Stroll on the Sands of the Corona del Mar Beaches

In 1904, George Hart purchased 700 acres on the cliffs east of the entrance to Newport Bay and laid out a subdivision he called Corona del Mar (Crown of the Sea). The only way to reach the town site was by way of a long, muddy road that circled around the head of Upper Newport Bay.

Later, a ferry carried tourists and residents from Balboa to Corona del Mar. Few civic improvements occurred until California 1 bridged the bay and the community was annexed to Newport Beach.

This hike explores the shoreline and marine refuges of the so-called Little Corona del Mar Beach and of the big Corona del Mar State Beach, and continues to the beaches of Crystal Cove State Park.

Consult a tide table. Best beach walking is at low tide.

Directions to the trailhead: From Pacific Coast Highway in Corona del Mar, turn oceanward on Marguerite Avenue and travel a few blocks to Corona del Mar State Beach. There is a fee for parking in the lot.

The hike: Begin at the east jetty of Newport Beach, where you’ll see sailboats tacking in and out of the harbor. Snorkelers and surfers frequent the waters near the jetty. Proceed down-coast along wide, sandy Corona del Mar State Beach.

The beach narrows as you approach the cove that encloses Little Corona del Mar Beach. Snorkeling is good beneath the cliffs of both Corona beaches. Each of these areas is protected from boat traffic by kelp beds and marine refuge status.

A mile from the jetty, you’ll pass well-named Arch Rock, which is just off shore and can be reached at low tide. The beach from Arch Rock to Irvine Cove, 2 1/2 miles to the south, was purchased by the state from the Irvine Co. and now is part of Crystal Cove State Park. Trails lead up the bluffs. From December to about March, the bluff tops offer a good vantage point from which to observe the California gray whale’s migration.

Pass Tiny Community

Continuing your stroll down the undeveloped beach and past some tide pools brings you to the tiny resort community of Crystal Cove, site of a few dozen beach cottages. The wood-frame cottages have been altered little since their construction in the 1920s, and were recently collectively named to the National Register of Historic Places. Cove is something of a misnomer, because the beach here shows almost no coastal indentation.

Rounding Reef Point, continue the beach walk along El Moro Beach. The sandy beach is sometimes beautifully cusped. El Moro is a misspelling of the Spanish word morro and describes the round dome of Abalone Point, which lies dead ahead. The point, a rocky promontory just outside Laguna Beach city limits, is made of eroded lava and other volcanic material distributed in the San Joaquin Hills. It’s capped by a grass-covered dome rising 200 feet above the water.

Return the same way or ascend one of the coastal access ways to the bluff tops of Crystal Cove State Park. You can use bluff-top trails for part of your return route.

Corona del Mar Beach to Arch Rock: 2 miles round trip. Corona del Mar Beach to Crystal Cove: 4 miles round trip. Corona del Mar Beach to Abalone Point: 7 miles round trip.