Stranded in Dana Point

Orange County "Secret" Beach: Dana Point Strand

The key to finding an uncrowded beach in Orange County? Be willing to hike! Dana Point’s Strand lies beneath a protected coastal promontory called the Headlands, surrounded by rocky bluffs and elegant homes. Getting there (and back!) is a challenge—exactly why it’s such a great beach!

Avoid the main parking lot (where a refurbished funicular shuttles lazybones much of the way down) and opt for a diverse 3-mile loop starting at the cliffside Dana Point Nature Interpretive Center. Grab a map and hike through coastal sagebrush, buckwheat, and coastal scrub. As you meander through the preserve, search the skies for osprey and listen for the meow-like song of the threatened California gnatcatcher.

A brief walk on a road and down some switchbacks leads to the sand. Grab a spot, relax, swim, look for the local brown pelicans, and enjoy your beach day. When it’s time to go, head up the shoreline, and then conquer some leg-busting stairs that trace the funicular track, and follow the path along the main lot as you are rewarded with constant panoramic ocean vistas.

Soon the paved walkway reaches Selva Road. Cross it to the aptly named Passage des Palmiers, a paved uphill test among palm trees. At PCH, head for a trail to your right leading into Hilltop Conservation Park, where more native flora thrives, including coastal prickly pear and bush sunflower, not to mention views of the fishing boats and yachts moored at the Dana Point Marina. The outlet releases you onto Street of the Green Lantern, which leads you southwest back to the Interpretive Center parking lot and the completion of your beachin’ workout!

Bonus: The nearby Ocean Institute, an educational center for marine biology and history, is home to interpretive exhibits and a replica of Pilgrim, the ship that Richard Henry Dana himself sailed aboard in the 1830s.

To get to the Dana Point Nature Interpretive Center (10 a.m. to 4 p.m., parking lot closes at sunset), from the north, take  Pacific Coast Hwy. (CA-1) to Street of the Green Lantern. Turn right and follow the road as it becomes Scenic Dr., which leads to the lot. From the south, take Pacific Coast Hwy. (CA-1) and turn left on Dana Point Harbor Dr. Continue a mile and turn right onto Cove Rd., followed by the next left onto Scenic Dr., which leads to the lot. No dogs.

Story and photos by Matt Pawlik, @mattitudehikes

Trending Stories NorCal

View all Stories
  1. Picnic and a Pedal

    West Marin has all the right stuff for an afternoon getaway: bike paths, babbling brooks, canopy forests, and secluded picnic spots. Combine a picnic and a pedal at Samuel P. Taylor State Park by biking the easygoing Cross Marin Trail.

    View
  2. Hike the Oursan Trail alongside Briones Reservoir in the East Bay

    Opt for Oursan

    Hike the trail less traveled in the East Bay's Briones Regional Park. The Oursan Trail is pure serenity on a wide hiking path skirting the northern shores of Briones Reservoir.

    View
  3. Most Peaceful Hike of All

    Is this the most peaceful one-hour hike in the Bay Area? It's got our vote! Lake Lagunitas is the smallest lake in a series of five found on the north side of Mount Tam, so it’s got that tiny but mighty charm. Do a 1.5-mile loop around the lake's shore-hugging trail.

    View
  4. Sebastopol Food & Wine Roll

    One apple farm, three charming towns, multiple wineries, and infinite natural beauty. Savor a perfect autumn day in Sonoma County by biking the West County Regional Trail from Sebastopol to Forestville via Graton. It’s a 17-mile (round-trip) adventure. 

    View

Trending Stories SoCal

View all Stories
  1. Wine Down, Dine Out in Lake Chelan

    The fertile soil around Washington State's Lake Chelan is ripe for more than just the amazing apples. Vineyards here yield high quality grapes, and some of the country’s best less-discovered wineries. Locals know it, and you will too when you start choosing from the more than 30 wineries in the region.

    View
  2. What's Up, Winthrop!

    It’s not just its location close to Washington State’s spectacular and less visited national park (North Cascades) that makes Winthrop such a winsome mountain town. This lively enclave in the Methow Valley bristles with a whimsical blend of Wild West charms, contemporary culture, and a mosaic of outdoor adventures—from river to lake to waterfalls, and beyond.

    View
  3. Hiker amid trees at Oak Glen Preserve in Yucaipa Southern California

    Apple of Your Eye

    That fall feeling is definitely in the air and on display at the Oak Glen Preserve. Apple orchards and colorful leaves are a bonus, as are the apple cider donuts and slushies you can enjoy post-hike.

    View
  4. Hike San Diego Volcan Mountain Wilderness

    Planet of the Oaks

    Let us count the number of oak tree species in the Volcan Mountain Wilderness Preserve near Julian: coast, scrub, canyon, black, and Engelmann. Five! The preserve’s Five Oaks Trail is a 3.2-mile hike that boasts all five.

    View