My wife and I visit here for the first time yesterday. It's a awesome beach in CA. I've been to La Jolla Beach, Laguna Beach, Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Salk Creek Beach, Strands Beach, Pismo Beach, and others. But Crystal Cove beach is also one of the best beach in CA. There was not many people out there, maybe due to the cloudy sky. But the sky was fantastic around the sunset time and it looked like a kind of awesome paintings. We enjoyed the time at the beach around an hour and half. During that time we met beautiful sunset with cool and fresh Pacific air. Wanna be there more later with my DSLR and tripod to take a wonderful sunset.

These are the trails on the inland side, there is a tunnel that can lead you to the beach side near the south most parking lot. There is a lot to explore with the various trails, it can take you from 1-2hours or even 4+hours depending on the trails you take. Some are difficult/strenuous, there are maps that show some of their difficulty but not all are labeled. The area is awesome, you get to see some forest type terrain, grassy, and dry as well. There are high points near the road where you can view the ocean. Definitely pack plenty of water and maybe a snack if you decide to explore up to the back area.

The overall Crystal Cove encompasses a large area straddling Pacific Coast Highway in Southwest Newport Beach. I’ve really enjoyed leisure time spent here, whether relaxing at the beach with the sounds of the surf or up in the canyon, where it’s quiet as can be! Hiking can be done right out of the parking spots and continue up to awesome viewpoints! Day use is $15 per personal vehicles, commercial vehicles may have additional fees. The staff are friendly and helpful, facilities are kept clean and in good working condition and the trails are maintained with many even lighted at night. The main parking area is on the east side of Pacific Coast Highway and the oceanfront beach side of the park is to the west of the highway. I urge caution to cross from one side or the other, as the straightaway is a rapid passage for vehicles in lieu of a freeway. I’d cross at the crosswalks, where the traffic lights are, or use the tunnel at the south end of the park. A shuttle departs from the main lot to the Historic Crystal Cove every few minutes for only $2.00 per person. The west side has smaller parking lots and the oceanfront becomes dark after sunset. Though the trails on this side are well defined, everybody seems to clear out in the evening, except for the Historic Crystal Cove.

This place has got to be one of the most beautiful places I've seen. From their hiking trails, to beach cottages, The Beach Comber restaurant and their tide pools, everything is top notch! You can also rent fire pits and beach chairs! I borrowed some pics from their website and posted them here. The story of Crystal Cove Cottages is awesome. Check it out whenever you can.

Beautiful boardwalk. We went around mid-June this year and the weather was perfect. There is enough parking for everyone who paid to get in. We walked the boardwalk and took the small dirt road to the beach. It was steep but easy. The water is cool and clean. People are nice and friendly. Overall, you should spend a few hours here to recharge and relax.

Always a great sight to visit for some sunshine, ocean air, brisk walk along the trails above and below on the sand. Parking is $15 per day for automobiles. It sounds expensive; however, you cannot put a price tag on access to one of the best beaches in Orange County. There is much open space to enjoy without worrying about the pandemic that is still hovering over us, for that time spent at the Cove. And if you would, bring a bag and pick up any debris you may see on the beaches. Those plastics are ingested by these poor sea birds and they just suffer in silence. We have to all be involved in saving our planet and sea life one debris at a time. Happy trails to you!

This place is enormous and is home to a few trails of varying difficulties. It costs $15 to park for day access. Moro campground is nearby but that's a different area with it's own school, El Morro School. There is an easy, moderate, difficult, and strenuous trail. I took the difficult trail and it took me exactly 2 hours to complete which was about 5 miles with elevation as high as 740 feet. Maybe next time I'll try the strenuous 9 mile hike that can take nearly 5 hours to complete. I had waterproof hiking boots, long hiking cut away pants, a T-shirt, and a lightweight package backpack which held 48 ounces of water and more. I did not need all 48 ounces of water. The difficult trail has shin breaking declines and heart rate increasing inclines, but I survived. The views were also amazing. Oh and there was a snake on the trail that eventually slithered away and on one of my stops I heard a deep growl which came from a nearby brush which was probably a mountain lion.

Crystal Cove State Park off Pacific Coast Highway Newport Coast California area Amazing beach, nice swell creating a big wave to surf. Get a Sun Tan ,Check out the tide pools, snorkel , swim make a sandcastle and other cool beach activities. Add to the great beach and beach activities are the wonderful hiking trails that take you up in the hills for great scenic vistas. El mora loop is a good choice.

