Nearest Beach?

[jrkcr]

What is the nearest, family friendly, beach to DL? We are considering spending an extra day hanging out on a beach before we come home.
Thanks for any suggestions!

[NotaGeek]

Here's a thread about Beaches that I found using the SEARCH function. There's lots of good info in past threads that might be helpful...

[Marla]

From Disneyland you are about 30 minutes driving time from several really nice beaches. One of my favorites would be Newport Beach. If you can find parking close to the pier you could find a spot with a fire ring. Spending the entire day and roasting hotdogs and making s'mores. My second choice would be Huntington Beach. After a day in the sun you can find a nice restaurant with a beachy SoCal. flavor. Just a little further of a drive is the beautiful beach area of Laguna. On the beach is a really nice playground for the children. You can take a stroll along the shore with your kids and enjoy all the little creatures that live in the tide pools. Good luck selecting a SoCal. beach, there are many to chose from. Have fun!

[teamblackwell]

What we do, is go south on Harbour BLVD until it dead-ends (20-30 minutes) and then go north on the 1 PCH. Every time we go, we stop at a different place (from Newport beach- upto Huntington beach)and all the beaches are nice.

[jrkcr]

Your suggestions are great! I can use your directions to get to the PCH, visit whatever beaches we want to stop at. Then I know my way back to San Jose using the pretty PCH through Big Sur(which I LOVE) and not the interstate!!
Then weave our way to Sacramento, then east to Reno-perfect!!!
Thanks!! I didn't know Harbour Blvd ended at the PCH!

[sdewan]

First of all, pretty much all beaches in Orange County are family-friendly, so don't worry about that. Beaches from Newport Beach and further north are typically wide, flat and sandy. To the south beaches become narrower and rockier, with scenic cliffs, but sometimes require a walk down and up a hill to access them.

If you're going during rush hour on a weekday, following Harbor Blvd will be a good idea, but at other times you can do better using the freeways. From Disneyland, the 5 south to the 55 south will take you to the same place as Harbor Blvd, and eventually dead-end at the PCH. But if you stay on the 5 south, you can quickly get to some awesome beaches like Laguna, Doheny and San Onofre. If you want to be really impressed with a beautiful beach that is easily accessible, I would go to Laguna, and either hang out at the main beach or explore some of the many coves. (take the 5 south to the 133 south, which dead-ends at the PCH in front of the main beach).

[jrkcr]

I ended up driving first to Bakersfield to visit DH's aunt. Then I drove over to Cambria and we walked the beaches there. It was colder than I had wanted, windy too. But we had fun playing with star fish and sea critters, and DD16 scared all the other DD's chasing them with her long "Kat" tail made from sea kelp.
We drove the coastal hwy to Monterey and spent the night there. That stretch of road has to be my all time favorite!!!

Hopefully someday I will see the southern beaches in California!! I'd like to plan a trip to San Diego.