The Drive » South of Newport
Beach, prime-time ocean views
are just a short detour off Hwy
- First drive south across the
bridge over Newport Channel,
then after 3 miles turn right
onto Marguerite Ave in Corona
del Mar. Once you reach the
coast, take another right onto
Ocean Blvd.
5 Corona del Mar
Savor some of SoCal’s
most celebrated ocean
views from the bluffs of
Corona del Mar, a chichi
bedroom community
south of Newport
Channel. Several postcard
beaches, rocky coves and
child-friendly tidepools
beckon along this idyllic
stretch of coast. One of
the best viewpoints is
at breezy Lookout Point
on Ocean Blvd near
Heliotrope Ave. Below the
rocky cliffs to the east
is half-mile long Main
Beach, officially Corona
del Mar State Beach
(%949-644-3151; http://www.
parks.ca.gov; entry per vehicle
$15; h6am-10pm), with
fire rings and volleyball
courts (arrive early on
weekends to get a parking
spot). Stairs lead down to
Pirates Cove which has
a great, waveless pocket
beach for families –
scenes from Gilligan’s
Island were shot here.
Head east on Ocean Blvd
to Inspiration Point, near
the corner of Orchid Ave,
for more vistas of surf,
sand and sea.
The Drive » Follow Orchid
Ave back north to Hwy 1,
then turn right and drive
southbound. Traffic thins out
as ocean views become more
wild and uncluttered by housing
developments that head up into
the hills on your left. It’s just a
couple of miles to the entrance
of Crystal Cove State Park.6 Crystal Cove
State Park
With 3.5 miles of open
beach and over 2300
acres of undeveloped
woodland, Crystal Cove
State Park (%949-494-
3539; http://www.parks.ca.gov,
http://www.crystalcovestatepark.
com; entry per vehicle $15;
h6am-sunset) lets you
almost forget that you’re
in a crowded metro area.
That is, once you get
past the parking lot and
stake out a place on the
sand. Many visitors don’t
know it, but it’s also an
underwater park where
scuba enthusiasts can
check out the wreck ofa Navy Corsair fighter
plane that went down
in 1949. Or just go
tidepooling, fishing,
kayaking and surfing
along Crystal Cove’s
exhilaratingly wild,
windy shoreline. On
the inland side of Hwy
1, miles of hiking and
mountain biking trails
wait for landlubbers.54 p281
The Drive » Drive south on
Hwy 1 for another 4 miles or
so. As shops, restaurants, art
galleries, motels and hotels
start to crowd the highway once
again, you’ve arrived in Laguna
Beach. Downtown is a maze of
one-way streets just east of the
Laguna Canyon Rd (Hwy 133)
intersection.7 Laguna Beach
This early 20th-century
artist colony’s secluded
coves, romantic-looking
cliffs and Arts andTRIP HIGHLIGHTDisneyland Jolly Trolley at Mickey’s ToontownGREG BALFOUR EVANS / ALAMY ©