Spooner’s Cove

Spooner’s Cove is a treasure trove for gathering smooth rocks and shells.
I came to the Montana de Oro State Park with the family looking for a fun activity or two and we definitely hit the jackpot on this beach. Between collecting beach stones and climbing around the rock formations there was a sold two hours or activity. The only bummer was the parking which was a hassle on a busy weekend. We had to park up the road and hike down.
— Free
— Kid fun day.
— This whole park has many exploring and hiking opportunities.

Beautiful cove! Great for families and couples. Love the cove and trails along the coast.

Truely a hidden gem in the central coast. Water is great as is the view. The rock formations are great for climbing anf there are trails close by.

Beautiful beach!
The sand here is smaller, smooth rocks and it feels amazing on your feet. It’s also nice to not have sand in everything when you come here. Perfect for finding cools rocks and shells too.
It’s usually pretty quiet and peaceful. There are some awesome rocks to climb on. Plenty of parking, a few picnic tables and bathrooms. Bring a picnic and enjoy this beauty!

Now this is a beach!!! This a lovely cove located approximately 20 minutes from Morro Bay with stunning views of the bay while in route. The cove itself is a rocky beach with dramatic rock formations and a long, skinny peninsula that juts out from the mainland. Be sure to plan a beach day here and take the time to walk the peninsula to the vista point at it’s end. Highly recommended, even for a quick peak.

Just absolutely peaceful and beautiful

An awesome place to relax & gather your thoughts! Great beach for rock collecting too. :)

Loved the rock formations!!! The rocks are literally striations and layers of rocks. It was pretty amazing to walk through them and check it out. You can explore the whole area in a few hours, there’s alot of tide pools and rocks to climb over and of course, lots of photos opps. Be careful on the rocks though, they are slippery. Saw many eager kids climbing around just to fall the next minute. And the rocks are very sharp, I do not recommend going in flip flops or flats (like me). Wear tennis shoes and bring a camera!

Spooner’s Cove is a beautiful beach tucked away inside the Montana de Oro State Park. It’s right across the road from the campground (very convenient if you’re camping here), and is a 20-​minute drive from the nearest town of Los Osos. The beach is relatively small but not too crowded. There’s ample parking in the lot above the beach.
The cove is hemmed in by tall cliffs on both sides, with hiking trails going up them. Along the cliffs are interesting formations, like one where the cliff comes down in the shape of an arch, allowing passage through it. There are tidepools and a large rock jutting out into the water. The rock is climbable, and provides a pleasant view of the blue sea and white froth from waves crashing into the rocks. Colorful pebbles adorn the shore, and there are a couple picnic tables on the beach.
The waves are large so surfing is definitely possible, but only experienced surfers should surf here due to the rocks. More surfing info here: