Friday, February 12, 2010

The Best Tide Pools in Orange County

Its official. I’m calling it. After a year of extensive  beach research (it was such hard work. I can’t even begin to tell you…), I am crowning the tide pools at Little Corona Beach the best in Orange County. We scampered across rocks in Laguna, frolicked amongst the anemones in San Clemente, and cozied up with the hermit crabs at Crystal Cove. As wonderful as those other tide pools might be, when minus tides appear, Little Corona is where you will find me.

January 201011

Why? I think the number one reason is diversity. We always find a wide variety of little critters whenever we visit Little Corona. On our last visit we saw starfish (plural), loads of purple sea urchins, more anemones than we could count, tons of tiny fish,masses of mussels, and the biggest limpet I have ever seen!

Collages54

January 201013

Collages56

December 20081  

In addition to the tide pool animals, sea birds such as pelicans and gulls frequent the area. The distant barks of sea lions can be sometimes be heard in from the cliffs above the beach.

January 201015

Collages55

My kids love to scramble over the rocks and play pirate in a sea cave. Ben could can (and will) sit there for hours, throwing rocks into the crashing waves.

January 201014

Collages57

Of course the sunsets aren’t so bad either…

Collages59

Collages58

Little Corona Del Mar Beach is located in Corona Del Mar  at the corner of Ocean Blvd and Poppy Avenue.  You park in the residential neighborhood above the beach (and oh what a neighborhood it is!) and then walk down the path to the beach. There are restrooms located halfway down the path. A lifeguard station in on the beach but I have never actually seen anyone on duty. Check tide tables (such as these here) before heading out to be sure you hit the beach at peak tide pooling time.

If you would like to see more fabulous travel photos check out Delicious Baby’s Photo Friday here.



19 comments:

Bre said...

That is definitely the coolest!!
I think I could spend countless hours there. Beautiful!
And your pics are amazing. My favorite is the one with Ben and Mari sitting watching the sunset beneath the arch rock thingy. Gorgeous!

Jen said...

Wow! What a beautiful spot. I can't believe all the sealife you saw. It looks like your kids had a blast too! Definitely a place to revisit!

Debi said...

Fantastic photos ... this place looks like it affords hours of priceless nature play & discoveries. I can't wait to go tide pooling in our neck of the woods!

Amy @ The Q Family said...

That's so cool! So many neat sea creatures without having to dive or snorkel.. I wish I can visit there again. :)

Kymri said...

Tidepools are perfect for kids who love to explore - one afternoon I gave my daughter a waterproof camera for tidepooling and we were all amazed and surprised by the photos she took holding it underwater!

Ladybug said...

Oh!!!! Thank you for posting. I am soooo excited about taking little bug there.

TheWordWire said...

Oh wow -- great pictures! I love visiting tide pools, but I'd never heard of this spot. Living in the desert, a few times a year we HAVE to get our beach fix... next trip to the coast just might include an OC stop. Thanks for the inspiration!

Samantha said...

Good to know! I use to live in San Pedro and would always go there for tidepools... I think next time we will be trying something a little closer to home! Thanks!

debi9kids said...

GORGEOUS!
I think what I love most about when you visit places is that it always makes me feel like no one has ever been there before...like you are exploring somewhere new.

Anonymous said...

Hi, as you can see this is my first post here.
I will be happy to receive some help at the start.
Thanks in advance and good luck! :)

Anonymous said...

Hi everybody! I don't know where to start but hope this site will be useful for me.
I will be happy to get some help at the beginning.
Thanks in advance and good luck! :)

Terri said...

Absolutely Beautiful, Shar! I am so jealous of your beaches!

Lora Barrett said...

This is great information for next time I visit so cal. I've seen list of tidepools, but you never know which ones are the best. Thanks for the inside tips!

amida said...

Tide pools are the best. Looks like you found some gems there!

Mel said...

Hi- just found your site. Your tidepool photos are gorgeous. Wishing for a day at the beach now!

Debbie Moore said...

So jealous!! Great pics Shar!

Trish Preston said...

This looks so good. As I sit here, under 25" of snow that is STILL falling...looks like you had a great time! (twins are the best, huh?) :>)

Anonymous said...

Yeh, I kinda suck and am like 12 posts behind. It's time to clean up my reader.

I've just been wading my way through all of your adventures and fabulous photos. Love it all Shar. You've found some great places to take the kids.

stephbouf2 said...

Beautiful sunset. :)