California State Beaches are operated as State of California Parks System.  The state acts as steward to watch over these natural assets through the California State Parks system. The state beaches do not include all the beaches in California. Many beaches are operated under the auspices of counties and cities. Not to confuse, there are some state beaches in cities. The revenues and maintenance of those beaches are operated by the State of California Parks division, so much to the glee or ire of local municipalities, the revenue goes to the state for parking & camping fees, but they also have to foot the bill for maintenance.

As such, the prices for parking differ from the price structure of surrounding beach lands operated by cities, counties and private ownership. Shown in photos above are: Train ride through Henry Cowell Redwoods SP, McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial SP, Natural Bridges SP and Oceano Dunes SVRA

Facts: Over 6.7 million feet of waterfront includes 3.4 million feet of lakefront; 1.6 million feet (295 miles) of ocean front; 1.7 million feet of river front; 13,800+ camp sites; 662 overnight facilities; 7,000 picnic sites; 3,800 miles of non-motorized trails; over 77 million visitors annually.

Top Ten State Parks Attendance:

1. Old Town San Diego State Historic Park

2. Huntington State Beach

3. Sonoma Coast State Beach

4. Seacliff State Beach

5. Bolsa Chica State Beach

6. San Onofre State Beach

7. Doheny State Beach

8. Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area

9. New Brighton State Beach

10. Malibu Lagoon State Beach.

Note: Abbreviated descriptions  include State Park = SP; State Beach = SB; State Recreation Area = SRA; State Historic Park = SHP.  To see state beaches, go to: parks.ca.gov