Orange County Beaches

This last week during spring break I visited the Historic District. A beach I’ve been to many times and I’ve forget the true charm of it. The Historic District is in Crystal Cove which is the first state park I’ve talked about on this blog. Crystal Cove is located in Newport and has four beaches within it: Moro beach, Reef Point, Historic District, and Pelican Point. During this blog post I will mainly focus on the Historic District.   To enter any of these four beaches you have to pay $15 to parking. Which is the one and only con I have. It’s a lot of money to pay to just be able to park but it does mean it guarantees you parking which is sometimes worth the cost. Once you’ve paid you are then able to visit any of the 4 beaches within Crystal Cove. This is really nice because if your sick of one beach you can beach hop to another without paying again or struggling to find parking.   Now going on to the Historic District. This is a little village filled with res...

This week I’m going to take a break from beaches and focus on the real star of the show in Southern California, the Super Bloom. The technical definition of the super bloom according to National geographic is, "is a colloquial term used to define an explosion of wildflowers that exceeds typical spring blooms.” After talking to some people and hearing what the news has to say I would define the super bloom to be a large amount of wildflowers that appear after weeks of rain.   During my spring break I have seen the super bloom twice now. There are no words to really describe how magical it is. The mountains are just filled with orange poppies that go on for miles and miles. The first time I visited was on a Sunday and it was filled with tourists. They actually closed down the exit to Lake Elisnore, which is the exit were suppose to get off at. They closed down the exit because of the amount of people comparing the gathering to “ Disneyland sized crowds .” It took a good thirty...

Salt Creek Beach is located in Dana Point which is the furtherest beach from my house but its completely worth the drive. This beach is huge in every aspect. It has a huge parking lot. It has a huge green field that you walk down too before getting to the beach. The beach itself is also…huge.   One reason I really love this beach is because of the grassy field. Theres no other beaches in Orange County that have this big of a field in front. During summer days many people lay out with their dogs or with picnics looking out to the beautiful ocean. During the summer theres music concerts out on the grass during golden hour. That just sounds like the best summer day. I haven’t attend a concert here yet but it is on my summer to do list.   The second reason I love this beach is because of the parking. Beach parking can really ruin your experience. You can spend thirty minutes finding a parking spot thats a mile away from the beach and that you have to parallel park in. T...

Aliso Beach is a beach I go to often but sometimes due to default. This is one of the only beaches in Laguna Beach that has a parking lot right next to the beach. Many times I have planned on going to Victoria Beach, couldn’t find parking, so I kept driving and ended up at Aliso Beach. This beach also has no stairs so I’m able to take my brother who has difficulties with stairs. Another reason why I frequent it often.   This beach has many perks other than good parking and no stairs. The water is crystal clear (like most of the beaches in Laguna) and has great waves. It attracts a lot of surfers and skim boarders. One of my favorite things to do at the beach is watch surfers out in the water so I really enjoy this draw. If you were to come to Laguna Beach with a family this would be the ideal beach to bring the kiddos. Theres a nice big playground, a grass area, bathrooms, picnic tables, grills, and a concession stand. This is not common to have all these features in...

I’ve stayed at San Clemente a few times but not as many as the past beaches of Corna, Seal, and Laguna. San Clemente is a bit further from my house than the others so I forget about it sometimes. After doing some research I would like to revisit because it really is a great, clean beach. San Clemente, the city, has a special place in my heart because its were I bought my 2008 Jeep.   The beach for San Clemente is only a mile long . This is really small compared to Laguna being seven miles long. The few times I’ve been its never felt crowded. A nice bonus is theres tons of parking. The city and beach are very mellow, giving you the beachy laid back vibe. The views of mountain, hill, and ocean are incredible.   When I came down and stayed at San Clemente there was a train going parallel to the beach. To reach the beach you had to go through a tunnel with the train track above you. I thought it was such a cool element to be laying out on the beach and have trains whiz on...

If you were to ask what beach I grew up at I would say Corna Del Mar . This beach has a special place in my heart. I spent many evenings, after school, boogie boarding until the sun set. On the drive back I would be so wiped out from playing so much in the water. I would fall asleep in the back seat with wet, sand filled hair. I have so many fond memories of playing around with my family and having after school adventures. Perks of this beach is it has a great parking. The lot is huge and conveniently placed right next to the beach. Its also really easy to get to. No tiny streets like Laguna or secret entrances. The beach itself has a large amount of sand to lounge out on and the waves are the perfect size to go boogie boarding on.   Corna Del Mar has another smaller section called “ Little Corna ”. In my family we refer to this beach as “Baby Beach”.   I find Baby Beach much more charming then the larger section. To get to it you have to climb over some rock...

Balboa Island reminds me of a movie. Its filled with such character and charm. Its the perfect place to have a quaint afternoon walk around the boutiques and family owned restaurants while being surrounded by a beautiful beach. The neighborhood on the island is filled with cute little beach cottages ( which on average cost around 2 million ) that look like they could be out of a catalog.   Balboa Island is great for all seasons.   During Christmas time all the little beach cottages decorate their houses for the season. Theres even awards for the best decorated houses. Every year my family comes and walks around the island looking at all the decorations. Not only do they decorate there houses but they also decorate their boats. They have a boat parade and drive their boats around the island showing off their Christmas lights and decorations.   When on the island you must try either a frozen banana or a balboa bar. A balboa bar is simply ice-cream dipped in ...