China Beach

What you need to know

What’s There

A small cove beach at the foot of the Sea Cliff neighborhood, facing the Golden Gate and the Marin Headlands. It has a bathhouse, restrooms, cold water showers, picnic tables and grills, which makes it the most equipped of the city’s small beaches.

There are no lifeguards, no pets, no fires and no glass. The park service does not recommend swimming here because the surf is unpredictable.

The Story

The name China Beach first shows up in newspapers in the mid 1920s, in a report of a drowning, and refers to Chinese fishermen who are said to have camped in the cove. For decades it was officially James D. Phelan State Beach Park, named for the San Francisco mayor and US senator who helped the state acquire it and who also campaigned for the Chinese Exclusion Act and other anti-Asian measures. After the beach passed into federal hands the park service restored the China Beach name.

A monument carrying Chinese characters, honoring the early Chinese fishing community, was donated by Henry and Diana Chung in 1981.

Visiting

Neighborhood: Sea Cliff, in the greater Richmond

Cost: Free

Hours: 6am until one hour after sunset. Restrooms and showers run sunrise to sunset.

Best time to go: A clear weekday morning, when the parking situation is survivable.

What to know: A major rehabilitation project has been underway since 2023, parts of the site are closed, and parking is very limited. No completion date has been published. Call Golden Gate National Recreation Area on 415-561-4700 before you go.

Getting There

Transit: The 1-California to 32nd Avenue, then about a ten minute walk north.

Parking: A small lot at the end of Sea Cliff Avenue, currently reduced by construction staging. A paved drive descends from there to the sand.

Combining: Baker Beach is a mile west along the coast, and Lands End begins just past the far end of Sea Cliff.