Sunset State Beach
About
Sunset State Beach is a 296-acre California state park managed by the state park agency, about 1.9 miles from the community of Pajaro Dunes. The park holds five campgrounds, making it a base for overnight stays on this stretch of the coast. For the mildest, driest weather, aim for late summer and early fall. At the Watsonville airport station about 4 miles away, September typically averages highs near 75°F and lows around 52°F, with only about two wet days in the month. South Camp sits just 0.4 miles away for camping. The Wetland Connector Trail is about 3 miles off, the Pajaro River offers canoeing roughly 4 miles away, and the South Marsh Loop Trail lies about 7 miles out.
Park size
296 acres
Inside this park
Location
Sunset State Beach
California
Data source: USGS PAD-US 4.1 (Protected Areas Database, public domain)
Facts about this place
When to go
Best time to go: Year-round. The mildest months here, with typical highs of 61–75°F and lows of 39–53°F.
Typical monthly averages (not a forecast) from the Watsonville Muni Ap, CA weather station, 4.1 mi away. High / low in °F.
- Jan61° high40° low
- Feb62° high42° low
- Mar64° high43° low
- Apr66° high45° low
- May69° high48° low
- Jun72° high50° low
- Jul72° high53° low
- Aug73° high53° low
- Sep75° high52° low
- Oct74° high48° low
- Nov67° high43° low
- Dec61° high39° low
Where it is
- Sunset State Beach · State park
- Nearest town
- Pajaro Dunes, California · 1.9 mi
- Managed by
- State Park and Recreation
Nearby
- South CampCamping0.4 mi
- Wetland Connector TrailHiking3.1 mi
- Pajaro RiverCanoeing4 mi
- South Marsh Loop TrailHiking6.9 mi
- Five Fingers Loop TrailHiking7.2 mi
Long Valley Loop TrailHikingPhoto: vonguard, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)7.4 mi
Murphy TrailHikingPhoto: vonguard, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)7.5 mi
Aptos Rancho TrailHikingPhoto: vonguard, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)7.6 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
Best time to visit Sunset State Beach
Best months: Year-round. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.
Jan
61° / 40°
9 wet
Feb
62° / 42°
10 wet
Mar
64° / 43°
10 wet
Apr
66° / 45°
7 wet
May
69° / 48°
3 wet
Jun
72° / 50°
2 wet
Jul
72° / 53°
2 wet
Aug
73° / 53°
2 wet
Sep
75° / 52°
2 wet
Oct
74° / 48°
4 wet
Nov
67° / 43°
8 wet
Dec
61° / 39°
9 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Watsonville Muni Ap, CA, 4.1 mi away at 160 ft. We don't have this place's elevation, so higher spots nearby can run cooler. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
