Nature reserve · California
Twin Lakes State Beach
Twin Lakes State Beach is a nature reserve in California, at a modelled elevation of 6 m. Loma Prieta stands 1,154 m to the northeast, 13 miles off. The nearest named place is Harbor Beach, a beach 0.1 miles away. Big Sur Coast Highway - Route 1 passes 27 miles off.
What to expect
- Operated by
- California Department of Parks and Recreation
How to reach it
Coordinates36.96452, -122.00056
- 26.5 mi off the Big Sur Coast Highway - Route 1, National
Overlooks nearby
- 1 Shepherd's Knoll · 27 mi
Named places within 25 miles
Parks
- Twin Lakes - USA: 0.3 mi
- East Cliff Accent: 0.3 mi
- Twin Lakes Neighborhood Park: 0.3 mi
- Twin Lakes: 0.3 mi
- Tyrrell Park: 0.5 mi
Artworks
- Otter Touching Its Tail: 0.3 mi
- Life-size Gray Whale Sculpture: 0.5 mi
- Stone Spire: 0.8 mi
- Great Blue Heron Walkway: 0.9 mi
- Santa Cruz Art League Galleries: 1.1 mi
Nature reserves
- El Dorado Riparian Corridor: 0.5 mi
- Whitewater Cove Riparian Corridor: 0.6 mi
- Jessie Street Marsh: 0.9 mi
- Arana Gulch: 0.9 mi
- Neary Lagoon Wildlife Refuge: 1.7 mi
Attractions
- Giant Dipper: 0.8 mi
- Looff Carousel: 0.9 mi
- Undertow: 1.0 mi
- Stagnaro Fishing Charters & Whale Watching Cruises: 1.1 mi
- NOAA - Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary: 1.3 mi
Picnic sites
- Aloha Terrace: 1.1 mi
- Buckeye Picnic Area: 2.4 mi
- Lone Tree: 2.4 mi
- Cathedral: 2.4 mi
- Twisted Tree: 2.4 mi
Historic sites
- Santa Cruz Hostel: 1.3 mi
- Branciforte: 1.4 mi
- Surfer Memorial Statue: 1.5 mi
- Santa Cruz Bicentennial Monument: 1.5 mi
- Soldiers & Sailors Statue: 1.7 mi
Peaks
- Bolcoff Hill: 1.5 mi
- Prospect Hill: 2.4 mi
- Horseback Hill: 2.5 mi
- La Corona: 2.9 mi
- Mount Massiah: 4.4 mi
Beaches: 55
- Harbor Beach: 0.1 mi
- Twin Lakes Beach: 0.2 mi
- Seabright Beach: 0.4 mi
- Black's Beach/Lincoln Beach: 0.4 mi
- Sunny Cove Beach: 0.7 mi
Gardens: 43
- Beach Flats Community Garden: 0.9 mi
- Santa Cruz Community Orchard: 1.1 mi
- Riverside Gardens Community Garden: 1.2 mi
- afe native plant garden: 1.3 mi
- AFE Salamander Garden: 1.3 mi
Museums: 40
Waterfalls: 23
- Moose Lodge Falls: 4.4 mi
- Ferndell: 6.9 mi
- Fairy Falls: 8.2 mi
- Maple Falls: 8.3 mi
- Five Finger Falls: 9.7 mi
Springs: 15
- Dodero Spring: 2.9 mi
- Crystal Springs (private): 3.4 mi
- Horse Trough Spring: 3.6 mi
- Redwood Springs: 6.7 mi
- Old Growth Spring: 7.7 mi
Cliffs: 12
- Anthony's Bluff: 1.9 mi
- Chrystal Cliff: 1.9 mi
- Capitola Bluffs: 3.0 mi
- Upper Quarry: 3.9 mi
- Upper Quarry: 3.9 mi
Lighthouses: 3
- Santa Cruz West Breakwater Light: 0.3 mi
- Santa Cruz Lighthouse: 1.7 mi
- Point Pinos Lighthouse: 23.2 mi
Covered bridges: 2
- Felton Covered Bridge: 7.1 mi
- Felton Covered Bridge: 7.1 mi
Natural arches: 1
- Natural Bridges Rock Arch: 3.3 mi
Summits around it
The highest named summits within 18.6 miles of Twin Lakes State Beach. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Loma Prieta | NE 40° | 1,154 m | 13.3 mi |
| Crystal Peak | NE 41° | 1,097 m | 13.7 mi |
| Mount Umunhum | NNE 22° | 1,063 m | 14.7 mi |
| Mount Thayer | NNE 18° | 1,061 m | 14.5 mi |
| Mount Chual | NE 41° | 1,046 m | 14.1 mi |
| El Sombroso | NNE 19° | 917 m | 15.6 mi |
| The Peak | NNW 348° | 917 m | 18.0 mi |
| Sunnyvale Mountain | NNW 348° | 880 m | 17.8 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:12 | 18:46 | 19:20 |
| June solstice | 05:50 | 19:53 | 20:32 |
| September equinox | 06:57 | 18:32 | 19:06 |
| December solstice | 07:18 | 16:15 | 16:56 |
Local time (America/Los_Angeles).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: year-round.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 52 | 53 | 55 | 58 | 60 | 63 | 64 | 65 | 65 | 62 | 56 | 51 |
| Precip in | 6.4 | 6.1 | 4.3 | 2.0 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 1.3 | 3.2 | 6.0 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Santa Cruz, 2 mi away.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapWikidataOfficial siteOpenStreetMap element relation/7087720
Day trips start here
- Santa Cruz · 2 mi
- Capitola · 3 mi
- Aptos · 5 mi
- Watsonville · 13 mi
- Moss Landing · 16 mi
- Marina · 22 mi
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