On the way back home from La Jolla, CA, I decided to take a flight detour to listen to the waves…read moreand see the San Clemente pier. Upon arriving, the ocean, sky, and pier looked relaxing and beautiful. The sound of the waves was soothing and instantly relaxed me from driving on the freeway I had left only a few minutes earlier. The pier looked especially inviting, as it appeared empty from a distance. With the blue skies, white clouds, and the tan colored sand of the beach below, it was as though I was reading about the pier and ocean in a book. Everything was simply perfect. I love this pier so much, especially on a weekday like this, in which I feel as though I have both the beach and pier to myself.

I love this pier/beach. Parking can get kind of tough, but they do have a decent sized lot…read more There's a somewhat strong undertow at this beach. They also have the train going by constantly, which is fun to see.

Finally got a chance to visit the famed Treasure Island Beach. It was everything we had hoped for…read more We visited at the start of Spring Break so we were concerned about parking. It was very busy but we were able to find city parking along PCH. A short walk later, we found ourselves strolling down to Treasure Island Beach. I really appreciated it being handicap accessible right to the sand! The view was beautiful. Lots of space to lay out. Very clean. Great place to swim and take in the awesome tide pools. We were surprised to find to marine scientists available to describe the various species that live in the tide pools onsite on a Sunday. They were great. The beach was perfect. Will need to return with more time.

It's been 50 years since I've been on this beach. I used to live next door at Blue Lagoon. The…read morebeach is pretty much the way I remembered minus the wooden pier. The trailer park is gone too. I like Laguna, there's so many hidden beaches.

First time at this beach was on a Friday afternoon and it was not busy. There was plenty of…read moreparking that you can pay with a QR code. You might find street parking a block or two north of the entrance. This is a nice place to walk along the shore or connect to a hiking trail. The beach was clean and well maintained. It is about 1/2 mile East of the San Clemente Pier. We were able to see the sunset and off to the right, we saw a yoing couple exchanging wedding vows. There is a snack shop, it was closed during our visit, February is considered their "off season," with limited hours. Don't forget to tell'em that Rosemary sent ya! But, bring your owns snacks in case they are not open.

Been coming to this beach for years and it is beautiful! Beware that the parking fee has sadly gone…read moreup to around $20 for a day pass, so I recommend parking at a different beach and walking over. The beach trail is well maintained but the stairs have been well loved over the years (still sturdy! Just old!).

Nice local beach with fire pits and beautiful sunsets. We watched some surfers, walked down along…read morethe ocean, walked the pier, saw some Instagram influencers trying to get their perfect videos and then watched the sun go down. It was a nice end to a long week. I will be back soon.

T-Street Beach is a gorgeous location in San Clemente. It's a beautiful beach, with great waves and…read morea wonderful walking trail that leads down to the San Clemente pier. The views at the beach are incredible. They have showers, relatively clean bathrooms and an awesome snack bar! Personally I love the trail and the views of the pier along the way! One thing to note is that most of the parking will be metered, but you can also find some in the residential areas as well.

It only took me 31 years of living in CA to make my way to San Onofre…read more This is my favorite SoCal beach yet. There's something about this beach's vibes that transports you straight to the 80s. It's pretty inconvenient to visit and that might be the beauty of it. San Onofre is in the middle of nowhere, expensive to enter, and they only allow a limited number of cars in the parking lot at once. We actually waited over an hour to park. Because of the difficulties to enter, this beach feels like a protected oasis. It's a major hub for van-lifers and surfers. In fact, you might feel peer pressured to buy a van after your first visit. There's bathrooms and showers onsite, but otherwise it's a bit of a raw space. Most people seem to come early and set up their site for the entire day. Never change, San Onofre.

A slice of heaven. Huge state beach with plenty of solitude. A paid lot with lots of spots. Dogs…read moreroam free at lot 1 entrance. Thousands of crystals to adore, tiki huts to occupy or build, beach life and habitat to appreciate and much needed relaxation.

This is such a hidden gem of a place. Parking is free. It's dog friendly for portions of the sandy…read morearea. The views are absolutely spectacular. It allows you to walk right over to Doheny State Park thereby saving you money for parking. I have forgotten my state park pass on occasion and have been saved because I parked here instead. There are picnic tanks that make it perfect to eat al fresco by the sea. I personally love picking up my grubs from Kawamata Seafood right up the hill. The two goes hand in hand. To me, there's no better way to enjoy the two simultaneously.

I love walking and like to get my steps in so this is a perfect place to be especially when it's so…read morehot inland. You can enjoy a nice ocean breeze and take pictures of the natural beauty!

