Crystal Cove State Park

Sandwiched between the Pacific Coast Highway and the Pacific Ocean just north of Laguna Beach, Crystal Cove is a coastal jewel.  

Featuring 3.5 miles of beautiful sandy beaches and 1100 acres of off-shore water that has been designated as an underwater park,  Crystal Cove is an excellent place for both diving and swimming.  

THE BEACH
Crystal Cove State Park has been  featured in several movies, including  Beaches, in which Barbara Hershey and Bette Midler spent time at this pristine waterfront preserve.  

The beach portion of the park is served by 6 major parking lots directly off the Pacific Coast Hwy. These parking lots are never filled,   and it is only a short walk from them down a paved path or  a set of stairs to the sand.  

The beach  includes six major coves providing a mix of sandy and rocky shoreline. Three major areas within the park have  excellent  tidal pools, and the shoreline attracts many species of waterfowl on their winter migratory flights up and down the coast. There are 2 major swimming beaches:    the area in front of the historic cottages and Muddy Creek.  The  rocky outcroppings in abundance along the beach also provide excellent areas for diving, fishing and snorkeling.  

Day Use AreasReef Point   
Access to this popular beach is from the Reef Point parking lot.. A quarter-mile trail travels to the north and descends down to the beach at 3.5 Cove. A stairway delivers you to the popular Scotchman's Cove,  and to the south, a ramp travels down to Muddy Creek, which is an excellent body surfing area.

Features: Excellent swimming area, tidal pools, diving, and surfing an underwater trail system  

Pelican Point

Facilities at Pelican Point parking area: Four parking lots each providing  rest room facilities, showers, and drinking water.  
Access to the beach: A paved path from P1, P3, and P4 rest rooms leading down to the beach
Facilities on the beach: Pit toilets  
Features: Tidal pools, surfing, historic cottages. Good swimming in front of the historic cottages  

Los Trancos
There is a  parking lot at the access way  to the historic district. A tunnel under the Pacific Coast Highway also provides access to the Crystal Cove cottages, and there is a pedestrian crosswalk at the Los Trancos signal light.

Facilities at Los Trancos parking area: Rest rooms, nature center, drinking water, and showers.  
Access to the beach: A paved pathway to the right of the rest rooms;  through a tunnel (under the highway);  through the historic district  

Facilities on the beach: Pit toilets behind the green cottage on the beach  
Features: Historic cottages

Diving at Crystal Cove / Reef Point. Divers refer to this cove  as Scotchman's Cove. With its rocks and reef, it  makes for great diving. To avoid having to cross the  shallow  area with its expanse of large, round  boulders, enter the water from the beach area to the east of the rocky outcrop.
 

Crystal Cove offers a little bit of everything. The beach  is popular with swimmers and surfers, kids can have a lot of fun  exploring the tidal pools and sandy coves, and there are facilities  for  those who enjoy fishing, mountain biking, hiking, camping,  and even roller-blading.  

Woodlands area nearby offer  camping, hiking, horseback riding,  and mountain biking, with about 17 miles of double- and single-track trails. Bobcats and coyote are sometimes spotted, so campers and hikers are advised to be considerate and tread carefully through these animals' homes. Hiking the beach is also great. At low tide, you can walk  along the 3 miles  of coastline. Separating the  sandy beaches are rocky points,  which can be treacherous at high tide if there is a strong surf running, so  you need to take care.  

Crystal Cove really does offer something for everyone.


 
Rest rooms, nature center, drinking water, and showers.  
 
    
Excellent  tidal pools
2 major swimming beaches
Six major coves providing a mix of sandy and rocky shoreline.
The  rocky outcroppings in abundance along the beach also provide excellent areas for diving, fishing and snorkeling.