101 Reasons Why California is Awesome: #4 Ocean Beach, San Francisco

Ocean Beach is my go-to beach in the Bay Area. The water is great for wading, the sand is soft, and the scenery is beautiful. Every beach in Nor Cal gets cold and foggy, but personally, I've had great luck with Ocean Beach weather. I've gone on three spontaneous beach trips to OB this past year, and 2 of the 3 days had perfectly clear skies!

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

If you're unfamiliar with beaches in California, they are notoriously cold. Air temperature on the beach is usually around 60°F year round, plus or minus 10°. Arctic ice melt makes the water coldest and the air foggiest in the summers, so be sure to bring warm clothing if you're sensitive to the cold. If you're bold and want to wade in spite of the chill, Ocean Beach is just the place! The waves aren't usually too strong on the main stretch of beach. Check out these mild waves. They're even kid friendly!

There's almost always something fun happening at Ocean Beach. The wind is perfect for kite flying and the waves are great for boogie boarding. If you're feeling more adventurous, apparently you can even try parasailing! I don't see parasailing often here, so I snapped some great pictures when I had the chance.

The third day I came out here, there was a surfing convention of sorts. There were dozens of surfers hitting the waves. Although I'm not a surfer myself, it seems as though Ocean Beach is a surfing hotspot as well, so bust out your board if you have one! Check out these surfers in action.

This beach sure does have some neat scenery. Off to the distance, there are some lovely coastal rocks that make for a nice site. While they are too far off the coast to be able to reach them, they sure do look nice!

If you're feeling chilly, walking through the sand dunes is a great way to warm up. The sand is usually really hot, so be sure to carry a pair of flip-flops in case you have sensitive feet like me, and can't take the heat!

It's always nice to see trees near the beach! These trees line the cliffs that mark the end of the beach.

If you make it all the way to the end of the beach sheltered by these cliffs, you can find some neat little caves to hang out in. They're more like crevices in the rock that are large enough for a small group of people to fit into, so you don't have to worry about getting lost in them. The rock walls do have quite a bit of graffiti on them because many people do visit the area. These rocky caves would make a nice spot to bust out a few drinks or bring your kids to play-- hopefully not both at the same time, though, unless said drinks are boxes of apple juice! You do have to hike out quite a bit to reach the caves, so pack lightly.