El Capitan Beach Trail

To start this trail at El Capitan State Beach you'll head down the pathway from the day use parking area to the sandy beachfront. From here, head up the coast along the beach as it goes back and forth from sandy and rocky terrain. The steep sea cliffs will tower over you during this section of the hike. After hiking along the beach for a little over 1 mile you'll reach Coral Beach. At this point the tides are usually too high to continue hiking along the beach and the trail comes to its end. You can return along the same route or link up with the El Capitan and Refugio State Beach Connector on top of the bluffs to extend your hike. Thanks to John McKinney, The Trailmaster, for sharing this trail description. To learn more about trails in California, check out his guides at The Trailmaster Store.