on the beach. Some were just walking, some of the children were digging in the sand or getting their toes wet in the surf, as I remember doing as a child. A few people were on the pier.
Restaurants were still open, but Good Clean Fun, the surfing and kayak rental shop, was beginning to shut down for the night. We had dined before we got to Cayucos, so we didn’t try any of the restaurants. A couple of my friends speak highly of Duckie’s, right by the entrance to the pier, but Yelp had mixed reviews. Most people thought the Manhattan Clam Chowder was good. One of my vegetarian friends said they have great veggie burgers.
The Statue: “Great Communicators”
I was anxious to walk to the end of the pier with my husband, and then I wanted to explore the shore. I’m not a water person, but I love walking the beach with my camera. We parked in front of Duckie’s, and as we approached the pier, we saw a statue, “The Great Communicators,” sculpted by Dale Evers, in front of the Lions’ Club. I took several pictures of this dolphin statue from different angles and with different lighting effects. Below you see the results.
Seaweed at Cayucos
I was amazed at the amount of seaweed I saw at Cayucos. Some that I saw from the pier was gracefully floating on water near the surface. The rest was piled in clumps all over the beach, making it hard to identify separately after I got home. My field guides don’t cover seaweed and the online ID guides I have so far consulted don’t look like my pictures, or they require me to have more well-defined pictures where the different specimens are separated and spread out so one can see how the “leaves” are arranged with relation to the stems. I hope you will enjoy seeing the variety and beauty of the seaweed in the collages below. You will see the activity of the insects around the seaweed in the video below, as well as the seagull’s interest in it.
I have put some of my Cayucos Photos on iPad Mini Cases
iPad Mini Case: Seaweed on the Sand in Cayucos iPad Mini Cases
iPad Mini Case: Cayucos Pier in California iPad Mini Cases
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What I Saw on My Walk Along the Beach
I had my video camera with me, so I captured some of the sounds, as well as the sights on the beach. As I walk, I narrate and you will hear the sound of the waves coming in, the seagulls, and the children playing. I love the way the seagull walking the beach is unphased by the voices of the children so close to him.
The Beach and Cayucos Shore
The pictures below will give you an idea of how the town looks, and the general look of the beach. I grouped them here because of the beach activities going on. I enjoy watching children play on the beach and in the water. One of the boys is a real sand enthusiast. He doesn’t seem to be building anything special, such as a castle, but he does love to dig. Sometimes the other boy helps, but that boy seems more interested in wading in the surf and watching the waves. The digger just keeps digging. He reminded me a bit of my own son, who also liked to dig. The last picture below is the hole that was still there after the families left the beach. You will see a glimpse of the children in the video above.
Playing on the Beach
This is a closer look at the children you saw and heard playing on the beach at Cayucos while I was taking my walk.
Here’s another shot of digging a hole.
Here’s the hole they left behind.
Get these to make your day at the beach more comfortable and fun.
If you bring children, be sure to pick up some sand toys and molds for building castles and experimenting with other forms of sand fun. The beach toy sets below get excellent reviews for their sturdiness and durability. The sun umbrella with canopy offers helpful protection from too much sun. You can easily carry this handy waterproof picnic blanket tote to the beach from your car, and it folds back into a tote at the end of your outing. The chair featured below has straps to carry it on your back to the beach, like a backpack. It also has storage for those easy-to-lose small extras and a drink holder.
Beach Toy Set in Reusable Zippered BagGoToys Beach Sand Toy SetSport-Brella Portable All-Weather and Sun Umbrella. 8-Foot Canopy. Blue.Yodo XXX-Large Outdoor Waterproof Picnic Blanket Tote 79Rio Brands Lace Up Aluminum Backpack Chair – SC529
Who Will Enjoy the Beach at Cayucos?
Cayucos is a surfer haven, but it’s also a great place for a family day trip or vacation. There is a play area with swings on the beach. Beach walkers who collect rocks or driftwood will find both. Cayucos is also a great place for kayakers.
