Nothing beats a great beach run. The perfect packed sand. The wide open freedom. Surf foam lapping at your feet. The quiet fog of early morning or the golden light at sunset. These are the elements of beach running. Fewer parts of the world have better beach running than California. From its 840 miles of coastline, there are 420 public beaches. Nearly 70% of California’s population resides in counties bordering the Pacific Ocean. And, since California beaches are on the west coast, they feature that great big beach bonus: SUNSETS! So, for those who love beach running, Great Runs has selected the best beaches for running in California. It’s our admittedly subjective list, culled from our coverage of the California coast. These are runs ON the beach — not alongside it!

What Makes for a Great Beach Run?

To qualify as a great beach for running according to Great Runs, the beach must be at least 2 miles long, wide enough (except at high tide), and feature fairly predictable firm packed sand. Then, things get more subjective, having to do with the scenery and overall feel.

How is This List Organized?

We’ve chosen the top 2-3 beaches for running from each region covered by Great Runs, organized from north to south.  To see a list of all beaches in California we’ve tagged as great for running: on the GR home page: select the ‘Best Beach Runs‘ category to see the routes organized by geographic region. For great runs along the coast/beaches, choose the ‘By the Beach‘ route feature, Waterfront Promenades category, or our other fab list, Top 25 Runs on the California Coast.

North California Coast (Crescent City to Mendocino)

Crescent City: Nearly 4 miles of good beach running incorporating South Beach, Crescent Beach, & Endert Beach.

Ten Mile Beach, Fort Bragg. Wonderful for running. Wide, with firm packed sand (except at high tide). Great sunsets! The beach is 3.5 miles long. Good add-on options along nearby coastal bluff trails.

Bay Area

Limantour Beach, Point Reyes. Gorgeous beach for running at Point Reyes National Seashore. Up to 4 miles, never crowded.

Ocean Beach, San Francisco.  Located on the west side of the Golden Gate Bridge, this is the best beach for running in San Francisco. It can be cool and foggy. When the sand surface isn’t ideal, a paved path follows the Great Highway much of the way.

Santa Cruz to Santa Barbara

Seacliff State Beach, Santa Cruz. Classic beach running on this beach just south of Santa Cruz. Several beaches stretch for nearly 12 continuous miles from New Brighton State Beach in the north to Sunset Beach in the south. Flat and featureing firm sand near the water that’s great for running.

Monterey Beach. Excellent stretch of beach between Del Monte Beach and Moss Landing on nothing but gently graded pristine white sands. Can use the Monterey Coastal Trail as an alternative.

Pismo Beach, Avila Beach, Morro Bay. Some of the most scenic and unspoiled beach running in California. Pismo offers the longest continuous stretch, while Morro Bay features great views of Morro Rock.

Santa Barbara Area: We love running on Hendry’s Beach (Arroyo Burro), getting the heart rate up on the steep staircase climbing the dunes to Mesa Lane. For a longer beach run, the beach below Ellwood Bluffs is great for running near low tide, and can be combined with the bluffs path.

Los Angeles to Orange County Area Beaches

North of Los Angeles. Most of the beaches in the L.A. area are terrific for running. Just north of L.A. McGrath State Beach is terrific for running, In Malibu, we love running on Zuma Beach.

Los Angeles: Running the beaches from Santa Monica Beach to Torrance Beach is situational, depending on tides and other conditions — there’s always the Strand path as a backup! Just south of Los Angeles, Long Beach generally has good running conditions near the water.

Orange County. Crystal Cove State Beach is 3.2 miles of gorgeous beach running, part of the larger Crystal Cove State Park. The beachfront path that goes for 10.5 miles from Huntington Beach to Newport Beach is popular, and the beach can be excellent for running.

San Diego Area

The beaches in San Diego are fantastic for running. There are miles and miles of wonderful beaches for running in 50 mile stretch from Oceanside to Imperial Beach.

North of San Diego, we love running on the beaches in Carlsbad, and also Solana Beach and Encinitas Beach (headed north). Torrey Pines is also a fantastic beach for running, with its towering cliffs. When the tides are right, it is magical to run 5 miles along the beach from Torrey Pines south to La Jolla Shores.

In the southern part of San Diego, Oceanside is a good beach for running and features pretty sunsets. Imperial Beach, near the Mexico border, is 2 miles long and has good packed sand.