Sand Dollar Beach Surf and Travel Guide

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Sand Dollar Beach

One of the most popular beaches for surfing in the Big Sur area is Sand Dollar Beach. It's about 60 miles south of Carmel and 30 miles north of San Simeon. It's a wide crescent shaped beach surrounded by high cliff with a long staircase running down to the beach.

The surf here is beachbreak that picks up most swell. The south end is smaller and weaker than the north end. Shoot for mid-tide. Like any exposed beachbreak it's not like you want to paddle out here on a huge day. A lot of the beach will dissappear at high tide so your non surfing friends/spouses might be sitting on the rocks against the bluff, particularly by the south end.

I surfed here a few times where I caught it just right...sunny and glassy. The water was clear enough to see the crabs skittering across the bottom. The waves ranged very fun to worthless closeouts, 3-8ft faces, mushy waves to fast walls.

Camping is the way to go unless you can afford the mega-expensive spa resorts along in the Big Sur coast. Conveniently, Plaskett Creek Campground is across the street from the path leading to the Sand Dollar Beach staircase. Nice, open tent sites here. If you stay and there's anything close to a full moon at night, do yourself a favor and walk out to see the view of the the beach at night. Looking down on this crescent on a moonlight night is fantastic, like something out of a Wyland painting.

Get your gas anywhere but the Big Sur area. The nearby micro-town of Gorda recently had the most expensive Gas in the US. Same goes for your food, but since your most likely camping, you can bring your own food anyway.

Nearby Surf Shops

None....bring everything with you.

For more about where to stay in Big Sur, visit Family Vacation Getaways Big Sur page and find out more about local campgrounds.