Beaches

Swimming, surfing, bicycling, picnic facilities, hiking, bird watching, tide pool exploration, diving, volleyball, kite flying, fishing and more!

Capistrano Beach: Pacific Coast Highway and Beach Road, 2 miles south of the harbor. Enjoy volleyball, basketball and other beach activities. Fishing gear rental and sales are always available during the summer.

Dana Point Marine Life Refuge: Contains some of the best rocky intertidal habitat in Southern California. At low tide, sea anemones, star fish, octopus as well as a variety of shell fish can be observed, dolphins often play just off shore. The refuge is at the far west side of the Harbor. Park at the Ocean Institute lot and follow the paved path to shore.

Salt Creek Beach & Park: The long, sandy beach is a popular surfing spot. Both upland and beach facilities can be reached from Ritz Carlton Drive off of Pacific Coast Highway.

Strands Beach: The southern entrance to Salt Creek Beach Park (known to locals as Strands beach) is off Selva Road and features picnic tables, barbeque grills, a path and stairs to the beach.

Doheny State Beach: 25300 Dana Point Drive at the intersection of Del Obispo and Dana Point Harbor Drive. One of Orange County's popular camping spots, Doheny State Beach, is administered by the California Department of Parks and Recreation. The 62-acre site features over one mile of sandy beach and some of the best swimming and surfing in California. During low tide, the tide pools attract young and old for exploring. The campground features 120 tents and RV campsites, some only steps away from the beach. The picnic area has 170 picnic tables and 99 barbeque grills. Doheny State Beach is the readers' choice as the County's "Best Camping Site" in the Orange County Register's Annual best of Orange County Survey. Doheny is the site of surf contests, volleyball tournaments, and many special events, such as the Doheny Blues Festival. Doheny also has a five-mile San Juan Creek Bike Trail and an equestrian trail that links with another trail that heads inland to San Juan Capistrano. www.dohenystatebeach.org.