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Newport Beach beaches offer incredible charm in a variety of settings that range
from huge sand expanses to protected coves. Operated by three entities ranging
from the City of Newport Beach to Orange County Parks (and Beaches) at Santa Ana
River County Beach and California State Parks (at Crystal Cove), guests might
easily think they are in different cities when visiting these diverse
destinations.
If you find the beaches a bit
confusing to get to, that's because many are tucked past houses sitting on banks
of sand, located down narrow one-way streets. There's lots of parking in
municipal parking lots near Newport Pier and Balboa Pier, where most vacationers
go. Easy to find, you head straight down Newport Boulevard from the Costa Mesa /
Newport Beach Freeway (55), toward Newport Beach and follow the signs to the
beach parking on the right hand side of the road. From Pacific Coast Highway you
can turn onto Balboa Boulevard or Newport Boulevard toward Newport Beach and
drive along a peninsula where you'll find the bulk of the public beaches on the
right hand side of the road a block or two to the right.
We tried to gain our bearings
recently and here's what we found in our attempts to access Newport Beach
peninsula beaches:
At the north end of the
Newport Beach, you'll be able to access the beaches from Pacific Coast Highway
by turning right on Orange Street (if coming from Huntington Beach) or left on
Orange (from the south). Traveling a short distance to Seashore, you can only
turn right. You cannot make a left turn because it is a one-way street going the
opposite direction. To the right you can access the neighborhood beaches by
parking at the limited, free parking spaces on Seashore, or the small public lot
at West Newport Park that has parking meters accepting quarters. If you drive to
the end of Seashore at Summit, a small circle at the dead-end road allows you to
easily turn around in most vehicles and exit at Orange. Streets that branch to
the west along this stretch may have one or two parking spaces, often used by
residents. Summit, Olive, Sonora, Nordina, Highland, Grant, Fern and Orange are
the streets that would run into the ocean if they continued. But in reality,
they are short streets that end at the sand.
While there is alley access
parallel to Seashore heading south several blocks from Orange to Prospect,
you'll be driving past garages of private homes, and will need to drive
slow. Once you exit from those alleyways where they dead-end at Prospect, you
must drive on Pacific Coast Highway south (right). Beaches from 62nd Street to
48th Street can only be accessed by turning on Pacific Coast Highway to West
Balboa Blvd., with a quick right at a stoplight at River Ave. (River Ave.
connects streets 45th to 54th.)
If you think this is
confusing, you are not alone. You may end up repeating your tracks several times
before figuring it out. In the summer traffic, it can be enough to deter all but
the locals from attempting to park in the little neighborhoods.
To add some spice to your
driving, at Seashore and 46th Street (accessible from West Balboa Blvd.), the
one-way direction changes and instead of heading north, it now goes south till
it ends at 32nd Street. 32nd to 23rd Streets are only accessible via West Balboa
Blvd. Just beyond 23rd Street heading south on the Balboa, you have the option
to veer left, staying on Balboa, or right, to park in public metered lots on
West Oceanfront. It is here that you'll find the Newport Pier, shops,
restaurants, pubs, The Newport Beach Hotel and convenience stores.
From 22nd Street to the end
of the Newport Beach peninsula, things are a little more straight forward in
accessing the Pacific Ocean. While there are some beaches along the Newport
Beach bay that's connected to the Pacific Ocean through a channel near the
famous surfing beach, The Wedge, traffic is permitted both directions along
Balboa Boulevard, and an easy turn to the right on nearly any street will lead
to the beach. To access the Balboa Pier, turn right on Palm, Washington or Main
Street to find the municipal parking lots with long term parking for those
taking trips to Catalina Island. Another set of metered parking lots on the
south side of the pier can be accessed by turning right on A or B Streets. Be
very careful as you cross East Oceanfront, a paved path used by bicyclists,
skaters, pedestrians and joggers. There are blind spots where you can barely see
the people coming. Inch out a bit until you know it's safe before crossing into
the parking lot.
For tourists, the portion of
beach is located across the street from this beach is an affordable hotel, Best
Western Newport Beach Hotel.
Beach Related
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