Located in the southern part of the city of San Clemente, Calafia Beach (also known as Calafia State Beach) is a popular beach situated near California Interstate Highway 5. The beach is connected to a bluff-top park called Calafia Beach Park through a bluff side walkway present near the beach parking lot. The beach area is a narrow strip of sand stretching along the San Clemente coastline and has light brown sand. There is a live railroad running parallel to the length of the beach area. Calafia Beach rarely has any dry sand during high tide due to constant contact with water and the northern part of the beach area has rocky man-made embankments to prevent erosion. While Calafia Beach has lifeguards, lifeguard deployment is generally seasonal and runs from June 23 through Labor Day weekend. The beach has a number of other amenities including showers, trash cans, restrooms, concession stands, and walking paths. The beach is easy to access - the beach entrance is located near 300 Avenida Calafia. There is a paid parking lot available near the beach. However, we recommend arriving early as the lot fills up early. From this parking lot, you can access the beach by crossing a tunnel under the railroad and opening up to the beach.