Fishermen can enjoy rock fishing on the free fishing pier. The pier closed in 2013 for safety reasons, but a newly renovated pier reopened in 2015. The pier still has benches for those who’d like to fish or just sit and look out. In the evening the pier is great for romantic strolls. See the webcam for a live look at the pier. You will also get a good look at the play area of the beach. Below the video is a link to see the webcam of the beach itself.
This is the old pier, the way it was in 2012 when I visited it.
Here’s how the pier looks underneath.
If you like to watch seagulls, there are plenty of them to watch on the beach at Cayucos. This one is resting on the pier.
This one I saw on the pier appeared to be hurt. Looks like it got caught in some fishing line.
I love watching the gulls in flight.
They love to land on the lamp posts.
I observed many people walking their dogs on the beach. Here is one of them.
This little fellow appears to have slipped away from his owner.
You Can Walk Almost Anywhere in Cayucos
Food and lodging are available within walking distance, as is almost everything else in Cayucos. The area of the entire town is less than four square miles. Parking on the street beside the beach is free as I write this.
A look up into the town and hills from the beach.
I like the small town feel of Cayucos. It is small compared to Avila Beach, Morro Bay, Pismo Beach, or Cambria. What’s not to love?
Why not add your footprints to these on the beach at Cayucos?
Coming?
Have you been to Cayucos? If so, what did you like best about it?
What a beautiful view of the ocean. I live on the east coast and put oven is so different. I love how you have mountains! Hubby and I visited California in 1995 and I remember looking into the water and seeing so many starfish! One day we hope to get back there.
I hope you make it back, too, Martha. I’ve always lived about half an hour from some beach, but I like the beaches here better than those I lived near in Southern California. I live near six different beaches here on the Central Coast.
It sounds like you had a great time at Cayucos Beach. My family love going to the beach, especially my little kids. They love playing in the sand with their sand toys. Cayucos looks like a very family-friendly location that I would take my children to go see.
Most of our beaches are family-friendly. I like that this one is small and that parking is easy.
I grew up in New England so the beach was only 20 minutes away. This beach looks beautiful and it brings me back to my childhood!
I’ve only been to New England once and only saw the coast from Salem, Plymouth, and Boston. I’d like to go back.
I live in South Florida and the beach is regular occurrence. However, it is so neat to explore different beaches along the east coast.
I’ve never seen the Florida beaches — just New England and the beaches along the West Coast.
I miss living on the coast. What a beautiful beach.
Where on the coast did you live?
loads of fun in one place, from the statues to the sea weeds and all round, sure beach escapes are always good in the sun to relax and recharge those body batteries, you had fun.
The beach always is relaxing. There’s something hypnotic about the waves.
Looked like a wonderful getaway! Thanks for sharing. E
It is. And so close to home for us.
I’ve always wanted to see the Ocean, Im done with just settling for a lake. great pictures and such an inspiration for an adventure.
I hope you make it to the coast, though when I saw Lake Erie it looked almost like an ocean to me because I could not see the opposite shore and it had waves. Our local lake is small and I’ve never seen anything bigger than ripples on it.
I love the beach but TX is not known for their beaches:( I need to make a trip out to CA or back to FL where I grew up. Looks like you all had a fabulous day.
We actually were there only a couple of hours before the sun started to go down. I wanted to go back before publishing this, but life intervened.
This beach looks wonderful. I love it. I wish I lived by one.
We can’t all live on the coast. I’m just used to it and would feel strange if it weren’t near. California is full of great beaches. Come visit us.
So beautiful. I live in VA and normally only get to roam to the Carolinas, but this seems like a great place in California!
All of our beaches are beautiful, but Virginia has its own beauty. The parts I’ve seen are green because Virgina gets something we don’t — plenty of rain.
Great photos..love the Dolphin statue..
I like the artist, who lives in my town.
Weirdly, I am not s huge fan of the beach. That being said, I love your pictures. They capture a perfect day of adventure, and I love all the birds you were able to get pictures of.
What I like best about the beach is the peace at dusk and the photo opportunities as I walk the beach.