{"id":467161,"date":"2026-09-17T20:57:05","date_gmt":"2026-09-17T20:57:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/467161\/"},"modified":"2026-09-17T20:57:05","modified_gmt":"2026-09-17T20:57:05","slug":"best-of-orange-county-2026-best-beach-orange-county-register","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/467161\/","title":{"rendered":"Best of Orange County 2026: Best beach \u2013 Orange County Register"},"content":{"rendered":"

Each year, we ask Orange County Register readers to choose their favorite places to shop, dine, play and do business in OC.<\/p>\n

Here are the top picks for Best beach:<\/p>\n

1. Huntington City Beach<\/p>\n

Pacific Coast Highway between Beach Boulevard and Seapoint Street, Huntington Beach; 714-536-5281; www.surfcityusa.com\/things-to-do\/beaches\/huntington-city-beach<\/a><\/p>\n

Like the beautiful, predictable and pristine waves that roll to its sands, Huntington City Beach has earned its reputation as the queen of the OC coastline.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt represents so much of what makes our coastal lifestyle unique,\u201d said John Urdi, president & CEO of Visit Huntington Beach. \u201cFor generations, people have gathered at the beach to surf, fish, play beach volleyball, roast s\u2019mores over a bonfire and enjoy the ocean. It\u2019s more than a landmark \u2014 it\u2019s a place where memories are made and traditions passed down.\u201d<\/p>\n

Located between Bolsa Chica State Beach and wetlands and Huntington State Beach, City Beach is part of one of the more famed stretches of coast anywhere.<\/p>\n

Bisected by the 1,850-foot Huntington Beach Pier with its red cupola, the beach \u201cbrings people together. Whether you\u2019re riding a bike along the beachfront path, taking a morning run, watching professional surfers compete during the U.S. Open of Surfing, or meeting friends for a bite,\u201d said Urdi.<\/p>\n

And don\u2019t forget O.C.\u2019s only off-leash dog beach on the north end.<\/p>\n

City Beach also offers vendors, entertainment, open-play volleyball courts, RV and car parking and even an all-inclusive playground. It is also home to myriad events, including the U.S. Open of Surfing, pro beach volleyball, concerts, Fourth of July fireworks, car shows and an air show.<\/p>\n

Also see: Best of Orange County 2026: See all the winners<\/a><\/p>\n

2. Huntington State Beach<\/p>\n

Pacific Coast Highway, from Beach Boulevard south to the Santa Ana River; 714-536-1454; www.parks.ca.gov\/?page_id=643<\/a><\/p>\n

Just south and almost indistinguishable from its northern Huntington City Beach neighbor is Huntington State Beach. Despite being a \u201ccountry cousin,\u201d State Beach is equally broad-shouldered and majestic, with the benefit of being more accessible and just enough removed to avoid some of the crowding and craziness that spill from downtown Huntington Beach and onto the\u00a0 sand at City beach.<\/p>\n

Set on 121 acres and stretching along a two-mile run from Beach Boulevard to the Newport Beach line, State Beach is family friendly, has ample parking (free with California State Park passes) public facilities, picnic areas, walking and biking paths and more than 200 free fire pits for bonfires that are free and open year-round. It is also a popular surf fishing spot for perch, croaker and corbina.<\/p>\n

State beach is also home to two restaurant\/bars, The Huntington Beach House and Sahara Sandbar and Pizza, operated by restaurateur Alicia Cox and her Prjkt Restaurant Group. This past summer, Cox and her company opened California Cabana, an event space for weddings and other functions, near the beach\u2019s south end.<\/p>\n

3. Crystal Cove State Park<\/p>\n

Pacific Coast Highway between Corona Del Mar and Laguna Beach, 949-494-3539, crystalcovestatepark.org<\/a><\/p>\n

While beaches in the northern stretches of Orange County may be noted for their coiffed and manicured glamour, for a more authentic beach experience, Crystal Cove fills the bill for natural beauty.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s one of the last open spaces with 3.2 miles of rocky coast and backcountry open space,\u201d Lt. Paul Andrus, manager of Crystal Cove said of the state park spread over 2,400 acres. \u201cIt\u2019s an untouched resource.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although Crystal Cove attracts 2 million visitors annually, seclusion can be found in its stretches of coves and craggy coastal formations, which include some exceptional tidepools. The backcountry expansiveness makes the Cove a favorite of naturalists.<\/p>\n

Another unique feature is a 12-acre historic district of 46 cottages, built as a seaside colony in the 1930s and available to rent for this who act quickly when reservations become available.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s like stepping back in time,\u201d\u00a0 Andrus said.<\/p>\n

In addition, docents and rangers offer educational programs and guided hikes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Each year, we ask Orange County Register readers to choose their favorite places to shop, dine, play and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":467162,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[163,165,164,174,1785,183329,116479,29469,38688,588,166149,10,13006,159979],"class_list":["post-467161","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-anaheim","tag-anaheim","tag-anaheim-headlines","tag-anaheim-news","tag-beach","tag-beaches","tag-best-of-orange-county","tag-bolsa-chica","tag-california-state-park","tag-crystal-cove","tag-huntington-beach","tag-huntington-state-beach","tag-laguna-beach","tag-surfing","tag-u-s-open-of-surfing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/467161","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=467161"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/467161\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/467162"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=467161"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=467161"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=467161"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}