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Corona Del Mar State Beach
Rating Details »
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
33 reviews for Corona Del Mar State Beach
Well since I wrote a review on Little Corona Del Mar I thought it only fair to post something on the other beach. This is a nice beach too, the only issue is it gets a lot more crowded, especially on weekends. The best places are on the opposite ends of the beach. There are some nice beach area and cliffs to the south and on the north (see my image links below) there are some nice rocks and beach together. Though if you are thinking of photographing here and don't want a crowd you will have to work in a more narrow arrow then down in Little. Still not as hectic as say Huntington, so you could call this beach in-between Little and Huntington both physically and crowd factor.
Photographs: http://www.yelp.com/bi...
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
I went here early on a Thursday morning. It was absolutely beautiful. The calm water and the grey overcast made everything so peaceful. If you want to avoid crowds go early early in the morning.
Its a great place to go if you just want to swim. If you want waves, then go to a different beach!
Love this Family Beach. Its a treasure! Been going for years & its probably the best beach to meet family/friends at, since there is only one huge area to go to the beach & out (can't get lost basically & easy to find/locate everyone)
Parking: Easy resident parking (free) or down by beach parking lot (pay)
People: Crowded Summer Weekends
Bonfire: Yes, go early though!!
This beach has so many awesome little places to explore! Its not just one huge shore, you can explore the place.
hey guys i heard this place is great any ideas if bonfires are still allowed? how can i contact the beach anyway
Okay, so typically, I wouldn't have enjoyed paying $10 for parking, but sucked it up (or rather, thank you reimbursable travel expense...!)... The sun was perfect and it was just crowded enough for some eye candy but peaceful enough where we could find a spot well away from the kid that throws sand.
Lotsa children running around. This is more of a family beach. I probably won't go back here unless it is convenient because the children play so close to you on this small beach that I'm always fearing a volleyball or frisbee hitting me in the head.
This beach is cute, it's smaller than Huntington Beach and more family oriented environment, which means kids are everywhere! I personally like Huntington better, but I'm always a fan of any good beaches! Great place to have a bonfire and make SMORES, my ultimate favorite indulgence during the summer time!
i guess it'll take me a long time to get use to crowds so large that i can't even find a spot to sit down.
or wade in the water.
or finally sit down only to feel awkward because an overly tanned/burnt butt is next to my face
*sad face*
i don't think i can ever get use to it.
Such a beautiful beach. I came on a Sunday morning...I was attempting to do an open water swim with a group of people. It was very easy to find...if you park in the lot its about $10...but save your money and park on the street on Ocean Blvd, if you park on Heliotrope and Ocean you'll be right by the main stairways that lead you down to the beach.
This was my first time here, and I will definitely be returning. Dogs are welcome on the beach during early morning times which is great to bring my poochie. There are lots of firepits and some grassy areas for picnics. The beach itself isn't very large, but it's nice. it's a big place for divers, at least from what I saw. I was suppose to do an open water swim, the main problem??? I don't have a wetsuit...and the water was about 55 degrees F. Ouch...I jumped in...my legs and arms felt like I was being poked with tons of needles. I could honestly say I couldn't do the swim, I could barely move my arms and kick...the other lady who was going to do the swim with me also didn't have a wetsuit...we decided to come back for the swim when the water gets warmer. If there are any yelpers interested in an open water swim group let me know! We're looking for some swimmers to join us.
But then the lack of swimming gave me the opportunity to walk around and enjoy the beach and the homes. I will definitely be back for that swim. Also I saw a couple of dolphins out in the water pretty close to shore. Very clean, very beautiful beach.
My new favorite beach.
+3 stars for actually having hot chicks at the beach.
+3 stars for not getting laughed at when I stripped down to my banana hammock speedos.
+2 stars for the camaraderie and social openess of fellow athletes out in the open water.
-3 stars for imaginary sharks swimming under me while doing laps around the buoys. a fellow swimmer said that they'll never go away =(
OK, CDM might not really be as good as it gets, but for what it is, it is as good as it gets. Does that make sense?
It's compact and can get crowded. In general, the sand is clean, and there's not an interminable walk from your car to the water. (That means your bare feet won't burn on the sand.)
Overall, four stars, right?
Not if you include the caves and rocks. Yes, caves and rocks. OK, so you won't be blown away by them, but they are wonderful.
