Huntington Beach

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One of SoCal’s best beaches, the sand surrounding the pier at the foot of Main St gets packed on summer weekends with surfers, volleyball players, swimmers and families. Bathrooms and showers are located north of the pier at the back of the snack-bar complex. In the evening volleyball games give way to beach bonfires.

If you want to build a bonfire or have a barbecue, stake out one of the 1000 cement fire rings early in the day, especially on holiday weekends, when you should plan to arrive when the beach opens. To indicate that it’s taken, surround the ring with your gear. You can buy firewood from concessionaires on the beach.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Huntington Beach Pier

0.1 MILES

The 1853ft Huntington Pier is one of the West Coast's longest. It has been here – in one form or another – since 1904, though the mighty Pacific has…

2. Surfers' Hall of Fame

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To date, some 65 surfing legends have left their hand- and footprints in the concrete of this sidewalk, styled after Grauman's Chinese Theatre in…

3. International Surfing Museum

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The world's biggest surfboard (in the Guinness World Records) fronts this small museum, an entertaining stop for surf-culture enthusiasts. Temporary…

4. Huntington Dog Beach

1.1 MILES

Dogs can romp in the surf at Huntington Dog Beach, between Goldenwest St and Seapoint Ave, north of Huntington City Beach. Nearly a mile long, it’s a…

5. Huntington State Beach

1.19 MILES

Want even more surf and sand? South of the pier, Huntington State Beach extends 2 miles from Beach Blvd (Hwy 39) to the Santa Ana River and Newport Beach…

6. Bolsa Chica State Beach

2.36 MILES

A 3-mile-long strip of sand favored by surfers, volleyball players and fishers, Bolsa Chica State Beach stretches alongside Pacific Coast Hwy between…

7. Shipley Nature Center

3.26 MILES

On 18 acres, away from the beach, this nature center offers kid-friendly exhibits on conservation efforts and a self-guided wetlands nature trail.

8. Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve

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You'd be forgiven for overlooking Bolsa Chica, at least on first glance. Against a backdrop of nodding oil derricks, this flat expanse of wetlands doesn't…