Fort Ord Dunes State Beach

Located in the city of Marina, Fort Ord Dunes State Park is an oceanfront state park that has a four-mile-long unnamed beach. This remote beach is situated below steep oceanfront bluffs. The beach in Fort Ord Dunes State Park also has sparse vegetation. 

While the beach in Fort Ord Dunes State Park does not have lifeguards, the area around this beach has restrooms, picnic tables, and walking and biking paths. Dogs are not allowed on the beach.

The beach in Fort Ord Dunes State Park offers many fun activities including beachcombing, sunbathing, wildlife watching, fishing, hiking, and biking. The water near Fort Ord Dunes State Park is highly unsafe for aquatic recreational activities including surfing and swimming as the water here is known to have considerable depth and extremely dangerous currents. In addition, the water here also has a severe undertow that makes it look treacherously calm on the surface. You can view many kinds of animals in the water near Fort Ord Dunes State Park including seals, sea lions, and sea otters. Depending on the time of the year, you can also see migrating whales in the water near Fort Ord Dunes State Park. If you like birdwatching, you can also see many kinds of birds in and around the beach in Fort Ord Dunes State Park. This beach is ideal for those looking for a private beach experience as it sees few visitors. The beach at Fort Ord Dunes State Park is also considered to be a great place for beachcombing. If you are planning to fish in the water near Fort Ord Dunes State Park, we recommend that you follow the local fishing regulations. As an interesting fact, the beach and the area around it were formerly part of an army post known as Fort Ord, which was closed in 1994. Many remnants of this army post can be seen around the beach and the state park. The blufftop area above the beach in Fort Ord Dunes State Park has a boardwalk with an observation area that offers fantastic Instagram-worthy views of the Monterey County shoreline and the Pacific Ocean. The blufftop area above this beach also has hiking and biking trails and interesting interpretive displays which offer a unique insight into the state park’s natural and cultural history. A popular biking trail near the beach in Fort Ord Dunes State Park is the Monterey Bay Coastal Trail which offers a fun biking experience.

Parts of Fort Ord Dunes State Park are also used as a nesting spot by snowy plovers, which are listed as endangered under the 1973 federal Endangered Species Act. In addition, you can also see many other rare animals in the state park including the California tiger salamander and Smith’s blue butterfly. The state park also offers a cell phone tour which can be accessed by dialing (831) 998-9458. This cell phone tour offers an interesting insight into Fort Ord Dunes State Park’s unique biodiversity and history. The Fort Ord National Monument is also present near Fort Ord Dunes State Park and preserves the main part of the former Fort Ord army post. This site has a vibrant landscape with a variety of habitats including grasslands, oak woodlands, and maritime chaparral vegetation. You can explore this site via hiking, biking, and equestrian trails present here. 

Getting to the beach in Fort Ord Dunes State Park is easy - the large parking lot for Fort Ord Dunes State Park is located near the intersection between Beach Range Road and 8th Street. From this parking lot, you have to walk south on a paved road until you come across a dirt trail that leads down along a sandy gulch to the beach in Fort Ord Dunes State Park. You can also get to the parking lot for Fort Ord Dunes State Park by driving on Divarty Street (which is situated near California State University Monterey Bay in the city of Seaside) and then heading west on it. The signposts near Divarty Street will lead you to the parking lot for the state park.

As an interesting fact, the parking lot for Fort Ord Dunes State Park was formerly the site of a United States Army soldier’s club known as Stillwell Hall, which was one of the largest soldier’s halls ever constructed in the western United States.

There are many attractions near Fort Ord Dunes State Park. San Juan Bautista State Historic Park is a state park that has remains of buildings that date all the way back to the Spanish Colonial era. This state park also has interesting exhibits highlighting California’s rich history. Locke-Paddon Community Park is a 17-acre park that has a series of freshwater ponds. These ponds and the area around them are great birdwatching spots and you can see many kinds of migratory and resident birds here including grebes, warblers, and coots. If you are looking for another attraction near Fort Ord Dunes State Park, Casino Monterey offers many fun and exciting card games including blackjack and poker.

If you get hungry, there are many restaurants near Fort Ord Dunes State Park. Benihana offers excellent Japanese dishes including sushi, sashimi, and tempura. The restaurant also serves excellent steaks and seafood. English Ales Brewery offers amazing sandwiches, salads, fries, chicken wings, seafood, chili, and soups. If you are looking for another good and affordable restaurant near Fort Ord Dunes State Park, the modestly priced Michelle’s Soul Food Kitchen offers fantastic seafood, fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, and sandwiches.

If you are looking for a hotel near Fort Ord Dunes State Park, there are many great nearby options. The 4-Star Monterey Marriott offers many amenities including a restaurant, a pool, a hot tub, and a fitness room. A more affordable hotel is the 3-Star Casa Munras Garden Hotel & Spa that offers many amenities including a spa, a restaurant, a pool, a gym, and a bike rental facility. If you are looking for another good and affordable hotel near Fort Ord Dunes State Park, the modestly priced 2-Star Monterey Fairgrounds Inn offers many amenities including a pool and a dining room.