Lantern Bay Park is an absolutely beautiful park overlooking the Dana Point Harbor and right across…read morefrom the Cliffs By Marriott Hotel. The views are stunning and there is a ton of space. They have some nice picnic benches, a playground, public restrooms, and a great wide open space. Today I saw many picnics, flying kits, people playing with their dogs and enjoying the beautiful summer weather. In addition to a wonderful open space, they also have free street parking as well as a free parking lot!

This is a huge park which intersects the Laguna Cliffs Marriott with the rest of Dana Point. It's…read morefun to hang out and it's nice and shady from the trees. Dogs are welcome to hang with a beautiful view of the harbor.

Salt Creek Beach park is great for many reasons. People go for the surf or to have fun with the…read morekids on the grass, to listen to live music, for a picnic.... They've shown the movie Endless Summer numerous times, they host OC Summer Concerts and more. Parking is plentiful. (unless you arrive late for a big event!)

Parking is a travesty but it's because the park is amazing. 30 minutes to circle around and wait…read morefor someone to leave! There's a basketball court, shower for your feet, bar at the bottom on the sand, and benches and tables.

Beautiful park! We'll manicured grass perfect for a picnic. Trees on the edge for shade. Paved…read morewindy road for a leisurely walk. Bikes were going up and down the paved path and the grassy hills. There are stairs that cut though the park if you wanted a shortcut. The park was pretty empty around noon on a Sunday. More people walking through with their dogs. There are also trash bags available to clean up after the pups. There's a lookout at the top which has great views. There is also a small dog run at the bottom which looked big enough for 3-5 big dogs playing fetch.

My friends and i came here around 2pm and the view of the ocean paired with the beautiful weather…read morekept us in the same spot for 6 hours! Great spot to get your steps in too- Saving this as "the perfect picnic spot". I used google maps to get here and it was a bit confused and took us to baby beach instead. Make sure to follow the street signs that lead to Nature Parks on Golden Lantern Road. That's all, have fun there!

Unique adventure for kids. Wouldn't recommend for older kids over 12. Not that big and lots of…read moresmaller kids around.

This playground recently got renovated. It's at the corner of Golden Lantern and La Cresta. It's…read morestreet parking only and not a lot. There are no restrooms. It's fully paved with rubber surface. There is one play structure that's a very cool pirate ship. There's a slope with 1 infant swing and 2 saddle swings. There are 2 tables with seating. There are 2 benches by the play structure and 1 by the swings. However, they also have a palm tree lined "bench" on Golden Lantern side. This area provides some shade, otherwise, not shaded. It's near the ocean though so not very hot. It is gated and small so easy to keep an eye on kids. There are 2 trash cans and no water fountain. I recommend this park if your kids like pirate ships and for a relatively short play time.

This is a beautiful little park tucked in to a Capistrano Beach neighborhood, which offers some…read morepretty special views of Dana Point and the ocean. On the beautiful day that we went, the ocean had these awesome multicolored azure hues like a tropical island. It's also a dynamite park to have a picnic, with plenty of shade and lots of grass. It's also great for little kids with plenty of space to run around and some low trees that are fun for them to climb. We enjoyed a great little picnic here after getting some poke for Kawamata Seafood! Five stars

Local park, surrounded with beautiful houses with unique architecture, gorgeous ocean view, clean…read morewith a small play ground for kids...Walkable and relax...There is a park benches with no shades...I wished the benches were under trees to cool down...Full of playful squirrels and so many dog owners...Very friendly vibes...and its a good place to bring your coffee here and chill. We went to Kawamata seas food and as always we came here to eat our yummy poke...Enjoyed the view and food...There is also parking spot on the street....never get crowded.

A gorgeous, perfect park. Beautiful views, so many different things for kids to do, and even the…read morebathrooms are nice. This park is a certified Monarch butterfly waystation and habitat! We loved watching the butterflies and searching for the Monarch caterpillars among the milkweed. We just passed through on vacation, but if I lived in the area, I'd love to bring my kid here every single day!

Creekside has a large dog park, with a separate area for small dogs and pups. Nice friendly…read moreoff-leash place.

Ocean views with free parking... what's not to love? Nice to park here and stroll down to the sand…read more-- just a few minutes' walk away. Strands Beach is less crowded than Salt Creek Beach or Dana Point Harbor or even San Clemente, for that matter. It's almost like a little hidden gem that's sometimes forgotten about -- I know I regularly overlook it when thinking about where I'd like to watch the sunset. There are restrooms at the north end of the parking lot, which is very convenient. 2023: 58/100

Best place to park and watch the sunset! Best place to get in a morning walk! Best place to meet…read morefriends for a hike and then a coffee or breakfast in Dana Point! Best place for sandcastles and playing in the waves! Stairs down to the beach and then a steep climb back up but totally worth it! Clean restrooms at the top and bottom! And if you can't handle all the stairs, there is a golf cart service to get you down into the Strands neighborhood to make the climb much more manageable! I'm here almost daily hiking through and enjoying the ocean breezes - and often see dolphins while beach walking!

Great location, great park plenty of grass area to play soccer or games. They have a bathroom for…read morekids to use and adults. The playground is big and my son enjoys this park very much. I enjoy the park also nice to have a picnic at.

Nice park with easy parking. There is a bathroom but I didn't check it out…read more The playground has two sets for older kids and an open one for smaller kids. My 18 month old still enjoyed the larger one and going up its three levels. Lots of slides. A climbing wall. Sand pit. Tables. And the ground is the cushy kind (not rocks and not mulch). They do movies at the park sometimes and the open lawn area has a small hill which makes it easy for viewing. The downside is that you can hear the freeway from here. And it smells pretty strongly of mosquito repellent (which is probably a pro and a con).

I saw this on instagram and decided to check it out. It's a cute little spot with great views…read more Not really big but you can't beat the view!! If you are nearby, definitely worth stopping by.

Stumbled upon these beautiful arches while walking my dog. Feels like you're in Europe! The view of…read morethe marina is beautiful on a clear day. Nice stroll to take after lunch in Dana Point.

Oops my secret is out! This is probably one of my most favorite spot to go for a walk or a mini…read morehike! Even better, if you're there when it's sunny because the ocean views are breathtaking!! This is also dog friendly since there are poop bags provided at intermittent part of the trail. Please keep in mind that this is in a neighborhood so there will be houses really close to the trail (almost like we're in their backyard) and private property that you can't enter. There are signs to guide you so just stick to the signs and you'll be ok.

Hidden gem in LN. Quick hike around the area to the park area to see the interesting…read moregeology/history. Hike also wraps around the mountain side, giving you a view of the ocean.