SeeCalifornia.com

If you’re looking to run free, you may want to skip some of Malibu’s beaches (left photo). That’s what the local celebrities and movie moguls would like you to do. Tour buses unload, allowing gawkers to step onto the narrow shelf of sand and snap away at houses owned by famous folks. But for beach-going, it is often hard to park. And signs try to scare you away, warning of NO TRESPASSING on the public portions of the beach. Still, Malibu beaches are incredibly popular and host millions of visitors annually.

Then there’s the Central Coast where a beach was shut down this week for celebs–the little Western Snowy plovers (birds).  Each year a quota is set on the number of human trespassers that ignore posted signs prohibiting entry into certain dune areas. The beach reached a  tipping point. Trespassers have forced the closure of a popular California Central Coast beach where a threatened shorebird nests in the sand. Vandenberg Air Force Base officials closed the Lompoc Valley’s only coastal access at Surf Beach until October 1 because the number of allowable trespassing violations was reached. Federal Fish and Wildlife Service officials allow 50 trespassing violations during the March 1 to September 30 Western Snowy plover nesting season. It is the earliest beach closure since restrictions were put in place more than a decade ago. Vandenberg biologists reported trespassers deliberately crushed nests and eggs. Shown in the photo (right) is a beach north of Lompoc at Grover Beach. There’s plenty of sand at great beaches in Southern, Central and Northern California. But where you grab it is key to having a good time instead of a bummer vacation that’s all wet!

GREAT SAND BEACHES

• Coronado in San Diego County won an award this year as best beach in America. It’s a nice beach.
• Huntington Beach in Orange County has the most sand of any beach in The OC. If sand’s your thing, go there!
• Dockweiler Beach in Los Angeles County is popular for its sand expanses and beach camping options.
• Oxnard’s Silver Strand and Hollywood beaches are great Central Coast options but Pismo Beach is known for its incredible dunes and sand expanses (shown in right photo.)
• Northern California –  Santa Cruz is one of the top beach vacations because of its family-oriented beaches, boardwalk amusements and surfing. Beaches further north are stunning for hiking and beachcombing, but tend toward cooler weather, even in the summer–brings sweaters!