Tag: beach

OC Beaches

Treasure Island Beach, Laguna Beach

momjennyp
The walkway to Treasure Island Beach in Laguna Beach

We are ready to dive into all things summer, and we’ve already made our first trip to the beach! My friend at www.goparkplay.com recommended Treasure Island Beach in Laguna Beach, and it did not disappoint!

The tide pools at Treasure Island Beach

This beach has a ramp or stairs access, a nearby covered parking garage (if you get there early enough to snag a space), beautiful cliff views and an incredible tide pool! We parked around 9:30am on a weekday, with a 3 hour maximum time limit (costing $7.50). When we left around 12:40, there was a small line of cars waiting to find a space. Street parking and another lot across PCH are also available. I used Treasure Island Park on Google Maps to navigate there.

A helpful sign explains what wildlife you might see in the tide pools

A helpful volunteer from the Laguna Ocean Foundation guided us around the gorgeous tide pools, helping us to find a sea star, sea urchins, and lots of crabs. She also took the time to explain to us that the sea stars in California and other parts of the US recently suffered from a disease that dramatically reduced the population. The fact that a healthy sea star was living in this tide pool is very exciting for conservationists. Further down the beach, we saw some sea lions sleeping on rocks too!

A sea star is nestled in the center of this tide pool

This beach features a beautiful rock arch near the tide pools as well. Since the beach is located just below the Montage hotel and hotel guests frequent the beach too, it was impressively clean and well-maintained. There was a shower at the bottom of the ramp for anyone to use. Restrooms are available near the parking structure too.

Rock Arch at Treasure Island Beach

We will definitely be back to explore in the future! The weather was gloomy during our visit, but those tide pools made it worth the trip! I highly recommend visiting this beach on a weekday and arriving early before the crowds.

OC Beaches

Wednesday Waves: Little Treasure Cove (Crystal Cove State Park)

momjennyp

It’s beginning to feel like this quarantine life may last forever, so I’m taking advantage of our best Southern California social distancing tool: the beach!

I’m on the hunt for the unicorn beach: clean, easy parking, not many stairs or hills between said parking and the beach itself, and . . . not too many people!

Does this unicorn beach exist? Maybe not, but i’m on a quest now and I can’t stop. I’ll keep exploring the amazing beaches that were so fortunate to enjoy here in Orange County.

Luckily, I’ve found a great resource for my search in the blog Go Park Play The author is an awesome mom of three has a great blog with detailed descriptions of local parks and places where you can get outside while social distancing.

Today’s beach is Little Treasure Cove at Crystal Cove State Park in Newport Beach. Parking was a breeze, you can pay via the Passport app. The parking rate is $15, but this gives you access to park all day, so you can leave and return later if you’d like to grab lunch somewhere nearby. There were quite a few lots with plenty of spaces available in each, we parked in Lot 1.

There is a walking path which takes you to the beach, as well as a couple observation points with beautiful views of the coast. When traveling on the path, you can choose to access the beach via a steep hill or a set of stairs further down. We took the stairs down onto the sand, but I made the mistake of choosing the steep hill when we left. Next time, I’ll save my leg muscles and take the stairs both ways.

The beach itself is absolutely stunning! Highlights include gorgeous rock walls with small caves (only accessible during low tide), a small waterfall, and tide pools. There are plenty of signs reminding visitors not to touch or disturb any of the wildlife. We spotted some small crabs and fish in the tidepools. The beach is well maintained, with restrooms near the parking lot. I didn’t see a speck of trash anywhere.

The crowds were very light since we visited on a weekday morning, but I’d imagine that weekends would be busier. I was pleased that we were able to find a spot far from the other families on the beach, and everyone was considerate about giving each other space as they walked along.

Overall, I’d say this beach is in the running for being perfect, except for that steep hill, of course. We will definitely be back and try to visit when the tide is low so we can better explore the caves.

Please let me know in the comments if you have any OC beaches that you recommend to escape the world!