Orange County Beaches, Orange County California! Newport Beach, Corona Del Mar, Laguna Beach, Huntington Beach, Doheny Beach! Southern California Beaches! |
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ORANGE COUNTY BEACHES: Orange County has 42 miles of beautiful coastline, three harbors and 25 urban and wilderness parks, including 230 miles of riding and hiking trails. The beaches and harbors host world class yachts, dinner cruises, electric boats and Olympic caliber kayakers and rowers. The parks include various amenities like tennis, volleyball and basketball courts. |
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ALISA BEACH PARK: Features sandy beaches, rocky promontories, and scenic coastal foothills. These geological features combine to form one of the most recreationally appealing areas along the entire California coast. The park consists of two sections, the beach itself and an inland area surrounded by native coastal chaparral. Aliso Creek winds its way down from the Laguna foothills and empties into the sea. A marine life refuge borders to the north and south, rocky outcroppings clearly mark the park boundary. These features plus the congenial Southern California climate make Aliso Beach Park an ideal place to visit. Aliso Beach, 31131 S. Pacific Coast Hwy., Laguna Beach, CA (949) 923-2280 or (949) 923-2283. |
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BOLSA CHICA STATE BEACH: A popular place for surf fishing for perch, corbina, croaker, cabezon and sand shark. Also popular is in the summer is bare-handed fishing for California grunion, a species that only spawns on sandy southern California beaches. The Park is located in Huntington Beach and extends three miles from Sunset Beach to Seapoint Avenue. A bike-way connects it with Huntington State Beach, seven miles south. Wildlife and bird watching are popular.
Across the road from the beach is the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve, operated by the California Department of Fish and Game.
The beach extends from Seapoint Avenue north to Warner Avenue along Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach. |
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CAPISTRANO BEACH: Enjoy volleyball, basketball and other beach activities. During the summer months, a concession building offers fishing gear rental and sales, food and beverages, and beach supplies.
Capistrano Beach 35005 Beach Road |
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CORONA DEL MAR STATE BEACH: A popular place for swimmers. The half mile long sandy beach is framed by cliffs and a rock jetty that forms the east entrance to Newport Harbor. The beach is also popular with surfers and divers.
The beach can be reached via an access road near the intersection of Iris Street and Ocean Boulevard in Corona del Mar. |
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CRYSTAL COVE STATE PARK: The Crystal Cove Historic District is a 12.3 acre coastal portion of the 2,791 acre Crystal Cove State Park. The federally listed Historic District is an enclave of 46 vintage rustic coastal cottages originally built in the 1920's and 1930's nestled around the mouth of Los Trancos Creek. It is one of the last remaining examples of early 20th century Southern California coastal development. In addition to the Historic District, Crystal Cove State Park has 3.5 miles of beach and undeveloped woodland, which is popular for hiking and horseback riding.
The offshore waters are designated as an underwater park. Crystal Cove is used by mountain bikers inland and scuba and skin divers underwater. The beach is popular with swimmers and surfers. Visitors can explore tidepools and sandy coves. Crystal Cove offers sand and surf, rocky reefs, ridges and canyons - plus recreational opportunities - that appeal to everybody. State Park Rangers conduct nature hikes in the winter.
The park features three miles of Pacific coastline, plus wooded canyons, open bluffs, and offshore waters designated as an underwater park. Crystal Cove is not just used by people who enjoy water related activities, such as swimming, surfing, sunbathing, scuba and skin diving, but also people who like to fish, mountain bike and hike. The great expanse upland, north and east of the Pacific Coast Highway is for hikers, who can follow hillside and canyon trails to campsites that allow visitors to feel they are "away from it all," despite being near one of the greatest population centers in the United States. The park is located off Pacific Coast Highway between Corona del Mar and Laguna Beach. |
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DOHENY STATE BEACH: Doheny Beach is located between the cities of Dana Point and San Juan Capistrano. It is two parks in one with camping in the southern area (with some campsites only steps away from the beach) and day use in the northern area, where there is a five-acre lawn with picnic facilities and volleyball courts. Surfing is popular, but is restricted to the north end of the beach. Surf fishing is also popular.
Directions: The beach is on Del Obispo/Dana Harbor Drive, approximately one mile north of I-5 and about three miles from San Juan Capistrano Mission. |
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HUNTINGTON STATE BEACH: A nesting sanctuary for the California least tern, a rare and endangered species. The beach is also sanctuary for the threatened snowy plover. The park also features a bicycle trail. Surfing, skating and surf fishing are also popular. The park has fire rings for bonfires. This popular beach extends two miles from Beach Boulevard in Huntington Beach south to the Santa Ana River on the Newport Beach boundary. Across from the beach is the 114 acre Huntington Beach Wetlands, operated by the Department of Fish and Game. |
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LAGUNA BEACH: A locals favorite, is somewhat of an art colony, where the very rich and famous go to retire with the home overlooking the Pacific Ocean from the cliffs above the city.
Most tourists spend time visiting the interesting shops that are along Highway 1. Seals frequent this area and the rocks along the seashore. |
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NEWPORT BEACH: Newport Beach is a classic beach for sun bathers, swimming, and yachts. Lifeguards on duty, parking, restaurants, also a ferry is available to Balboa Island.
Newport Beach is off of Highway 1. Near the junction of Highway 1 and Newport Blvd. From Highway 1. Newport Blvd. takes you west on to the Newport Peninsula, from their, you would follow the road down the peninsula about 5 miles and park somewhere around 17th street. |
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SAN CLEMENTE STATE BEACH: Popular with surfers on the north end of the one mile beach. The beach has a landscaped bluff top with picnic areas. Trails lead down to the beach.
Directions: The beach is located near the south end of San Clemente on I-5 (Basilone Road.) The park entrance is reached via the Avenida Calafia exit. |
