Exploring a sandy beach at Garrapata State Park

Rocks, wave and white foam at Garrapata Beach

Garrapata State Park in California has a four-mile-long waterfront. This coastal stretch along the northern Big Sur coastline has exciting locations for beach walking, bluff hiking, tide-pool adventuring and cove-secluded, clothing-optional sunbathing—as wave and tide conditions allow. At the south end of the park you find the park's only sandy beach, called Garrapata Beach [1].

The Doud Creek mouth at Garrapate Beach—where Calla Lily Valley begins 

Various hiking trails connect beaches, coves, amazing viewpoints along the bluffs, and inland areas. During late winter and early spring, nearby Calla Lily Valley is worth the short hike if you are interested to see how a non-native flowering plant (botanically not a lily) is doing amidst natives. You may be surprised to see how beach-goers and tourists, during peak hours, invade the space of an invasive plant.  

The sandy beach features tide-zone rocks, breaking waves, rough and exposed naked rocks as well as lower algae- and mussel-covered outcrops. The sand of the intertidal zone is continually shifting with storms and currents. Come back some years later and you will discover a changed pattern of differently exposed or now sand-buried rocks.

Often, impressive breaking waves can be seen from the bluffs—and, with due respect, from near the surf. The drama of high-energy shorebreak gets topped by the surrounding coastal geology which includes granitic rock outcrops of the Salinian Block and, according to geology teacher Garry Hayes, “displaced terrane of Sierra Nevada rocks that now forms a mountain range sloping directly into the sea.” [2].    

Garrapata Beach seen from the edge of the coastal terrace

Getting to Garrapata Beach and Calla Lily Valley

Garrapata Beach Trailhead

Garrapata Beach is located about ten miles south of Carmel-by-the-Sea. At the Garrapata Beach trailhead just south of Doud Creek, look out for available, free-parking roadside space. This trailhead is also the nearest access point for Calla Lily Valley.        

On the way to the beach, you will see multiple warning sign before taking the final steps down the stairs to the sand beach. The signs are telling you to expect life-threatening waves and strong currents as well as dangerous shorebreaks. These dangers depend on weather conditions, whether you experience flood or ebb current, and also on phenomena you can't directly see because they results from events hidden under water out at sea.

Garrapata sand beach with standing water and Pacific Ocean

References and more to explore

[1] Garrapata Beach at Garrapata Beach at Garrapata State Park. CaliforniaBeaches. URL: https://www.californiabeaches.com/beach/garrapata-state-park-garrapata-beach/.

[2] Garry Hayes: Where the Sierra Nevada Rises From the Sea: The Granitic Rocks of Garrapata State Park. Geotripper - News and views from the geologic realm. URL: https://geotripper.blogspot.com/2013/11/where-sierra-nevada-rises-from-sea_19.html.

Calla Lily Valley off Highway 1 next to Garrapata Beach

Calla Lily Valley with calla lilies on both sides of Doud Creek (April 3, 2026)

Calla lilies are native to southern Africa. They were introduced to North America in the 19th century. Calla lilies do well along the California Coast—for example, in a valley in the Garrapata State Park north of Point Sur. 

A short hike from Highway 1 along a trail through bluff scrub gets you into Doud Creek. Not far from where the creek flows into the Pacific Ocean at Garrapata Beach, you will find dense pockets of calla lilies. If you step out of the canyon onto the north-side bluffs, you will leave the calla lilies behind, finding coastal natives of California.  

Calla lily flower: pure white spathe and yellow spadix

Calla lilies (Zantedeschia aethiopica), also known as arum lilies, are not real lilies. They belong to the arum family (Araceae family), while real lilies are grouped into the Liliaceae family. Calla lilies grow from rhizomes rather than bulbs [1,2]. 

Z. aethiopica  is a flowering plant—a popular ornamental plant around the world. It is considered an invasive species—in California, as well as in coastal areas of Australia and between the Iberian Peninsula and Ireland. The flowers often form dense stands and threaten native wetland species [3]. Since Z. aethiopica reproduces through seed dispersal by birds, the species is considered a fast-growing plant in California, invasive to riparian areas. Therefore, some state parks work on their removal.  

Calla lily flowers with arrow-shaped dark-green leaves

The eccentric, sculptural form of calla lilies has long inspired artists, notably Georgia O'Keefe and Diego Rivera. Georgia O'Keefe (1887-1986) is probably the best known artist adopting the calla lily as a subject. 

Garrapata State Park brochure

https://www.parks.ca.gov/pages/579/files/garrapata.pdf

References and further reading

[1] Zantedeschia aethiopica. Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zantedeschia_aethiopica.

[2]  Singh, Y, van Wyk, A.E. and Baijnath, H. Floral biology of Zantedeschia aethiopica (L.) Spreng. (Araceae). South African Journal of Botany 1996, 62 (3), 146-150.  Elsevier: www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0254629915306141.

[3] Allan B. (contributor). Zantedeschia aethiopica Scorecard. Invasive Species List of California, UC Davis (Last Updated on April 02, 2023; accessed on April 12, 2026): calinvasives.ucdavis.edu/scorecard/zantedeschia-aethiopica-scorecard.