I have always loved Laguna Beach, but Corona del Mar is better if you don't want to pay for parking (and who does?). Park up on the street, then walk down to the beach. A nice quiet beach with fire pits, clean bathrooms and a nice white sand beach. Then, veer off to the right, where you see that large jutting rock and climb over to the other side, where there's a quiet cove with small caves and a perfectly calm beach overlooking the back end of Balboa Island.
I went there to study with friends, and spent the whole day enjoying the beach. The water, while cool, is calm and easy to swim in, with only smooth sand under your feet as you wade out. There are even the occasional sea lions sunning themselves next to you. And even though the tiny cove was always busy with families, rock climbers, couples and dogs (leash free!) and the requisite model shoot, it always felt secluded. Loved it! The main beach is also lovely, and seems to be the most popular spot around for picnics and outings.
Again, it's amazing that you can park for free and rock climb here. But it does kind of stink that you have to drive for at least a mile to get to any restaurants, so if you want a beach next to any life whatsoever, you might skip this and pay to park at Laguna.
This is my favorite beach to come to for my ocean swimming. The water is usually relatively calm and they have buoy markers out there for swimmers. The buoys also make it easy to practice sighting.
I always find free parking on the upper level and walk down and meet up with my friends at life guard tower #3, the one closest to the jetty.
Not only is it a great place to swim, but you can also have bonfires out here. Just like all the other beaches, they do close at 10pm. The firepits are a bit close together though (just a fyi).
Who wants to go for a swim?
EDIT:
Originally wrote this for the small beach. My bad! I thought I had this one right the first time!
Ahh, CDM.
This is a family beach if I've ever seen one.
It's location in relation to the break water/harbor entrance really makes this a cove - Hardly any waves here EVER. This means no surfers, which drops it a star, since that's one of the main reasons I go to the beach.
However, it makes up for this by providing plenty of amenities.
Firepits, Volleyball, Paid parking down the hill, or residential parking up the hill. Fairly clean (for a city/state beach) restrooms.
The worst part about this place is it's greatest asset - it's down a cliff. This makes it a bit troublesome for some people to get to (also the fact it's "hidden" behind a residential area) who don't want to pay for parking. A steep walk down either the north or south entrance can make one's thighs nice and tight if you do it enough. However, this steepness prevents the beach from getting overcrowded.
Another issue with this place is due to the fire rings - kids. You do have to camp out for a fire pit during certain times, and the local kids like to make a ruckuss here. Because of this, the police like to enforce the 10pm closing time, which quickly puts a kabash on any fun one might have here after hours. Darned teenagers.
However, it's a real gem of a beach and possibly a good site for a UYE =)
I love Corona Del Mar. Maybe I'm a bit biased since I grew up going to this beach, but I think it's great.
It's great for almost anything I could think of wanting to do at a beach:
1. Volleyball Courts
2. Calm waters for swimming
3. A great beach for running/walking
4. Firepits for smores and otherwise.
5. The chance to swim with sea lions
6. Seagulls who have no problem digging in your bags.
Ok well...I don't like nosy seagulls, but they're part of the beach and its beauty too. I highly, highly recommend coming to this beach. It's way better than Huntington, although not nearly as large. However, Corona Del Mar makes a trip to the beach seem like a trip to Disneyland or something. Go and give it a try if you haven't ever been, I doubt you'll be disappointed.
If I could get past the part where I get sand everywhere, then I could pretend to be a fan of the beach. Here resides a small family beach where the real estate is not cheap, literally. Its very soft core beach front with the soft waves and the shallow water. Did I mention the lovely facilities, including the restrooms? Should you be desperate and unprepared they offer an interesting array of foods at the snack shop. This alone impresses me. But don't be cheap with the parking. I mean, come on! $8 on weekdays!!!
Yours truly walked away with a nice, crispy tan. Eye candy you say? Yes, there is plenty. Although don't waste your time with the underage.
I'm not a big fan of this beach. Been here twice and both times it was waaaayyyy crowded. Surf breakers virtually eliminate all waves. Good for kids, but I pike the look, sound, and fun of waves (even small ones)...the potential crowdedness and all the kids are a turn off for me. Probably won't be back
Came here for the first time after researching on Yelp.
It is really 5 stars. Came here on a nice late afternoon, parked on the street to avoid paying to park. It's a nice walk down to the beach from the street; save your money. There was a good amount of people here but we had no trouble finding a little spot to enjoy the sky and talk.
There are a couple of volleyball nets which seem well maintained. Many many bonfire pits with alot of people using them, even though it was not a fri/sat/sun. Couldn't have asked for a better time. Beach closes at 10pm.
