William Randolph Hearst Memorial State Beach, Public beach in San Simeon, United States

William Randolph Hearst Memorial State Beach is a sheltered cove beach on California's coast with an 850-foot pier and pale sand right next to the Hearst Castle Visitor Center. The shore sits along Highway 1 and offers calm, clear waters for swimming and exploring.

Before the 1800s the land was inhabited by the Chumash. In the mid-1830s Mission San Miguel was built, and by the early 1850s a small Portuguese whaling village stood on the peninsula jutting into the sea; over about ten years it took some 370 whales, mostly gray and humpbacks. A severe drought ten years after it was built pushed the village to move in search of fresh water.

The beach carries the Hearst family name, as they owned the surrounding land and opened this section to the public for recreation. Visitors can sense the connection between this spot and the nearby Hearst Castle, which shaped the story of this influential family.

The beach has picnic areas, parking, and restrooms available for visitors, plus the option to fish from the pier. The grounds are fairly flat and easy to walk through, and there is an information center at the entrance with exhibits about marine life.

The beach is split in two: the sand from the parking lot to the water is state-owned, while the peninsula jutting into the ocean, San Simeon Point, remains Hearst family property. A signboard on the public trail to the point lists the access rules, and on a clear day the Piedras Blancas Lighthouse tower, built in the 1870s, can be seen from its tip.