We had a really good time at the New Brighton State Beach park. The state park is located off of Highway 1 just outside of Capitola, CA.
It is a state park (though its not threatened of closing with the Cal budget crisis) sitting on the bluffs above the beach. We had power and water, but no sewer (there is a dump station at the entrance to the park).
A nice campground, though the sites were a little close together. The best sites, the ones with a great view of the ocean, don’t have power and cost extra ($10 more a night on top of the $35 a night).
New Brighton is one of the best camp sites you can stay at in the Cal state park system. It has a nice beach below the buffs and it is 10 minutes from the Santa Cruz Beach and Boardwalk.
See the video for the highlights of our trip.


#1 by Kevin on July 27, 2011 - 2:40 am
Thanks for this post on New Brighton Beach Camping it will be handy when I next take a leisurely drive down Highway 1 – something which I am planning later this year. I checked it out and it’s still open.