This is a gorgeous beach near Arcata/Eureka. The sea joins with the river and creates natural swimming pools. Parking is free, but limited. There aren't many shops near it, so consider bringing food and drinks. Highly recommended for families, or anyone interested in scenic nature.

This is my favorite beach to visit with my friends and family. Always friendly people an dogs when I go .. some good water days for the young ones when river is low. It's Not far to walk for a nice spot either when your packing lots of beach gear. They have a beautiful location for any occasions. Just reserve the beautiful banquet room, it has a nice size porch that looks out the ocean and mad River. Seen some beautiful wedding's and fun occasions take place there. There's several Good days to surf or skim board There's good rocks to climb too

Definitely a great stop. We were short on time, easy parking at the bottom of a hill. Easy access. Would have loved to check out the caves. This seemed to be a bit more crowded then other beaches, but not bad.

Stop by this little beach and you will enjoy some Strang rocks that look wet even when dry. You emwill enjoy the little tunnel that is really beautiful.

Moonstone Beach is wonderful. We try to visit here at least twice a year. Our doggies love the 2 mile boardwalk. There's a lot of spots to sniff around and squirrels to chase. There is parking along the park. The view is fantastic. The walk is refreshing, calming and peaceful. You can stroll or power walk whatever is your liking. I do several walks a day. It's wonderful. There are several lookouts along the way. Great place to take pictures and/or videos. Doggies are not allowed on the beach only on the boardwalk. Restrooms are available on the south end of the park. There are quaint inns to stay overnight with parking. Our favorite is Cambria Shores Inn.. They all have rooms views of the ocean.

Large, flat beach that seems to be frequented by a mix of surfers, families, and dog owners. There is a parking area at the end of Moonstone Rd with easy, immediate access to the sand. At low tide you can watch a freshwater stream feed across the sand into the ocean. Seems to be popular because it is pretty easy to get to from highway 101, just two minutes and you are there.

Larger beach for the area.

Highlights: Dog-friendly, free parking, but hard to find a parking spot on the weekends! My family, with our dog, was on a road trip, and we just wanted to find a dog friendly beach to stop at quickly for a pit-stop on our way. Parking was free, which was nice, but it was VERY hard to find a spot! We went on a Saturday in July around 1pm. There are not very many parking spots and the parking lot has a lot of potholes and is a rough ride. There were LOTS of dogs on the beach--good if your dog likes other dogs, not so good if your dog does not. We only stayed 30 minutes, walking up and down the beach. We did not stay long, but lots of other people looked like they were camped out for the day and seemed fine. No shade.