Morro Rock Beach

Morro Rock Beach is the open-ocean sand beach on the seaward side of Morro Rock, the 576-foot volcanic plug at the entrance to Morro Bay Harbor. The rock is the youngest and shortest of the Nine Sisters chain of volcanic plugs running from San Luis Obispo to the coast. A causeway connects it to the mainland and ends at a small parking area on its north end. The beach runs north from the rock for roughly half a mile to the south end of Morro Strand State Beach. The rock itself is closed to climbing year-round as a peregrine falcon nesting site, and the sand at its base is a designated snowy plover nesting area with seasonal closures.

The open sand beach where waves break on the open shore is a surf zone biome. At the south end where the channel jetty meets the rock sits The Pit, the local surf break. Boulder fields and cobble at the base of Morro Rock, where rocky structure extends into the water along the rock's outer face, add a rocky reef biome.

Surfing at The Pit is the headline activity, and hook-and-line fishing from the beach is common. Wildlife viewing is heavy in summer, including the peregrine falcon nesting site on the rock. The swell exposure keeps snorkeling, spearfishing, and shore scuba diving all uncommon. Swimming is hazardous because of strong currents at the channel mouth and is not recommended.

The Coleman Drive parking lot at the north base of the rock is free and has restrooms, and The Pit parking area sits at the south end of Atascadero Road. Hook-and-line fishing and spearfishing are legal under standard California regulations. The 1,000-foot pier exclusion zone around the Morro Bay North T-Pier does not reach Morro Rock Beach, because the rock and the channel jetty block any direct line between the pier and the seaward beach.