Moonstone Beach

Moonstone Beach is a roughly mile-long shore in Cambria, named for the polished moonstone agates and jade pebbles that wash up on the cobble. The shore runs along Moonstone Beach Drive, with a wooden boardwalk extending the full length of the bluff above and multiple stairways down to the cobble and sand. The substrate is mostly cobble and sand, broken by rocky outcrops and tide pools at low tide, and bull and giant kelp beds anchor on rocky bottom offshore. The entire spot sits inside the Cambria State Marine Park, a recreational-take MPA.

The cobble and exposed rocky structure at the base of the bluff, with deep tide pools and rocky reef extending several hundred feet offshore, make the inshore section a rocky reef biome. Beyond the rocks, bull kelp anchors on rocky bottom in roughly 30 to 50 feet of water and grows up through the water column to the surface, adding a kelp forest biome. The zone where waves break across the cobble and outer rocks is a surf zone biome.

Tide-pooling at low tide is common, and snorkeling and freediving in the kelp on calm summer days are common as well. Spearfishing in the kelp on calm days is regular. Wildlife viewing of sea otters in the kelp and harbor seals on the offshore rocks is common, and hook-and-line fishing from the rocks is regular. The kelp dampens swell, so surfing is uncommon. Shore scuba diving is uncommon because the cobble entry is awkward, and most divers prefer to access the reef from a kayak or small boat launched at Leffingwell Landing.

Free street parking is available along Moonstone Beach Drive with multiple pullouts, and the boardwalk above the bluff connects the entire length of the beach. The Cambria State Marine Park covers the entire spot. Recreational fishing, including spearfishing, is allowed inside the SMP under standard California regulations. Commercial take is prohibited.