Younger Lagoon Beach(Joseph M. Long Marine Laboratory, Seymour Marine Discovery Center)

Located near Westside Santa Cruz, Younger Lagoon Reserve is a part of the University of California’s Reserve System - a network of protected lands that signify the state’s crucial ecosystems and vibrant yet fragile biodiversity. Younger Lagoon and the beach area on its southern part were open to public access for unrestricted recreational beach activities until the 1970s when the Younger Family, owners of the property surrounding the beach, donated the 40-acre land to the university. In the early 1980s, the University of California made Younger Lagoon a part of its state-wide Reserve System to use it primarily for research and conservation purposes, and general public access was restricted to paid educational tours. In more recent years, the California Coastal Commission has intervened and ensured that the educational tours to the lagoon and the beach are free for the public. Currently, the lagoon and the beach are managed by the Seymour Marine Discovery Center which is part of the Long Marine Laboratory of the University Of California, Santa Cruz. The Y-shaped lagoon and the beach area are home to a variety of habitats including marshlands, seasonal wetlands, grasslands, and bluff sides with coastal scrubs and willow thickets. Younger Lagoon Beach has light brown sand and has a variety of vegetation growing on it including native wildflowers that form hummocks on the sands here, making the beach area a sensitive part of the reserve ecosystem. If you are looking for a beach that offers unrestricted access for recreational activities, the nearby Natural Bridges State Beach is a better option for visiting.

The beach area also has a coastal stack formed out of sandstone and mudstone. Since the beach is part of a nature reserve, there are no amenities present here except the walking trails for the tours.

The reserve offers few activities including hiking, wildlife watching, and tide-pooling. The tours for the beach and lagoon need to be booked early in advance, which can be done via contacting Seymour Marine Discovery Centre at (831) 459-3800. The tours are conducted on Thursdays and Sundays of each month. You can check Seymour Marine Centre’s online calendar on its website for the scheduled dates of these tours. The trails in the lagoon and the beach often traverse rough and steep terrain and frequently require some strenuous hiking. However, it’s well worth the effort as the lagoon and the beach are a nature lover's paradise. The lagoon area seasonally often bursts out and flows into the ocean, creating a unique opportunity for the scientists to study the ecological, hydrological effects of this encounter between saltwater and freshwater environments. The northern coastal grasslands and scrub in the lagoon have a variety of unique plants including lizard tails and coastal sages. California’s state grass - the purple needle grass – also grows on the reserve. You can watch a variety of interesting aquatic, aerial and terrestrial fauna here; one of the stops during the tour of the reserve is a viewing shelter overlooking the lagoon, from where you can see a variety of interesting birds including cormorants, which are just one of the 100 resident and migratory bird species found in the reserve.

The reserve is easy to access - it's located at 100 Shaffer Road and there is a free parking lot available at Seymour Marine Discovery Center.

The waters at Younger Lagoon Beach are home to seals, dolphins, whales, sea lions, and otters. If you look closely in the sand, you’ll notice the tracks of a variety of mammal visitors here. The area is often frequented by bobcats, coyotes, and deer. The lagoon is also home to a variety of rare fishes including sticklebacks and the endangered tidewater goby. Students and scholars often undertake research, restoration, volunteering, and internship projects here to learn more about this unique ecosystem and maintain its pristine state. For nearby attractions, you can visit the Seymour Marine Discovery Centre to know more about marine biology and gain an interesting insight into Central California’s aquatic biodiversity. The Discovery Centre also occasionally organizes book and photography exhibitions, documentary screenings, book signings, and lectures that are centered around environmental sciences, marine biodiversity, and ecological conservation issues in Central California – while also serving as a venue for weddings!

If you're looking for a restaurant, Mozaic is a high-end Middle Eastern/ Mediterranean restaurant that offers fabulous gyros, kafta kebabs, and spanakopitas along with delightful cocktails. A family-friendly dining option is Zachary’s Cafe which is famous for delicious breakfast egg platters served in generous portions alongside in-house freshly baked bread. A modestly priced dining option is Aloha Island Grille, which has a casual Hawaiian ambiance and is famous for its signature kalua pork.

If you are looking for a hotel near Younger Lagoon Beach, there are many great nearby options. Hotel Paradox, Autograph Collection offers deluxe suites along with a variety of amenities including a pool and cabana huts, a restaurant, and a fitness center. A more affordable option is the Adobe On Green Street, which offers well-furnished rooms, gorgeous landscaped gardens, and a delicious complimentary breakfast. The modestly priced Continental Inn is another great option.