The 5 Longest Walkable Piers In California, Ranked By Destination Appeal

Boasting perennially sunny skies and a cinematic 840-mile Pacific Ocean coastline, California epitomizes endless summer. From Northern California coastal cliffs forested with towering redwoods to the golden, sandy sprawl blanketing Southern California beaches, the Golden State is second to none when it comes to showcasing Mother Nature's oceanside beauty. To take it all in, the only thing better than strolling California's world-famous beaches is to meander out above the ocean along its seemingly never-ending piers. According to Marine Management News, a blog published by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, 130 public piers dot California's coastline. We managed to whittle this considerable number down to select the five longest walkable piers that are worth the wander.

The history of California's piers stretches back to the Gold Rush, when structures like the historic Capitola Wharf – built in 1857 – served as outposts for steamships delivering supplies like cement, lumber, and food. While the original Capitola and several other early piers are long gone, some old wharves still thrive, including the landmark Ventura Pier, the oldest remaining pier in California, built in 1872. Over time, these concrete and wooden structures that hover on thick pillars above water evolved into destinations for leisure.  Lined with restaurants, shops, carnival rides, and fishing spots — and serving as a beachside venue for buskers and community events — these are California's piers as we know them today.

We ranked our list of California's five longest piers by destination appeal, ordering them according to popularity based on annual visitor numbers. Each lengthy promenade has its own character and offerings, but they all share salty breezes, expansive views, spectacular Pacific sunsets, and that quintessential California cool.

Attracting some 5 million visitors per year, Stearns Wharf in Santa Barbara is the city's most visited landmark and California's oldest working wooden wharf. The wharf unfurls from the end of State Street and extends 2,300 feet over the shimmering Santa Barbara Channel. Built in 1872 by businessman and former Santa Cruz district attorney John Peck Stearns, the wharf is integral to Santa Barbara's history. Ships packed with lumber and travelers poured into the city via the wharf at the turn of the century. The arrival ushered in the replacement of the city's original adobe and brick structures, ultimately transforming it into today's iconic "American Riviera," known for its Spanish-inspired beauty.

Supported by over 2,300 pilings, Stearns Wharf features several restaurants, shops, and points of interest. For ultra-fresh seafood, hit the Oyster Happy Hour at Moby Dick's, or tuck into fine dining with panoramic views at Harbor Restaurant. Got kiddos? Load up on sweet treats at Mother Stearns Candy Company, or grab some scoops at The Great Pacific Ice Cream Company. Afterward, ponder the interactive marine exhibits at Sea Center, an outpost of the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. For those with mobility challenges, Stearns Wharf is a rare California pier that lets you drive up and park.

The views rarely disappoint. Expect glowy sunsets, dreamy vistas of the Santa Ynez Mountains, and peeks at the Channel Islands. Dolphins, sea lions, and migrating whales are sometimes spotted offshore, while pelicans and seagulls whirl overhead. "The walk out to the end of the pier and back is worth every step along the way," raves one Tripadvisor review. "An old fashioned pier, with lots to see and do, and if you just sightsee, and there's plenty of that, the best thing about it, it's FREE!"

It's little surprise that Huntington Beach, with its serene beaches and whale-watching ops, boasts one of California's longest, most destination-worthy piers. This sun-kissed Southern California town famously known the world over as "Surf City USA,"  draws over 3 million visitors every year, according to Visit Huntington Beach. Official numbers for the 1,850-foot Huntington Beach Pier itself are difficult to pin down, but the structure proudly stands as the city's most photographed attraction. Originally built in 1904 as a wooden pier measuring about 1,000 feet, it has been rebuilt and extended multiple times after damage from storms and earthquakes. The current concrete version dates to a 1992 reconstruction.

While a few souvenir shops sell kitsch like magnets, tote bags, and kites along the pier, its greatest joys come from watching the world and waves roll by. To the south, you'll spy breathtaking views of Catalina Island and Newport Beach, while to the north lie Long Beach and San Pedro. You can easily lose yourself watching surfers brave swells at Huntington City Beach or simply taking in the dramatic sunset. Craft cocktails and seafood classics await at Broad Street Oyster Company, installed inside the octagonal building at the end of the pier. 

"Huntington Beach Pier is a must-see! Beautiful views of the ocean, surfers, and sunsets that never disappoint," gushes one Tripadvisor review. Conveniently, the pier is nestled in the center of the Huntington Beach Boardwalk, where Main Street and Pacific Coast Highway meet. You'll find shopping just steps away on Main Street, and you can savor tasty eats just next to the pier at both Duke's and Sandy's Beach Shack.

Rolling an impressive 2,745 feet into the deep blue Monterey Bay, the wooden Santa Cruz Wharf is far and away California's longest pier. Sandwiched between the legendary surf spot of Steamer Lane and the vibrant Santa Cruz Boardwalk, the wharf draws up to 2 million visitors per year. This bustling attraction is a top spot for spying spirited sea lions, loading up on souvenirs, and casting a line to fish (you don't need a license to fish recreationally along California's public piers). Speaking of fish, this is one of the best destinations in town for dining on incredibly fresh seafood, which is hands-down one of the best things to do while visiting Santa Cruz.

