Crystal Cove State Park has
3.5 miles of beach and 2,000 acres of undeveloped
woodland, which is popular for hiking and horseback
riding. The offshore waters are designated as an
underwater park. Crystal Cove is used by mountain
bikers inland and scuba and skin divers underwater.
The beach is popular with swimmers and surfers.
Visitors can explore tidepools and sandy coves.
Crystal Cove offers sand and surf, rocky reefs,
ridges and canyons - plus recreational opportunities
- that appeal to everybody. State Park Rangers
conduct nature hikes in the winter.
The park features three miles of Pacific
coastline, plus wooded canyons, open bluffs, and
offshore waters designated as an underwater park.
Crystal Cove is not just used by people who enjoy
water related activities, such as swimming, surfing,
sunbathing, scuba and skin diving, but also people
who like to fish, mountain bike and hike.
The great expanse upland, north and east of the
Pacific Coast Highway is for hikers, who can follow
hillside and canyon trails to campsites that allow
visitors to feel they are "away from it all,"
despite being near one of the greatest population
centers in the United States.
Location – Directions
The park is located off Pacific Coast Highway
between Corona del Mar and Laguna Beach.
Latitude/Longitude: 33.5701 / -117.8756
This is not beach camping. After you park your car
in El Moro lot, you must hike inland about three
miles, mostly uphill. The trail is strenuous at
times and is in the opposite direction from the
beach. Some people report that it takes two hours to
reach the campgrounds, one way, while others report
six hours. You must pack everything in, including
water.
