Seacliff State Park Beach

Why would anyone make a ship out of cement? Hmmm.

Seacliff Beach is located below the tall bluffs (hence it's name), and is good spot for swimming and enjoying the day with friends. There is covered picnic facilities beside the parking lot (fee for entry). Seacliff Beach has BBQ, restroom and shower facilities. There are bike trails, an environmental learning / visitor's center, bbq, restroom, and shower facilities. Fishing is allowed here, and often you'll see wind surfers here as well. This is a wheelchair accessible park as well.

In addition, there is an RV park which allows overnight camping.

Now, regarding the "Palo Alto" concrete ship...
According the State of California's Parks and Recreation website:

"In 1910 a Norwegian civil engineer named Fougner thought of using concrete to build ships. It wasn't until 1917, when wartime steel shortages required the use of cement for construction that Fougner's idea was used. Three concrete ships were built. Two, the Peralta and the Palo Alto, were built at the U.S. Naval Shipyard in Oakland, California while the third, the Faith, was built in a shipyard in Redwood City, California. The Peralta and the Palo Alto were built for wartime use as tankers, however World War One ended before ship construction was finished -- so they were never used.

The Palo Alto remained docked in Oakland until 1929, when the Cal-Nevada Company bought the ship with the idea of making her into an amusement and fishing ship. Her maiden voyage was made under tow to Seacliff State Beach. Once positioned at the beach, the sea cocks were opened and the Palo Alto settled to the ocean bottom. By the summer of 1930 a pier had been built leading to the ship, the ship was remodeled. A dance floor on the main deck was added, also a cafe in the superstructure was built, as was a fifty-four foot heated swimming pool, and a series of carnival type concessions were placed on the afterdeck. The Cal-Nevada Company went broke after two seasons -- then the Palo Alto was stripped, leaving the ship and the pier to be used only for fishing."

• Facilities: Bathrooms	• Facilities: BBQ Grills	• Facilities: Camping	• Facilities: Picnic Tables	• Sand Type: Regular
• Parking: Fees For Parking	• Parking: Good / Plenty	• Good For: Fishing	• Good For: Sunsets	• Good For: Swimming