Fort Ord Dunes State Park — Attraction in Marina

My wife and I recently spent a few hours at Fort Ord Dunes State Park, and honestly, it was one of the most peaceful, beautiful spots we’ve visited in a long time. We live nearby and had heard about it, but this was our first time actually walking the trails and heading down to the beach and we’re so glad we finally did.

We started at the main parking area, which was easy to find and had plenty of space. There’s a paved path that takes you along the top of the dunes, and the views of the ocean from up there are incredible. You can see the waves crashing for miles in both directions. It’s quite too way less crowded than other beaches in the area, which made it feel even more special.

We took our time walking the trail and stopped at one of the overlook platforms just to soak it all in. You can hear the ocean the whole time and smell the salt in the air. It’s one of those places that makes you pause and take a deep breath. We stood there for a while, holding hands, just watching the waves and the clouds roll by.

Eventually, we found one of the sandy trails that leads down to the beach. It’s a little steep in spots, but manageable if you take it slow. Once we got down there, it felt like we had the whole beach to ourselves. The sand was soft, the breeze was cool, and the sound of the ocean was everything. We laid out a blanket and just relaxed, no phones, no distractions. It felt like we hit pause on life for a bit.

We also took a short walk along the water. My wife loves collecting little seashells and driftwood, and there were plenty to find. We even saw a few birds gliding overhead and a couple of seals way out in the water. The sun started setting while we were out there, and the sky turned all kinds of pink and gold. It was honestly kind of romantic just one of those moments you don’t forget.

The walk back up to the bluff gave us one last chance to take in the view, and we both said we need to come back here more often. It’s peaceful, it’s beautiful, and it’s right here in our own backyard.

If you’re looking for a quiet spot to connect with nature or just have some quality time with someone you love Fort Ord Dunes is it. Definitely one of the hidden gems of the...

This is a great park for hiking! Wear socks or you will get terrible blisters from the sand in your shoes.

Its is really beautiful out there. The Monterey Bay, the high dunes, and old military shooting ranges and old armoury cement and iron bars and blocks of cement tons in weight, graffitti and lizards. Old railroads and hobos abound with bicyclers and hikers.

Rangers are riding around on four wheel vehicles and locals pick up trash. Sand Dollars and tiny birds, crabs broken and spread among the feathers of seagulls and dead sealions,

There are rocks under the waves and a few logs to sit on, excuse the seagull poop.

There are a few tiny forests of tree clusters and dry old bushes giving color of brown and green to the light brown sand, for miles.

In a few years there is supposed to be a light rail running through the park, so look for that is (est) 2017.

Note: The human poop is piled up in the one outhouse and the door swings open with the wind. The Parking is good, but you have to walk for miles so bring a bike or good...

Construction has closed many routes to the public parking lot. Best entry is at 2nd and 9th street intersection, west on 9th to the roundabout, then take the 8th street exit to the end of the road, lot is there.

A bit blustery today, not crowded and beautiful views.

Today's trip, spotted a few 🐳 whales very near the coast, hard to see but added a few very short videos of the "blow".

Returned to check out another trail which had another terrific view of the ocean from a higher setting on a hill. Quite a few bunkers were there. Stronger rip tides had nice effects on the incoming waves. Some small flowers starting to bloom. Added a few more pics, including a peek into one of the bunker doors, small opening (definitely some human activity 👀)

Very nice trail, beautiful variety of colors with ocean as the backdrop, with free and plenty of parking. Can exit at different places to access the beach 🏖 not crowded at the beach...