Corona del Mar State Beach
Corona del Mar, CA
Corona del Mar State Beach is a wide, popular stretch of sand and rock at the harbor entrance, with tidepools, a cafe, and genuinely good diving conditions on calmer days. It's the busier counterpart to the quieter Pirate's Cove tucked just around the point.
A solid, popular beach with real tidepools and diving, though the separate fee structure and crowds are worth knowing about going in.
How we score beachesNote that the State Parks annual day-use pass isn't accepted here, it's a separate fee structure from most other state beaches.
A day-use fee applies; the annual State Parks pass is not accepted here.
Leashed dogs are allowed on the sand only before 10 a.m. and after 4:30 p.m. under Newport Beach's citywide dog curfew, since the city operates this beach.
Orange County's water takes until late summer to really warm up, climbing into the low 70s by September.
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