Moonstone Beach, Coastal beach in Cambria, California, United States

Moonstone Beach is a narrow shoreline along California's Central Coast featuring sandy coves separated by rocky outcrops that extend roughly one mile along Highway 1. A wooden boardwalk runs the length of it, connecting different access points and allowing visitors to walk the full sweep of the coast.

Moonstone Beach was named for the small white stones mixed into its sand, which were long thought to be moonstones but are actually quartz. The beach lies in San Luis Obispo County, about 3,900 km west of Washington, D.C., and has an arid climate with average temperatures around 18 °C.

Moonstone Beach lies beside Cambria in San Luis Obispo County, and its name comes from the small white stones once thought to be moonstones. The beach is a state marine park, and visitors walk the boardwalk to watch sea otters and seals in the water and whales on their seasonal migrations.

Several parking areas sit at both ends and along Moonstone Beach Drive, offering multiple entry points for visitors of different abilities. The boardwalk itself is relatively flat and easy to walk, though stairs lead down to the sandy coves and water temperatures stay quite cold year-round.

The white stones that gave the beach its name are not moonstones but quartz, a detail early visitors got wrong. The sand also carries jade, jasper and agate, which rock collectors comb through along the coves. Look for the polished pebbles where the waves leave them at the high-tide line.