Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
949-644-3151;
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Orange County
6am-10pm;
Mission Beach
San Diego
Carmel Beach City Park
Central Coast
Ocean Beach
San Francisco
Best Places for Beach Volleyball
Manhattan Beach
LA's South Bay
Hermosa Beach
LA's South Bay
Huntington City Beach
Orange County
Mission Bay
San Diego
East Beach
Santa Barbara
Books & Maps
The outstanding
California Coastal Access Guide
(University of California Press, 2014)
has comprehensive maps of every public beach, reef, harbor, cover, overlook and coastal
campground, with valuable information about parking, hiking trails, facilities and wheel-
chair access. It's especially helpful for finding secret pockets of uncrowded sand.
Surfing
Surf's up! Are you down? Even if you have never set foot on a board, there's no denying
the influence of surfing on every aspect of California beach life, from street clothing to
slang. Surfing is an obsession up and down the SoCal coast, particularly in San Diego and
Orange Counties.
The most powerful ocean swells arrive along California's coast during late fall and
winter. May and June are generally the flattest months, although they do bring warmer wa-
ter. Speaking of temperature, don't believe all those images of hot blonds surfing in