I go to this place a lot. Not always to lay out at the beach, but to run the stairs. The beach…read moreaccess or beach trail access is by stairs from the above residential street up on the top of the cliff. Running or walking the stairs is an excellent workout. I stop halfway sometimes (there are benches on both sides, so you can get out of the way of the stairs) and do some extra exercises by the benches. Beautiful view! A lot of people also go surfing here and usually go halfway done the stairs to check the surf out. It has direct access to the beach trail that goes along the San Clemente coast line. The shore is not very long, so at high tide sometimes it may be hard to lay out or you might get swept out to sea - you can't say I didn't wan you! haha.

This is one of the best and most hidden beaches in San Clemente! For many reasons one of them being…read moretheres FREE parking on the street above! The surf is generally pretty good here I mostly believe that it's due to the fact that there is a small reef not to far from the beach. Keep in mind that the tide here is usually pretty high this is not the type of beach to bust out the lawn chairs at unless you wanna go swimming for them! The name 204's some will say it comes from how many steps there are but I believe it's deprived from the sign on the train tracks that says 204 not sure what its meaning is to the trains but the name has definitely stuck over the years. I've spent countless days on this beach over my years of growing up in San Clemente and every time it's been fun I will keep coming back to this beach because of the location it's beautiful and a great place to just chill and ease your thoughts or to catch some waves! Ride On!

I like walks on the beach. Or more like, by the beach. A favorite of beach trails that I've enjoyed…read morecoming to - lots to see and explore with vibrant flowers, the horizon of the ocean, the sounds of the Amtrak and Metrolink trains passing by. All of it is just amazing. And the best part is, there's so many ways to just have a good time and a good workout on this trail. The Beach Trail is about 2.3 miles long in total, but it can feel like a pretty long walk. AND that's only one-way. Coming back, you have to do another 2.3 miles, if you're returning to the beginning of your route. But you'll really see everything. Love the Beach Trail!

This is a nice little beach walk going from North Beach to Calafia. Its only 2.3 miles. The scenery…read moreis beautiful. You are steps away from the ocean. Every so often an Amtrak, Metrolink, or BNSF train will pass by. Its a well kept trail and perfect for all walkers. There was a detour and I had to walk on the beach. Good thing it was low tide. You had to time yourself between the waves. Today was the first Saturday of the month and there were two beach cleanup crews. The Surfriders were by the pier, and at Calafia Orange County Coastkeeper were working. This group also does cleanup on the 2nd Saturday at Huntington Beach tower 9 at Magnolia st. from 9:00 to 11:00. I got there late or I would have helped.. I already signed up for Huntington next week. Every time I come to San Clemente I enjoy walking the trail. After eating its a nice way to burn off a few calories.

Knew I wanted to go to the beach, and randomly stumbled upon this one being in the area at the…read moreoutlets. This is a small quiet beach, right next to the Metrolink station. Parking was a little confusing at first, but you can park at the Metrolink station and pay at one of the little yellow kiosks. It was about $0.75 per 30 minutes, which felt pretty fair. The water is definitely colder here, even on a warm day. We had direct access to the beach itself from the lot. It wasn't super busy on the day we went, so it felt super calming to walk while the waves crashed against our feet. It's a bit narrow, but from the Metrolink, you could walk all the way to the pier. It was also cool to see the train pass by as well, right next to the beach! One noticeable thing was that the beach felt very pebbly, and there were many small rocks along the waters so we had to be really careful about where we were walking. There's also a restroom and a feet/body cleaning shower station if you're coming from the Metrolink parking lot.

This beach is smaller than the main beach area of San Clemente. It is much rockier. They don't have…read moremany lifeguards here so if you have kids I'd go to the main beach. This is more suited for surfing. They do have a small play area. The restrooms here aren't very clean.

This beach is really nice and clean as well as spacious. They have a cool pier that stretches over…read morethe water and has a good seafood restaurant right at the beginning. They also have a large downtown area with lots of shops and restaurants as well. A very nice outting. Parking is pretty tough to find along the streets, but they have a parking lot nearby.

Lots of wildlife tucked into bluffs for you to enjoy. Pet…read moreowners and parents beware: Coyotes found a place to stay near the park's entrance. Many different birds fly through and stop in the enormous trees surrounding the campground. Squirrels dot the bluffs and duck into burrows. There are a few bathroom facilities that could use maintenance or repair / update. Most are fine and cleaned regularly by dedicated and kind staff. There is group camping, non hookup camping, and full hookup camping. A dump station and clean fill station on the way to the day lot. Quieter campground vibe than neighboring Doheny / Bluffs in my experience. The way down to the beach from the campground lot is a nicely graded path but it is very steep in places, beware stroller and wagon tuggers or those with heart conditions. If you drive right down Calafia to the end the beach is easier to access on foot. A cute state park gift shop is open from late morning to afternoon. The beach is more of a bodysurfing and swimming beach most days are shore breaks. They do have areas for each activity marked with flags. It's a relatively busy beach but not to the point of you having to walk far to find a comfortable spot. If you have the state parks pass and haven't been here, its so close the freeway there's no point in not making it a relaxed stop when road tripping. Safe travels and have fun!