I came here a few weeks ago while the sun was setting. My BFF and I were visiting a friend of her's who lives a few blocks from here and we went for a nice little walk before dinner. I vowed to come back again with lil guy and hubby some time in the future to walk around again.
Today, my auntie and her grand-daughter came with us to the farmers market and when we were done she insisted we stop by the beach. Yeah, stop by. We weren't exactly in the neighborhood. We had just gone to the Irvine Farmers Market, but the weather was cool and so we complied. Hubby drove according to my auntie's directions and found ourselves at the Corona del Mar Farmers Market. After stopping there (upon my insistence) we made our way to the 'beach'. When we got there, I exclaimed that this was where I was a few weeks ago.
Luckily we managed to park -- right outside that funky all glass house too -- and then made our way down to the beach via the trail through the rocks. The kids sauntered down the rocks pretty quickly and thank goodness it wasn't a hard climb. When we got down to the water it was pretty cool. The kids found some tidepools and marine life in there. Needless to say they had a great ole time.
When we were done, my auntie suggested we go the other way by climbing towards the parking lot and then climbing the 4 flights of stairs back up to the street level. I suggest doing it the other way! Go down the stairs and then back up through the trail up the rocks. It's far easier to climb down stairs than go up them and it's definitely much easier to climb up a rocky trail than down one!! BUT having said that, it sure was a great workout.
If you get a parking spot for free this is a fantastic place to spend an hour or two just walking and climbing. The fresh air will do you good too. If you have to pay the $8 parking it can be a bummer!! Well, for me it'll be a bummer, seeing my middle name is "Mr Krabs".
Absolutely beautiful. I have only been there once (Friday night, actually!) and, if it were up to me, I would never go to another beach. It's stunning. The water is beautiful and calm, and the rock formations are interesting as well. The pits are spread out so you're not extremely close to others (because we all know how Californians are!) and the sand is soft. It's very peaceful. I'll be returning very soon.
I love this beach too. I have many happy memories of summers spent here as a kid. We'd leave hella early in the morning, and my gramma'd pack a lunch of fried chicken, a bag of peaches, and a jug of lemon water and we'd be set for the entire day. And then we'd toast marshmallows at the awesome fire rings and stay until late into the night. Sooo much fun. Man. It was great. I bring my kid, El Senor Picky, here now and then. We don't stay too late (he gets skittery about big waves) but that's no problemo, because during the blasted summer and during any national holiday, if you manage to snag you a fire ring, you'll have to guard it like it's freakin' gold and every Johnny Come Lately will hassle you for it every five minutes. And make sure you pack lighter fluid (because I forgot mine last time...) and make like a back alley abortion and bring some wire coat hangers (OH SNAP!) so you can toast your 'mallows. Insanity aside, this beach is lovely. Absolutely lovely. Bring your boogie board for tooling around; fyi, waves are beginner status most of the time. Make sure to check out the tide pools sometime during the day; its a great spot to take the kids. Try and spot the seal statues on the rocks from "inspiration point". AND! Most importantly, PICK UP AND THROW AWAY IN THE GARBAGE CAN FIVE PIECES OF TRASH before you go! Even if it's not yours. I'm serious! We gotta take care of our beautiful beaches. There was a boatload of tiny bits and pieces of trash and plastic (perfect for sea life to swallow,) scattered about the beach. Going during the summer months? Go during the week and everything will be swell, and hassle free. Ahhhhhhh.
It was a beautiful spring day for the beach! It was packed, as the beach was littered with colorful umbreallas along the coast. There's a parking lot for $8, or you can drive around a bit to find some street parking and walk down the ramp (good work out for the legs!).
They also have dozens of bonfire pits on the other side, but you usually have to get out there early in the morning (think 6am...ugh) to reserve a pit on the weekends.
Although it's always crowded, you can always find a spot to lay down a towel to chill out. A definite local favorite!
This is one activity I know my wife won't complain about especially on a cool day like today. The air was nice and crisp and although she was concerned about going down the trail through the rocks she did a stellar job.
There were lots of kids down by the beach and although the water was very cold, some of them were trying to boogie board while others were just having fun splashing around. My son and his cousin admired the tidepools with the marine life they found.
A really great little excursion for an hour or so and best of all, it was free! It was music to my wife's Mr Krabs ears.
When I was young, free, and careerless, I once lived here on the weekends enjoying sunsets, fishing on the jetty, splashing along the shore, bonfires, climbing rocks and or the jetty, and volleyball.
