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Monterey State Beach

The section of Monterey State Beach which lies south of the Monterey Tides Hotel is dog friendly. Fido must be leashed while you explore this beautiful stretch of coastline in Monterey, CA. When enjoying a casual stroll along the sand or in the surf, please be mindful of other beachgoers with dogs, and families with small children. Dogs are not permitted on the beach extending north of the Monterey Beach Hotel resort. Visit Website

Or call (831) 649-2836 or email info@parks.ca.gov for more information.

Reviews

BringFido Guest Rating

Monterey State Beach has received a rating of 5.0 out of 5 bones by 8 canine critics on BringFido.

  • Heidi
    Sep 10, 2023
    Beautiful Beach for dogs.

    We took our Berner puppy to the beach and it was so much fun. It is a beautiful beach overlooking Monterey. We did see three dead sea lions on the beach and I would be very careful with your dogs around these dead animals. Apparently in the Bay Area, they are seeing sick sea lions infected with a bacterial diease of leptospirosis that is very deadly to dogs unless they are vaccined. I hope the infection is not in Monterey area.

  • Jeanne
    Sep 27, 2021
    Best dog beach.. hands down!

    Be patient with parking on the weekends, and you'll find a spot.
    We met nice people and great dogs on our walk. Definitely the highlight of our short trip.

  • Marissa
    Aug 31, 2021
    Perfect!

    free parking and no one cared if your dog was off leash, quite a few were. just make sure you go to the south side of the beach where they allow dogs (the north side doesnt and has its own parking lot)

  • Madason
    Jan 4, 2020
    Good Dog Beach

    We will be going back! It was a nice beach and our dog had a blast!

  • Alex
    More than a year ago
    best dog beach in Monterey

    Great dog beach, pretty much the only one in the Monterey area. Dogs must be on leash but you see lots of people having their dog off leash. Good for long distance walking!

  • Traci
    More than a year ago
    Terrific dog friendly beach

    My lab mix and I came specifically for this beach last September, and loved it. There ARE signs posted stating that dogs must be kept on leash. Don't want to incriminate myself. But walked a ways until I found a relatively quiet spot; I have wonderful photos of my boy romping in the surf. He was able to burn off his overabundant energy, and indulge his silliness in the waves. This is NOT a pristine sand only beach, but one covered with the detritus of marine life. I collected shells, stones, and bits of driftwood; also a lot of beach glass. My dog was happy sniffing at kelp, completely oblivious to the harbor seal that cruised in the surf at our side. We had many long, bonding walks on this beach. We hope to visit again someday.

  • Sara
    More than a year ago
    Awesome Family Beach

    Amazing beach, but in the parking lot there are signs stating no dogs allowed at a) on the beach. We drove two hours for this beach to bring our dog to, so we risked it. There were several dogs on the beach on leashes, but most of the owners warned us that dogs really weren't supposed to be there. So many peopled risked it. We had a wonderful day and no one bothered us about our dog. The only thing is that on the day we went it was too crowded to really let him off leash. In the last hour or two before sunset people started leaving. So it would've been okay to go off leash.

  • Dawn
    More than a year ago
    Great Beach!

    This is a great beach and very dog-friendly. While the signs in the parking lot indicate your dog must be on leash, once on the beach things were different. A lot of dogs were off leash (yes, mine, too) but everyone was cool and would ask if their dog could visit, which I thought was nice. We had a great time romping in the waves and I ended up back at the rental with two very tired, but happy pooches. There are a number of access points - I chose the one near the kayak rental shop by the wharf. It was cleaner and didn't have some rather unsavory types hanging around (found those at another stop), plus there is a restroom close-by for the public use at the kayak rental place. Parking will cost you $1.50 per hour and the machine uses quarters or your bank card. Well worth the price, however.

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We dug up 6 pictures of dogs at Monterey State Beach.

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Monterey State Beach