Twin Lakes Beach, Beach in Santa Cruz County, US

Twin Lakes Beach is a sandy shore along Monterey Bay stretching about 1 mile (1.6 km) next to Santa Cruz Yacht Harbor. The water is clear and the coastline offers open views across the bay.

Twin Lakes Beach lies on Monterey Bay in Santa Cruz County, California, at the mouth of Schwan Lagoon, a freshwater body behind the sand. The lagoon and its surrounding marsh are part of the city's greenbelt and draw waterfowl and shorebirds. The beach sits beside the Santa Cruz Small Craft Harbor, built in the 1960s, which reshaped the shoreline and made the area a public recreation spot.

The beach sits beside Santa Cruz Yacht Harbor, so visitors watch sailboats and fishing boats entering and leaving the channel. The harbor and Twin Lakes area host the Santa Cruz Harbor Boat Parade of Lights each holiday season, when decorated boats pass the shore after dark.

Restrooms, picnic tables, and parking are available on-site, making it easy to spend a full day here. During summer months, lifeguards patrol the water to keep swimmers safe.

The beach sits at the mouth of Schwan Lake Lagoon, where freshwater from the lagoon meets the salt water of Monterey Bay. The lagoon and its surrounding willows and marsh draw herons, egrets and migrating shorebirds, so birders often walk the sand spit between the two waters.