Built in 1914 atop 4,400 Douglas fir pilings, the wharf originally functioned as a shipping port. By the 1950s, its location next to the fun-and-games-filled boardwalk — where the Giant Dipper roller coaster has given millions thrill rides since 1924 — helped transform it into a vibrant recreational destination. Visitors today are treated to a host of family-friendly community events. All are welcome at Salsa by the Sea, a free, weekly, open-air dance party featuring live DJs. The annual Woodies on the Wharf car show displays hundreds of classic, pre-1950s wood-bodied cars atop its timber counterpart. An annual summer concert series and the Wharf to Wharf Race are also big community draws.

One visitor from Berlin, Germany shared their appreciation for this iconic West Coast landmark on Tripadvisor: "The Santa Cruz Wharf is surprisingly large and has plenty to discover – from small shops to restaurants to great views of the sea and sea lions. A nice place to walk and enjoy the typical California coastal flair."

If glimpsing exhilarating surfing, captivating marine life, and unparalleled sunsets are on your bucket list, the legendary Oceanside Pier is a terrific place to marvel at this trio of wonders. Situated between Los Angeles and San Diego, this 1,954-foot wooden pier was built back in 1888 as a port for receiving timber, like the others on this list. Oceanside Pier has undergone several reconstructions since then, owing to violent seas, with its sixth and current incarnation dating to 1987. Ambling along the pier, you'll notice a trove of names etched into the wooden railings. These names honor local residents who helped fund the last reconstruction effort.

While primarily a fishing pier, this promenade is all about ocean breezes and phenomenal coastal views. Throngs of surfers bob in the foamy waters below this laid-back pier (Oceanside boasts some of the area's most reliable surfing), while dolphins, sea lions, and even humpback and blue whales often go gliding by. One visitor in a Google review who visited during the holidays shared, "Even with the holiday buzz, it wasn't overcrowded, and the end-of-year sunset glow made it extra special. No complaints—clean, safe-feeling, and just pure coastal bliss."

Official numbers for annual visitors to the cool coastal city of Oceanside and its pier are difficult to confirm. However, the Visit Oceanside Annual Fiscal Report 2025 reported a record-high $625 million spent on tourism in the city, a 6% increase over the previous year. With the Oceanside Pier being one of this surfside city's top attractions, it's no stretch to conclude a vast portion of these spendy travelers strolled the length of this West Coast landmark. 

Nestled between Long Beach and Huntington Beach on the northern edge of Orange County, Seal Beach is an underrated, coastal California town that's perfect for escaping crowds. This oceanside community boasts a small-town feel, killer surfing conditions, a remarkable wildlife refuge teeming with marine and birdlife, and California's fifth-longest pier. Seal Beach Municipal Pier extends an impressive 1,865 feet into the Pacific Ocean, and it's where locals flock to partake in simple pleasures like strolling and fishing amid ocean breezes and coastal views. "A walk down the pier is the perfect way to end a lovely evening of dinner and drinks with friends. Highly recommend a stroll," shared a reviewer on Tripadvisor.

Built in 1906, Seal Beach Municipal Pier has suffered its fair share of damage over the years. Storms have seen it rebuilt twice — once in the 1930s and again in the 1980s — and a fire in 2016 shuttered the restaurant Ruby's Diner, which once lured peckish visitors out to the pier's end. Today, it's free of shops, restaurants, and entertainment, and adorned with a handful of benches, a small tower, and a row of tall street lamps. The lack of fanfare makes it refreshingly easy to marvel at the surrounding coastline, a stunning panorama of Seal Beach below, nearby Long Beach, Catalina Island, and Los Angeles' highest peak, Mount Baldy.

At the foot of the pier lies grassy Eisenhower Park, a conveniently located parking lot, and a handful of casual eateries. After roaming the pier, grab a bite at The Hangout Restaurant and Beach Bar, which has dreamy ocean views, or the Seal Beach Grill, a neighborhood institution for over 30 years. Seal Beach, named for the multitude of seals that once frolicked its shores, receives about 1.5 million visitors per year.

To compile this list of California's five longest walkable piers ranked by destination appeal, we consulted numerous sources, including local and state tourism websites, reputable travel blogs, news sites, and social media and review sites, including Tripadvisor and Google.

While pier lengths are widely documented, the individual appeal of each pier as a tourist destination is a far more elusive and subjective metric to quantify. We therefore ranked the piers primarily based on available annual visitor data tied to the pier or the surrounding destination.

We sourced annual visitor numbers primarily from city and state tourism websites and, in the case of Stearns Wharf, data published by the University of California, Santa Barbara. Where numbers reflecting tourism to a specific pier weren't available — as is the case with both Oceanside Pier and Seal Beach Municipal Pier — we relied on the total number of annual tourists visiting the specific city in which these piers are located.