OC Beach Bonfire map
Bonfire Video
Huntington Beach
--Bonfires are
an extremely popular beach activity in Huntington Beach, CA, especially in the summer months from May to
September. On any given night you'll see the yellow flashing light of crackling,
dancing fires as friends snuggle up to a cozy beach
bonfire after the sun goes down over the perfect California beach town.
Three beaches of bonfire fun is what you'll discover when driving along the
coast to Orange County's Huntington Beach. That's because the beach, though
connected along its 8.5 mile distance, is broken into the stewardship of
separate agencies. Like a patchwork of planning and coordination, the beaches
throughout California are managed in this manner.
Three Huntington Beaches
of fire pits and bonfire fun include from south to north: Huntington State Beach;
Huntington City Beach; and Bolsa Chica State Beach. Which one should you visit
to have a bonfire? Well that depends. They are all fantastic. And and throughout
the winter, fall and spring, there's usually a cement ring to build a fire for
anyone who desires one. But when summer comes, all bets are off. The
stake-out of a cement ring for a bonfire can be claimed as early as 10 a.m., no
kidding!
Fire wood is sold at beach
concessions in bundles large enough to supply you with about an hour of bonfire
entertainment. The local stores sell bundles of wood, too. The price of a bundle
used be under $5 but now it is over that amount. You can cook hotdogs,
roast marshmallows, sing songs, dance, kiss, hug and watch the sun go down
around a fire. In the grocery store at Seacliff shopping center, a clever
display we saw was a S'mores aisle display where the packs of Hershey's
chocolate bars, marshmallows, and graham crackers, were sold in one "grab it"
section so the store employees didn't have to point people all over the grocers
for the items needed to have a bonfire. Now if they'd done it better, they would
have placed the display with the wood bundles sold for bonfires. Nevertheless,
that shows you just how popular beach bonfires are!
Some things to know include the seldom discussed considerations
that your clothes will smell like smoke and as the temperature of the air drops,
you'll teeter between cold and hot. The embers can blow and catch things on fire
so keep the kiddies at a distance. And food tends to pick up a little sand
somehow when you have it laid out on a cooler, blanket or whatever you bring
along.
Use of the fire pits is absolutely free. The days to get to the beach really
early if you want one include 4th of July and Labor Day weekend. The
chance of finding a pit (or even parking after a certain time) becomes an
incredible challenge on those busy summer weekends running July through
September.
3 Beaches Location: Pacific
Coast Highway in Huntington Beach from Warner Ave. to Brookhurst Street.
Note: There is a trend toward
beaches trying to cut costs and get rid of their fire pits. If you feel
passionate about this issue, be sure to let your local beach agencies know how
important it is to you!
