If you’ve never been to Davenport Beach, it can be a bit tricky finding it. You can’t see the beach from the parking lot or from Highway 1, so a lot of people end up missing it. There are two main ways to get to the beach.
The beach is located directly across from the Roadhouse Hotel and other small businesses in the center of Davenport as you drive through town on Highway 1. There are two main ways to reach the beach — from the Roadhouse Hotel and from a dirt parking lot across the street from the restaurants and other shops north of the hotel.
Dirt Parking Lot
The dirt parking lot is where most people park when going to Davenport beach. This is because it’s fairly large and there is limited parking to the east due to all the businesses. While this is often the most convenient place to park, there’s a somewhat steep grade down some rocks heading to the beach which can be an obstacle for those who have issues with balance or getting down steep slopes. It can also be tricky if you are in flip flops or other shoes that aren’t sturdy.Below is a video showing how to get to Davenport beach from the dirt parking lot:
If you do park in the dirt lot, make sure to take anything valuable with you, and to put anything that’s not of value into the trunk of your car so it can’t be seen. While break-ins into cars aren’t common, it does happen a few times each year. You want to avoid having anything in view that might tempt someone to break in.
Roadhouse Hotel
Another place people park is along the street where the Roadhouse Hotel is located. There is parking available on both sides of the street. The main disadvantage of this is you must cross Highway 1 in order to make it to the beach, which can get dicey during busy days as there is no stop light or stop sign in town. The advantages are that you avoid the first steep rock grade that the dirt parking lot path has, and your car is a bit safer from a possible break-in as there’s more pedestrian traffic in this area.
Below is a video showing how to get to Davenport beach from the Roadhouse Hotel:
It should be noted there can often be steep rock climbs to get down to the beach from either path when the sand is low (this is especially true in the winter). It’s usually not as much of an issue in the summer when the sand is high (Both of the videos above were taken during the summer with the sand high.). If you aren’t steady on your feet, you will likely need help if you want to make it to the beach.