There are many words humans say that will get the undivided attention of us canines. "Walk", "ride", "car" and "cookie" are among the most popular, but one of my favorites is the topic of today's blog:
"ROADTRIP!"
My pack had to run an errand in Orange County and the forecast called for great weather on the coast, so we decided to get a hotel for a night and spend a couple of days at the beach.
The O.C. has 42 miles of beach to explore and the adjoining cities of Newport Beach and Laguna Beach are, for the most part, dog-friendly.
I couldn't wait to hit the waves.
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| Nothing like the feeling of wet sand between my toes. |
We finished our errand around noon and headed for Laguna Beach. In Laguna, leashed dogs are allowed on almost all city and county beaches from September 11 to June 14. However, from June 15 to September 10, dogs are NOT allowed on any beaches from 9AM to 6PM.
Our first stop was Heisler Park. Located just north of downtown, it's a great place to park the car and begin the day's adventure.
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| Heisler Park |
A paved walkway winds past all the things you want in a good park: clean grass, flowers, trees, benches and picnic tables. There are plenty of poop bag dispensers, trash cans and water fountains too. What makes this place unique are the cool sculptures along the walkway and the spectacular views of the ocean and beaches below. Access to those beaches is via staircase.
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| Stairs provide the only access to most of Laguna's beaches. |
To the north is Picnic Beach. About 700' of clean, soft sand and gentle waves make this beach popular with families.
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| Picnic Beach |
To the south is Rockpile Beach. The eroding piles of tide pool filled rocks are home to a variety of sea creatures. A chart can tell you when low tide (the best time to visit the pools) will be.
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| Rockpile Beach |
Just off-shore is Bird Rock, a sanctuary that is off limits to people and dogs. Frankly, I don't know why you'd want to go there because I'm pretty sure the white stuff all over the top isn't snow. :P
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| Bird Poop Rock? |
Walk south past Bird Rock and soon the sand beneath your paws belongs to Laguna's Main Beach. Located downtown, this beach is popular with tourists and is loaded with fun things to do.
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| Main Beach |
A boardwalk traverses the beach past benches, picnic tables, a playground, basketball and volleyball courts, restrooms, and outdoor showers. There's also a small park with nice grass, a water fountain, and a poop bag dispenser.
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| Parks next to the beach...well played Laguna. |
Across the street, the downtown sidewalks were packed with people and there wasn't much for a dog to do. I was trying to convince the Pack to return to the beach...until we stopped for ice cream. I got a cup of vanilla. I just can't say no to vanilla ice cream.
Back at the beach, a different flight of stairs returned us to Heisler Park. We checked out the parts of the park we hadn't seen earlier before returning to the car and driving north on the PCH.
About 7 miles north of downtown Laguna is Corona del Mar, a seaside community in the city of Newport Beach. There are two outstanding beaches to explore there, but you need to know that Newport Beach only allows leashed dogs on the beaches before 10AM and after 4:30PM.
Turn left onto Poppy St. and continue until it ends at Ocean Bl. At this intersection, Little Corona Beach is to your left at the bottom of a steep walkway. Park on the street and enjoy the view for a moment. On the way down to the water you'll find restrooms, a shower, and signage with info about the beach.
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| The path to Little Corona Beach |
Little Corona is a gorgeous, rocky beach that's a little off the beaten path; making it popular with the locals. It's a small beach, so sunbathing real estate might be hard to come by, but splashing around the rock formations at the south end is more fun anyway.
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| Little Corona |
When you're done exploring Little Corona, head back to the car and drive north on Ocean Bl.. Almost right away you'll pass Inspiration Point, a popular scenic view spot, before coming to the entrance to Corona del Mar State Beach, aka. Big Corona.
At half a mile long, Big Corona is much bigger than its brother to the south and very popular. The gentle waves make it family friendly and there are restrooms, showers, volleyball courts, fire pits, and an information center.
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| Big Corona |
The south side of the beach ends at one of the jetties that make the channel into Newport Beach Harbor. You can walk along the jetty for some great views of the luxury boats that use the harbor and maybe see a sea lion or two.
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| The late afternoon sun feels nice on my wet fur. |
Wow! What an afternoon. I was tired and it was close to supper time, so we said goodbye to the beach and made our way to the hotel. It was time to clean up, eat, and set the alarm clock to go off early because dogs have to be off the beach by 10AM tomorrow.
[FYI: Newport Beach's Fashion Island may be the world's most dog-friendly mall. It's a large outdoor shopping complex where most of the stores allow dogs in and restaurants with outdoor patios provide us all with a place to sit while the humans eat.]
In the Part 2 of my trip to Orange County we'll visit the Balboa Peninsula and the "Crown Biscuit" of dog-friendly beaches in Southern California.
See you at the beach!
Chloe Canine-Angeleno
Some of the information I've shared in this blog was found at the following sources:
City of Laguna Beach
City of Newport Beach
All photographs were taken by Jim Gross.
Everything else was discovered by getting my paws dirty and the extensive use of my nose.
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