Beautiful place, quiet, not too crowded $15 parking, no dogs on beach. Awesome views. Great spot for early afternoon lunch and nap. I went @ noon on a Friday and was pretty happy with the lack of crowd. Great spot to watch the sunset. I parked at the reef spot, long stairs to go down.

The park ranger was very friendly. He told us that the the main beach for crystal cove was not a good fit for our disabled daughter. Because you have to park across the street and walk a ways. He directed us south to another part of crystal cove that the locals call Reef beach because it's off Reef rd. This beach dis have a very smooth path, albiet steep in places. There were multiple bathrooms and outdoor showers for rinsing off salt water and sand. The beach was beautiful however it was prohibited to take rocks or shells off the beach. All in all family had a good time

Pros: -You can enjoy various natural landscapes and activities such as beaches, mountains, and underwater. -You can enjoy beautiful scenery along the coast road. -There are spacious and clean campgrounds and hiking trails. Cons: -Hard to find the restrooms -There are fewer things to enjoy when the weather is cloudy or rainy. Crystal Cove State Park is a representative natural conservation area in Orange County that many people visit and love.😊

This place is very beautiful! There is a $20 entrance fee. There are restrooms and a shower. The lifeguards were informative and kind. You can’t take any shells or rocks. The did allow us to take driftwood and sea glass. There were so many different shells to look at. The water was clear and watching the waves was awesome. There were surfers out.

This is now my favorite beach in the OC. Beautiful scenery, sand, and water. Be ready to hike. It's a long walk to the water. Be prepared to have your strollers and buggies ready, or you will have some screaming kids that won't even make it to the shoreline. It gets super busy, and the parking lot fills up fast.

One of my favorite places to hike! Great views and definitely challenging. Did the El Moro canyon to the Moro Ridge loop. About 8 mile hike and it took me 3 hours. Not too many people although I did go on a Thursday

I have always enjoyed coming to this park in compare to Dana point or Newport. This one is usually less crowded and easier to find street parking. With that said, it is also a little more ways to get to restaurants. I usually come right around 2pm when people are heading out for lunch so that I could park right next to the ramp to head straight down to the beach. Bring your sunhat, pack some snacks and enjoy the California sun!

Sometimes I like to go away from the noise of the city and Crystal Cove is probably MY FAVORITE. It’s a state park but it’s MASSIVE. You have cliffs upon cliffs and sandy beaches in between. You could walk for ages and still be astounded by the views. It’s peaceful, quiet, stunning and is honestly a gem of a find. Parking is usually available in the park, but if not, park on the other side of the PCH and walk across the street to the entrance of the park. Bonus point: Shake Shack isn’t far away. :))

Always beautiful, favorite beach in OC! - Small beautiful hike to get to beach but be aware that there is a very steep concrete / sandy incline to get up and down from trail to beach.

Crystal Cove is one of the best parks around and its beaches are beautiful. This area is filled with beautiful wildlife and the beach isn't too crowded even during peak hours. The park rangers and lifeguards are nice and helpful. You'll love this place more than any other beach in the area!

Enjoy the best Beach State Park in Southern California. There’s so much open space to ❤️ Hiking, Biking, Picnics, Miles of Beaches, and the Scenic Landscape. Great place to get away from all the noise and just meditate and relax. The best part though are the gorgeous sunsets. Arrive an hour before sunset and stay half an hour after. You will go back completely refreshed and recharged.

Not worth $20 for parking. I can't believe how much it is to park here! It's a small lot (maybe about 20 spots. Unless I didn't see an extended area). It is a far walk from your car to the beach (again, not worth paying to park here but there is nowhere else to park if you want to come here). They do have a bathroom before you go to the beach area and it does have a shower area to rinse off sand. Once we got to the beach, we went to the cave area (so underwhelming, I expected much more). We wanted to wait for the tide to go down so we could look at the tidepools. But looking down on the ground, I noticed trails and trails of ants!! I have never seen ants at the beach before! So gross! We ended up walking further down to the other side of the beach and sat down there. It had less ants but of course two still managed to crawl up on me even though we sat on a blanket!! I definitely did not feel relaxed at this beach and did not like much about it. The only good thing, and why it gets 3 stars, is because we found a cool sea snail. Other than that, this tide pool sucks!

Had a small wedding on the bluff here. You can reserve a time and prepay parking for attendees. Standing room for about 25 people and wooden benches for 10. Good parking and easy access for seniors. It’s a state park so not as crowded as other beach areas. Worth the parking fee to just stroll along the beach. We parked in lot two and there is a nice trail down to the beach. 34 stairs and an arm rail. Not too difficult.