This is my favorite beach because wholesome people still come here; families, clubs, churches, and people that are out to enjoy a good day of fun in the sun.
Bonfire pits need to be reserved by noon on popular weekends. Usually we designate a couple victims to do this and trade off for shore breaks. It's nice to have a canopy and a pillow.
I love the communal feel that everyone has at night. Other pits will share wood. We usually share food with kids from other sites that smell our corn or roasted marshmallows.
When life gets muddled...come here and you'll feel pretty solid. Trust me, nothing beats a sunset at Inspiration Point, nothing.
BTW I would buy any of those homes if I could afford them. My favorite is the one that's being built with a Japanese inspired roof.
Love this beach. Great place to go by yourself or with a big group. Bring woods at night for bon fire and they're pet friendly. After 5 PM dogs are allowed but clean up after yourself.
I like passing by the houses as I descend towards the sand. I park in the neighborhood so I can have a nice walk through beach architecture. I used to draw rocks and I've never felt crowded. My friend and I sat on a bench watching the ocean during sunset. There's a coffeehouse within walking distance as well as a flowered wooden bridge a couple blocks away.
Probably of the most beautiful beaches on the coast of California. Its small and popular, which makes it very easily crowded. The enclosed coast with small waves makes it perfect for swimming and walking along the water. There are plenty of fire pits (you should see this place around Nowruz time). However, the many that they have are very close together and it is very common to find yourself in the smoke of another party's fire.
Not to worry, though the beach is small, there are a number of places to get away from the main scene; cliffs to look out of and rocks to climb. Did I say that this is a good place make a cute moment with your significant other?
As for the lost star in my rating... Recently the parking lot has been repaved and the parking fee has been raced to an outrageous price of $8 for regular vehicles. There is still parking on the street that looks out above the beach, but that parking can often be scarce on a busy day.
this was one clean beach
very beautiful to
10 dollars to park not bad considering how nice it was
we had a great time with the rocks and sea life on and in them
great family trip for a day and a picnic
Corona Del Mar State Beach is at the intersection of Iris Street and Ocean Blvd in Corona Del Mar. It is a cozy beach, only 1/2 mile long with plenty of organized, "clean" fire pits and areas for picnicing and beach volleyball.
I love this beach because it is not as crowded as Huntington Beach and the backdrop is so much prettier than HB! Plus if you're with a group, there are ample opportunities to roast smores and build a bonfire until 10 pm, which is when the Corona Del Mar State Beach closes.
Parking is free if you park near the beautiful, multi-million dollar homes along Ocean Blvd. If you plan on bringing firewood for your bonfire, then it's worth it to pay the entrance fee at the bottom of the cliff to park your car.
The beach is easy to get to. Just go on the PCH and turn West onto a side street that leads to Ocean Blvd. If you park far away, then you can take a nice stroll down to the beach itself.
Once there, set up shop with your beach chair and towel and start chatting it up with your friends! The firepits are really nice here. I've been to many beaches and the firepits can get quite nasty. For some reason, these firepits are quite clean! They're perfectly round cement pits with "Danger Hot Coals" written on the outside, for people who don't know what the hell those round cement things are!
The beach is cozy and is really wonderful for people who want to experience the beach without all the chaos at other beaches. I feel that the ppl who come to this beach are just out for a good old-fashioned time.
Check out this beach! It's a gem snuggled between Newport Beach and the Jetty of Newport Beach/Balboa.
came here a week ago for some free diving with a buddy...we came around 6pm and there was no parking attendant...meaning...parking was free...1 kudo for that...the water is very mellow here...i think they would call it a mother's beach...seriously...it was like a pool out there...
after diving...we decided to have a bonfire because our families met us up...had a great time...from what i see...a great beach with alot of bonfire pits and not enough people to use them all...not like the ones in Bolsa
i would highly recommend this beach...maybe it will get five stars when i visit it again tomorrow...
After a couple of weeks of planning, a beach picnic w/ family finally came to fruition this past Sunday; the hazy weather didn't stop us this time. This somewhat secluded beach is a family favorite; a perfect backdrop for a competitive game of scrabble and reading a paperback. also not a bad place to people-watch. =) my lil nieces really enjoy watching the marine life in the tide pools.
This place is pretty cool. My friend had her birthday party here last night around one of the fire pits. You can watch the boats leave in and out of the harbor and the seals play in the water. Fortunately it didn't rain on us but we could watch an amazing lightning and fireworks show while we were there.
It's a great place to have a bon fire, but it does get super crowd on weekend. It's still one of best beach in orange county
