Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
289
Laguna Beach has an overwhelming Mediterranean-island ambience, which makes
every-
one
feel beautifully, idly rich.
San Juan Capistrano,
in the v erdant headlands inland fr om Dana Point, is defined
by Spanish missions and by its loyal swallows. The mission architecture is authentic, and
history abounds. Think of San Juan Capistrano as a compact, life-siz e diorama illustrat-
ing the evolution of a small Western town—from Spanish-mission era to secular rancho
period, statehood, and into the 21st centur y. Surprisingly, Mission San Juan Capistrano
(see “Seeing the S ights,” below) is once again the center of the community , just as the
founding friars intended 200 years ago.
Dana Point,
the last town south, has been called a “marina development in search of
a soul.” Ov erlooking the harbor stands a monument to 19th-centur y author Richar d
Henry Dana, who gave his name to the area and described it in
Two Years Before the Mast.
Activities generally center on yachting and D ana P oint's beautiful harbor . N autical
themes ar e ev erywhere, par ticularly the str eets named for old-fashioned shipboar d
lights—a hodgepodge that includes S treet of the Amber Lantern, S treet of the Violet
Lantern, Street of the Golden Lantern, and so on. Bordering the harbor is Doheny State
Beach (see “Beaches & Nature Preserves,” below), one of the very best for its seaside park
and camping facilities.
ENJOYING THE OUTDOORS
BEACHES & NATURE PRESERVES
The
Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve,
in Hun-
tington Beach (
&
714/846-1114;
www.bolsachica.org), is a 900-acre restored urban salt
marsh that's a haven to more than 200 bird species, as well as a wide variety of protected
plants and animals. Naturalists come to spot herons and egrets as well as California horn
snails, jackknife clams, sea sponges, common jellyfish, and shore crabs. An easy 1.5-mile
loop trail begins from a parking lot on the Pacific Coast Highway (Calif. 1) a mile south
of Warner Boulevard; docents lead a narrated walk the first Saturday of every month. The
trail heads inland, o ver Inner Bolsa B ay and up Bolsa Chica bluffs. I t then loops back
toward the ocean over a dike that separates the Inner and Outer Bolsa bays and traverses
a coastal sand-dune system. This beautiful hike is a terrific afternoon adv enture. The
Bolsa Chica Conservancy has been working since 1978 on reclaiming the wetlands from
oil companies that began drilling her e more than 70 y ears ago. It's an ongoing pr ocess,
and you can still see those “seesaw” drills dotting the outer ar eas of the reserve.
Huntington City Beach,
adjacent to Huntington Pier, is a haven for volleyball players
and surfers; dense crowds abound, but so do amenities like outdoor showers, beach rent-
als, and restrooms. Just south of the city beach is 3-mile-long
Huntington State Beach.
Both popular beaches hav e lifeguards and concession stands seasonally . The state beach
also has r estrooms, sho wers, barbecue pits, and a water front bike path. The main
entrance is on B each Boulevard, and ther e are access points all along the P acific Coast
Highway (Calif. 1).
Newport Beach
runs for about 5 miles and includes both Newport and Balboa piers.
It has outdoor showers, restrooms, volleyball nets, and a vintage boardwalk that just may
make you feel as though y ou've stepped 50 years back in time.
Balboa Bike and Beach
Stuff
(
&
949/723-1516
), at the corner of Balboa and Palm near the pier, rents a variety
of items, from pier fishing poles to bikes, beach umbrellas, and body boards. The
South-
wind K ayak Center,
17855 S ky Park Cir cle, I rvine (
&
800/768-8494
or 949/261-
0200; www.southwindkayaks.com), rents sea kayaks for use in the bay or open ocean at
rates starting at $70 per day; instr uctional classes are available on weekends, with some
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