San Clemente City Beach
San Clemente, CA
San Clemente City Beach runs for miles along a coastline where the San Clemente Beach Trail parallels the shoreline railroad tracks, with numerous stairways and pedestrian crossings connecting the beach to town at nearly every street end. The San Clemente Municipal Pier anchors the center of it, with the historic Ole Hanson Beach Club and its public pool just inland, and Linda Lane City Park offering an underpass straight to the sand.
Miles of genuinely accessible sand with a real pier and historic pool at its center, one of the more complete beach towns on this stretch of coast.
How we score beachesAccess points are genuinely numerous here, if one stairway or lot is crowded, the next street end usually has an easier way in.
Metered lots and on-street parking serve the pier area; further access points along the trail have limited on-street parking.
Stairways, ramps, and railroad crossings connect the inland trail and streets to the beach at frequent intervals.
Dogs are not allowed on the sand at San Clemente's city beaches; a limited-hours dog beach pilot near T-Street has been approved by the city but was not yet in effect as of 2026.
Orange County's water takes until late summer to really warm up, climbing into the low 70s by September.
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