| Location |
|
East Cliff Drive & 7th Avenue, Santa Cruz, CA 95062 Access on 7th Avenue, 14th Avenue, and Cypress Avenue at East Cliff Drive. |
| Size |
| About one mile of beach. |
| Established |
| Consolidated after 1963. |
| Hours |
| 6 am - 10 pm. |
| Website |
| http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=547 |
| Phone |
| (831) 427-4868 |
| Features |
| Beach access |
| Restroom |
| Outdoor shower |
| Beach fire rings |
| Events |
| (Insert Here). |
Twin Lakes State Beach run West to East for about one mile. It technically starts on the East side of the mouth of the San Lorenzo River across the stream from the Boardwalk. The Santa Cruz Harbor is located in the middle of the Twin Lakes State Beach area. Officially Twin Lakes State Beach ends at the breakwater at the west side of the harbor channel and continues again near 6th Avenue. The area from the east side of the harbor channel, to 5th Avenue belongs to the City of Santa Cruz and the beach area from 5th Avenue to 6th Avenue belongs to the county. Twin Lakes State Beach covers all the area of Schwan Lake from the beach to the railroad tracks behind the lagoon. There is a short break in the beach that is county land. From there, Twin Lakes State Beach continues to Black Point.
14th Ave/Black Point 
View of Black Point from Twin Lakes State Beach. At the end of 14th Avenue and next to Black Point, this south end of Twin Lakes State Beach is sometimes referred to as the "14th Avenue Beach" and sometimes as "Black Point Beach." The point of land in the area was seen by sailors as being darker than the surrounding areas and got the name Black Point. There is no parking on 14th Avenue. But the Beach entrance is only 120 paces from East Cliff Drive where there is a bus stop nearby.
There is a surfing spot about 200 miles north of Santa Cruz, that is also called Black Point.
Castle Beach/Seabright Beach The Scholl-Mar Castle occupied what is now the main entrance area to the beach from 1928-1967. This made the name "Castle Beach" popular. Seabright got the name from the settlement in the area and the street. The main access to this beach is where Cypress Avenue meets East Cliff Drive. There is no parking at this beach entrance. Nearby at Museum of Natural History you can buy a parking permit. There is also limited parking on Seabright Avenue.
Although all the beaches are now part of Twin Lakes State Beach, signs still mark sections. Seabright Beach became part of the state park system in 1962. Between 1959-1963 a series of land transfers consolidated the beaches from the San Lorenzo River to the Harbor jetty under the California State Park Service. While it is still called Seabright State Beach, the State Parks (and current maps) consider it all part of Twin Lakes State Beach. The rules are the same.
