Best anchorages and harbours in California
49 documented anchorages and harbours in California, ranked by boaters' ratings: shelter, seabed, services, photos and reviews, ready to open in the BoatMap app.
Top rated
49 places
1AnchorageUnited StatesA1 ‘La playa’ anchorage
5.0Designated weekend anchorage in the Shelter Island Yacht Basin, San Diego Bay, between San Diego and Southwestern Yacht Clubs.
- Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, E, SW, S, SE
2AnchorageUnited StatesDana Cove
5.0Designated anchorage in the west basin of Dana Point Harbor, on the Orange County coast of California.
- Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, E, SW, S, SE
3AnchorageUnited StatesEmerald Bay
5.0Mooring cove on the north-west shore of Santa Catalina Island, California, with a sand beach and a sand bottom.
- Sheltered NW, N, NE, E
4AnchorageUnited StatesEncinal Basin
5.0Anchorage in Encinal Basin on the Alameda side of the Oakland Estuary, California, on a mud bottom.
- Sheltered W, E, SW, S, SE
- 5AnchorageUnited States
Glorietta Bay
5.0Managed anchorage in a small bay on the east side of San Diego Bay, off Coronado, southern California.
- Sheltered W, SW
6AnchorageUnited StatesLittle Harbor
5.0Cove on the Pacific side of Santa Catalina Island, California, with a campground and fresh water ashore.
- Sheltered NW, N, NE, E, SE
7AnchorageUnited StatesMorro Bay
5.0Anchorage in Morro Bay harbour on the central California coast, set behind the 23-million-year-old volcanic plug of Morro Rock, on a sand bottom.
- Paid
- Sheltered N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, NW
- 8AnchorageUnited States
Cuyler Harbor
4.7Bight on the north-east shore of San Miguel Island, the westernmost of California's Channel Islands and part of the national park.
- Sheltered NW, N, W, SW, S
9AnchorageUnited StatesAvalon Harbor
4.6Main harbour of Santa Catalina Island, on the south-east shore below the town of Avalon, with a sand bottom.
- Paid
- Sheltered SE, S, SW, W, NW
10AnchorageUnited StatesDescanso Bay
4.5Mooring field and anchorage on the east end of Santa Catalina Island, California, immediately north-west of Avalon Harbour.
- Paid
- Sheltered W, SW, S
11AnchorageUnited StatesMonterey Basin General Anchorage
4.5Open anchorage in Monterey Harbour, on the Monterey Peninsula in California, within the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.
- Sheltered E, SW, S, SE
- 12AnchorageUnited States
Port San Luis
4.5Open harbour on the central California coast, about 1.3 miles west of Avila Beach in San Luis Obispo County.
- Sheltered N, NE, W, NW
13AnchorageUnited StatesSanta Barbara anchorage (Seasonal)
4.5Seasonal open-roadstead anchorage off Santa Barbara on the southern California coast, on a sand bottom.
- Sheltered NW, N, NE
14AnchorageUnited StatesAyala Cove, Angel Island
4.4Mooring field on the north side of Angel Island in San Francisco Bay, off Tiburon, with a mud bottom and shelter from the prevailing westerlies.
- Free
- Sheltered W, E, SW, S, SE
15AnchorageUnited StatesMariners Basin
4.3Anchorage in the south-west corner of Mission Bay, San Diego, with a sand and mud bottom and protection on every side.
- Sheltered N, NE, W, E, SW, S, SE
- 16AnchorageUnited States
Little Scorpion anchorage
4.0Anchorage on the north-east side of Santa Cruz Island, in Channel Islands National Park, California, a short distance east of Scorpion Anchorage, on a sand bottom.
- Sheltered SW, S, SE
17AnchorageUnited StatesMoonstone Cove
4.0Anchorage and mooring cove on the north-east shore of Catalina Island, around 20 nm south of Los Angeles Harbour, with a sand bottom.
- Sheltered NW, N, W, SW
- 18AnchorageUnited States
Sausalito
4.0Anchorage in Richardson Bay off Sausalito, California, on a mixed rock and mud bottom near the head of San Francisco Bay.
- Sheltered NW, W, SW
19AnchorageUnited StatesSchoonmaker Beach
4.0Anchorage in Richardson Bay off Sausalito, California, on the north side of San Francisco Bay. The bottom is soft mud.
- Sheltered SW, W
- 20AnchorageUnited States
Scorpion anchorage
4.0Cove with a pier on the north-east side of Santa Cruz Island, in Channel Islands National Park off Ventura, California.
- Sheltered W, SW, S
21AnchorageUnited StatesSeaplane Lagoon
4.0Enclosed 110-acre basin on the San Francisco Bay side of Alameda Point, California, on the site of the former Naval Air Station Alameda.
- Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, E
22AnchorageUnited StatesStillwater Cove
4.0Anchorage on the north shore of Carmel Bay at Pebble Beach, California, in the lee of Pescadero Point.
- Sheltered NW, N, NE, E, SE
23AnchorageUnited StatesHalf Moon Bay Anchorage
3.3General anchorage inside Pillar Point Harbor at Half Moon Bay, California, in San Mateo County, with a sand bottom and shelter from NW through SW winds.
- Sheltered NW, N, W, SW
- 24AnchorageUnited States
Little Fishermans Cove
3.3Open anchorage on the coast of Santa Catalina Island, California, with a sand bottom. It sits about 20 nautical miles south-west of San Pedro.
- Sheltered SE, S, SW, W
25AnchorageUnited StatesA9 "Cruiser" Anchorage
3.0Designated cruisers anchorage in San Diego Bay, California, off the eastern tip of Harbor Island, with fresh water available nearby.
- Sheltered NW, N, NE, E
26AnchorageUnited StatesBechers bay
3.0Broad semicircular bay on the north-east side of Santa Rosa Island, the main point of entry to the island in Channel Islands National Park, California.
- Sheltered NW, W, SW, S
- 27AnchorageUnited States
Big Drakes Bay
3.0Anchorage off Peacock Park in Coconut Grove, on the western shore of Biscayne Bay, Miami.
- Sheltered NW, N, NE
28AnchorageUnited StatesCatalina Harbor
3.0Mooring off the West End of Santa Catalina Island, California, near Howland's Landing, set on a sand bottom with all-round shelter.
- Sheltered N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, NW
- 29AnchorageUnited States
Indian Rock
3.0Open anchorage off Santa Catalina Island, California, on a sand bottom. It lies roughly 19 nautical miles south-west of San Pedro.
- Sheltered S, SW, W
- 30AnchorageUnited States
Lanning cove
3.0Small open cove on Santa Cruz Island, off the California coast, with a sand and rock bottom.
- Sheltered NW, W, SW