Calafia Beach Park — Attraction in San Clemente

I use to like Calafia beach.

However, I unpleasantly find the city has incorporated a new parking system. You have to look at your spot number to receive a ticket and if you make a mistake on your number you are out of luck! Sadly, it is not easy to read the space number. The numbers are starting to fade. There is also very poor use of signs noting the pay station. I believe there is only one station and I think the pay station only takes credit cards. How about people that only carry cash? My experience with the machine was frustrating. The machine ran out of paper and I did not receive a ticket, ugh... My beach day only get better- After I struggle to use their poorly implemented pay station and enjoy a day at the beach the city has decided to turned off the only shower. The reason ; California Drought. It was so unfortunate to watch young kids and their moms come up and not be able to rinse the sand off their feet. Unbelievable- really California? There are no signs stating the reason for the no water shower, so crowds of people continue to arrive to rinse off. I wonder how much water one shower uses? It seems more water would be used by people to clean all the unwanted sand out of their vehicles. If the city wants to limit water why can't they place the showers on short term timers or charge for the shower like they do for parking?

I feel the Calafia State Park and beach represent good intentions that went wrong.

I really believe that of the many people that create these chaos systems never use these...

This was perhaps our best beach location out of 5 days of staying at the beach! The shore was gradually sloped, the sand was perfect and there weren't many rocks, it was very swim-friendly, and there weren't many folks there, which made it feel like we had the beach all to ourselves! The Surfliner Amtrack Train runs right next to this beach - not sure if it actually stops here, but it would be perfection for a beachgoer if it did! We were here at the end of September, and the sunsets were phenomenal, the water wasn't too cold to prevent our kids from playing in the water all day long, and the beach is just plain gorgeous. We saw dolphins playing out at sea, pelicans, sea gulls, sandpipers, digger crabs, and more. Great, great place, and yet another beach that is "free" to enjoy if you are camping at the local state beach campgrounds like San Onofre or San Mateo Campgrounds. $15 saved that way, and this beach is well worth paying...

Imma keep it real here alr? when u first walk into the water its a little rocky but if u hold out its this lucious soft packed sand and i rly liked tht tbh. the park rangers there were all very friendly too which was nice cuz its easy for someone to act like an a hole. the water was kinda clear but not totally. if you want super clear check out lahoya shores (i think thts how u spell it but its a pretty short drive). its a short walk down to the beach but the uphill part wont be too accessible for the elderly. by the top tho there were benches to look over the ocean from which i enjoyed. i got there around 4ish and it wasnt too crowded. there was also enough sand area so that 2 or 3 groups could fit 6 feet apart in a straight line from the ocean and back. but i would reccomend going to this...