Such a gorgeous beach. Be prepared for the walk down the ramp....I say kick of your shoes so you don't slide. It's worth it when you reach the bottom. Gorgeous cliffs and stunning views. There are rocks out in the water so be safe. Pods of dolphins swimming by and the colors of the water are breathtaking.

Such a great place to just walk and relax. Easy access to the beach. I especially enjoyed watching the crabs on the rocks. I would recommend wearing thicker sandals or some foot covering because several of the rocks were sharp. Seems to have good bike and walking trails as well.

Had a great camping stay there. The Moro camp ground parking lot is the least steep walk to the beach. You have to go through the tunnel that has some water to wade through, but that was fun. It was just ankle deep. Bathrooms were always clean and stocked.

It is a beautiful place to be. Very peaceful. Great for walks, romantic walks, family walks. U can hike the trail or walk along the sand. They got restaurants right on the beach and little shops. It a great for tourist. You can even rent out the small house they have on the beach ⛱

It's an ideal moment to go for a stroll around here since the wildflowers are abundant. Due to the rainfall this year, there are more flowers than in previous years. Additionally, the new parking area in the park is now open. It's one of my preferred locations to walk and appreciate the stunning ocean scenery. I feel extremely grateful to have access to this place anytime.

This was my first time visiting this park and it was absolutely beautiful. The cost is $15.00 to park. We were there in December. It rained a little while we were there, but we didn't let that stop us from taking a few photos. I would like to visit again during the summer.

Stunning beach! We went in January the weather was great and it wasn’t very busy! It’s complete sand. It’s about a $15 charge to visit the park but totally worth it!

Absolutely Beautiful! This Campground is kept extremely CLEAN it's beautiful and the people are friendly. The bathroom are single stalls and actually have a mirror! They have hot showers. For the shower you have to purchase tokens for each token (1.00$) you get two minutes, it's worth it. They're large and the water is hot. This Park has all the amenities, water, electric and a wast disposal area. This is a dog friendly park unfortunately you can not take your dog on to the beach. This park is handy capable and have sites for the disabled as well as restrooms. This place is great for all ages. There are a few shops, restaurants and a Trader Joe's near by but if you need a Grocery Store you will have to drive at least 5 to 10 miles. I can't wait to go again! Enjoy 💋❤️✌️😎✌️❤️💋

There's limited parking here, but waiting for a spot to open up is very much worth it. There are rocky portions in the beach which can be a good platform for nice photos and crustacean watching. The shore width is about ten meters but the length stretches until Laguna Beach (I think), so you're sure to have enough space for a big group. There are no lifeguards but the waves are tame. The park also closes by sunset.

Dogs only allowed on paved bluff trail not on beaches. Beautiful views - worth walking to the end of trail for views. Bathrooms ok but not super clean. Wear sunscreen even if foggy. Bring a hat and good walking shoes. Stroller for dogs if small or when pavement is hot.

If you love seashells welcome to heaven. And the beautiful sandy beach is romance incarnate. I love it here and so does my amazing wife.

One of my favorite beaches, with breathtaking views. Whenever I go to a trial in Crystal Cove State Park with my buddies, we always end up spending some time on the beach. It has a large number of parking places, but they are all charged. Unless you have an annual explorer pass, parking close to the beach is $15 per day. The beach is a must-see, and it never disappoints.

Wow, I highly recommend this beach to bring with the family. Park in the Los Trancos Parking lot! Amazing views amazing beach! Everyone here is so nice and it’s very relaxing vibe - they have restaurant if you forgot to pack snacks for the kids

Clear water and beautiful state beach. Spent the afternoon there. It was not crowded at all. Handy public toilet facilities!

We paid for an hour parking for only $5. Came on a Tuesday early afternoon. We were practically the only ones there. Parking was easy to find and next a bathroom. The walk down to the beach is very steep. My seven year old made it down and back up no problem. I decided to carry my four year old for safety reasons. Like stated earlier, it's a very steep decline down to the beach.

Beautiful for hiking or just having a walk and enjoy the scenery. It’s even more beautiful during spring time as you can see many wildflowers blooming. Love the tide pools. Great way to spend the day.

This place is beautiful and clean. It is $10 to park and a hike down a steep hill, but it is fun! I don't recommend bringing people that have a hard time walking a long way here, nut they do have handicap access closer to the cottages where they filmed the movie Beaches. I recommend for the kids, they can swim and play in the sand, and the tide pools are there for exploring as well.

