Salt Creek Beach Park

The most consistently good beach in Dana Point: a long crescent of sand backed by sandstone cliffs, with a reliable beach break for surfers, a good summer swimming area, and a grassy bluff-top park for picnics and watching the sunset.

The break here is shoulder-high to head-high on a normal swell, with several distinct peaks along the beach. Mornings are usually less crowded than afternoons. Parking on the bluff-top costs $1/hour and fills early on summer weekends. A paved path runs along the bluffs north to Strand Beach and the inclined elevator. Outdoor showers and restrooms are at the bottom of the access trail.

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A story
Salt Creek Beach lies directly below the Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel, which fought for decades to keep the beach private. California's coastal access laws ultimately prevailed and the public access path runs down through hotel grounds. This same fight played out at Strand Beach next door, where developers built a luxury gated community on the bluff and resisted the requirement to provide a public path to the sand — leading to the construction of the public inclined elevator that now runs down the cliffs.

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