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!
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 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!
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.
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.
Castles, Characters, and Crayons 