It was overcast both days we visited, but the weather was still very nice and the sun wasn't beating down on us. We didn't even need sun screen! The beach itself was pretty clean and we had a lot of fun checking out the tide pools while the tide went out and splashing around in the ocean when the tide started coming back in. We went to a couple spots but I think parking lot B was the best.

This is the first beach I’ve ever visited that has a waterfall! There are lots of places to park at the top of the cliffs, and then you can hike down to the beach where we found lots of gulls and other shorebirds. Even the rock formations are beautiful. One of my favorite beach parks in SoCal.

I had so much fun photographing this adorable family here a few years ago, I wanted to share some snaps from the session. It wasn’t very crowded and no one bothered us for shooting there, we didn’t have a big set up. Just my camera and natural lighting, and the gorgeous beach and cute stairs and structures as the backdrop. Lots of great photo ops here! Parking is a bit far so wear comfortable shoes

Highly recommend Visiting at least once, this place is so fun and cute little cottages. We didn’t stay in the cottages we came on a weekday and parked and walked around, it was so nice and beautiful scenery

This beach has it all, a quick way into the beach where you will find a clean well kept beach, you don't have to walk far in the sand to reach the water which is my favorite part, once done with the beach you can find clean well maintained restrooms and showers, the restrooms are large enough to change in and clean enough to where i don't have to be scared of putting my clothes on the sink, the parking lot is just off of the restrooms which makes it very easy to dump your beach gear and then go shower/ change. Parking is 15$ and all in all it is one of my favorite beach spots ever.

FAVORITE part of my trip to California!! Parking was a little confusing, but we also didn’t do much research before going. We stumbled upon a shake shack which was such a fun and delicious local find after watching the sunset on the beach.

So much WOW! The historic "village" is like something straight out of a Hallmark Christmas movie, where 1950s surf vibes meet modern dining. And the echo chamber walking tunnel there is just awesome! The beach nearby is a great spot for hanging out or even family or engagement photos. This is definitely on my list to visit regularly!!!

Very nice park with various options for hike, 2-3 miles, 5 miles and 15 miles. We did 2-3 miles trails and it is medium trail not so hard. View from top is spectacular. You can see PCH , Laguna and many more places from top… very organized, enough parking space, restroom available and also if you are interested in camping, you ca do that too…. You can go to beach after completing your hike for relaxing yourself using tunnel under PCH. For one day parking you have to pay 20$.

Loved this place. We set up our stuff near the tide pools. Water was super clear I could see my toes😅 my kids loved the tide pools, they caught n released a bunch of crabs. We were able to cook at the beach so I brought a little butane stove n made burgers n hot dogs. There's no parking close by but on top of the hill n across the street you can park for a fee n take a shuttle down as well for $1.50 each person. There's also a bunch of restaurants near the beach which is a plus if you don't bring food..

If you haven’t been you should go! The scenery is beautiful as you can see and you can have lunch right in the beach. Be sure to have your phone charged up. You’ll be taking so many pictures. Enjoy!

It's our favorite beach to visit by far. So much to see and do. Go for a hike or have a picnic and then visit the beach to cool off on a warm day.

The California coast is rich with beautiful beaches, but even then Crystal Cove stands apart from most locations. It has a small village vibe and lots of space to hang out and enjoy the scenery. There are nearby trails, easy parking across the street (around $5 an hour, though), and a few restaurants to eat at. All this makes it a premium destination in the southern California area.

This place is very beautiful! There is a $20 entrance fee. Great for walks or U can hike the trail. There are restrooms and a shower. It is a beautiful place to be. Very peaceful.

Beautiful beach between Laguna and Newport. Day or annual passes for purchase. Restrooms and showers and ample parking. Walk thru the tunnel (might be flooded!). Good surfing spot next to the cliffs.

Beautiful beach at the base of the hill. Parking is $15 all day, but includes bathrooms, a map and a well kept beach with many hiking trails and amazing views.

We went to check this place out yesterday to see what the camping was like. Absolutely loved it. Each and every camping spot in Moro Campground faces the ocean. Each row of spots is also higher than the other rows so you can see over other campers.

This place is gorgeous! The views from the hike up the hill are amazing. There are several different routes of varying difficulty. We didn't heed the park ranger's advice and went counter-clockwise up a steep hill (instead of clockwise) -- but it was still quite manageable. On our hike we saw: - squirrels - rattlesnakes - hawks - stinkbugs - lizards On the other side of the parking lot you'll find a clean and quiet beach great for lounging or building sand castles. The water's cold, but the waves are usually reasonable, should you decide to take a dip.