Dana Point
City of Dana Point
The city of Dana Point offers both beaches as well as a harbor. Known as the Dolphin and Whale Capital of the World, life here revolves around the sea. When it comes to enjoying a day at the beach, no matter the activity there is something for everyone in Dana Point.
A central point to Dana Point is the Dana Point Harbor. Dana Point Harbor is a great laid back harbor. Sailing, fishing, whale watching, stand-up paddle boarding, yoga, and even yoga paddle boarding are among the activities along with walking along the park like setting throughout the harbor. There are a variety of restaurants, bars, retail shops, charters, and yacht clubs to keep everyone in the family entertained.
The other great feature of Dana Point is the many vantage points. The city that sits above the harbor offers many parks where you can sit and enjoy the view.
SALT CREEK
Strands Beach
DOHENY STATE BEACH
Capistrano
Beaches in Dana Point
- Salt Creek
- Dana Strands
- Doheny State Park
- Baby Beach (in the Dana Point Harbor and Marina)
- Capistrano Beach
- Poche Beach
Dana Point Image Gallery
Named for Richard Henry Dana Jr., the American lawyer and politician who visited the area briefly in 1835. A descendent of a colonial family, Dana was a champion of the downtrodden and a prominent abolitionist. Dana enlisted in the merchant marines and sailed for Alta California, then a province of Mexico. He sailed on a brig called the Pilgrim, a replica of which now lays anchor in Dana Point Harbor. Dana engaged in the hides trade at the Mission San Juan Capistrano and called the surrounding bluffs and beaches the only romantic spot in California. The same bluffs obstructed his ability to carry hides to the beaches below, and so Dana and the crew flung hides as frisbees from the bluffs. He left Alta California in 1836, and his voyage was memorialized in his memoir, Two Years Before the Mast, considered a classic piece of California history.
Much of the initial tourist development happened in the early 1900s. In the early 1920s, several buildings and roads were created by Anna Walters and Hollywoodland developer Sydney Woodruff. Their hope was to attract people to move to the area. Some of these developments included the Blue Lantern Gazebo and the Dana Point Inn. They had grand visions for the Dana Point Inn, including an elevator cut into the cliff to carry tourists from the bluff to the shore down below. While development started on the Inn in 1929, the Great Depression eventually killed the project along with many other plans. Remnants of the Inn can be seen on the Bluff Top Trail walk where you’ll pass under arches built for the Inn and the entrance to elevator can be seen from Harbor Drive.
From the 1930s to the 1960s, Dana Point became a destination for the newly burgeoning surfing scene. Killer Dana was one of the best surf breaks in Southern California. Much of the modern day surfing innovations occurred in this area as a result of this break and others nearby. Surfing pioneers include Lorin “Whitey’ Harrison, surfer of the 1930s and 40s, Pete Peterson, early surf rider champion, Hobie Alter, surfing industry innovator, John Severson, publisher of Surfer magazine, Bruce Brown, filmmaker (Endless Summer), and Joyce Holman, women’s surf champion of the 1960s.
From 1966 to 1971, construction of the Dana Point Harbor occurred at the site of Killer Dana. While the harbor is a cultural hub for the city, the loss of Killer Dana was felt within the surfing community. Today the harbor touts itself as the Dolphin and Whale Capital of the World and is a must visit to take a whale watching tour. In 2021, Dana Point was named a Whale Heritage Site.
The best part of the beach cities is that each has their own events to showcase what makes each unique and fun. In Dana Point, events range from whale festivals to movies in the park to concerts on the beach. Here are some of the events you can take part in each year.
- Farmers Market: Every Saturday
- Festival of Whales: March, weekend celebration with parade, street fair, antique boat show, clam chowder cook-off, and concerts. https://
festivalofwhales.com/ - Ocean Institute Jazz Festival: annual fundraiser with changing themes held end of March
- California Wine Festival: April, this festival has events throughout the year in several California locations. They also do one in Huntington Beach in November. https://www.
californiawinefestival.com/ - Doheny Blues Festival: May at Sea Terrace Park
- Palm Tree Music Festival: one of the music festivals held at Doheny State Park. https://www.
palmtreemusicfestival.com/ festival/ptc-dana-point - Doheny Surf & Art Festival: end of June https://www.dohenystatebeach.
org/doheny-surf-festival/ - Maritime (Tall Ships) Festival: September, this festival is considered the largest annual gathering of its kind on the West Coast. The festival celebrates California’s rich maritime history and our connection to the ocean! It is a fun-filled weekend event with visiting Tall Ships, Cannon Battles, Pirate and Mermaid Ball, Beer Garden, Mermaids Swim Shows, Pirate School, Live music, Reenactors and Sailor Camp, Vendors, Food Trucks and more!
- Ohana Festival: September, music festival created and started by Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder in Doheny State Beach
- Doheny Wood: October, woodie car showcase with over 150 classic woodies and beach cruisers
- Dana Point Turkey Trot: an annual event that has been going on for decades on Thanksgiving. Burn off your pre-Thanksgiving meal calories with a run/walk of a 5K, 10K, 15K Combo, or Kids 1-Mile Gobble. Probably one of the most beautiful courses, the Turkey Trot races begin and end in Dana Point Harbor with the 10k doing an out and back south through Doheny State Beach.
- Surfing Santa Competition: November, surfing and stand-up paddle board contest at Salt Creek Beach
Arts & Entertainment
- Dana Point Harbor and Marina: the harbor and marina in itself has many of Dana Point’s attractions. From the marina you can go whale and dolphin watching, take the Catalina Express to Catalina Island, or go fishing. It is also home of the Ocean Institute which offers visitors a place to explore the ocean’s underwater world. There’s also a hub for Dana Point’s shopping and dining. For water sports you can go sailing, stand-up paddle boarding, and kayaking from here.
- Lantern District: home to Dana Point’s shopping, dining, land recreation, and entertainment downtown district. Now that much of the new development has completed in the Lantern District, there are more restaurants, coffee shops, and bars than ever. There is also great shopping from the long-time Killer Dana Surf Shop to new store for Rip Curl.
- La Plaza Park: on the other side of PCH from the main Lantern District business area, is this downtown park plaza. The park is home to Dana Point’s Farmers Market that takes place each Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The park is also flanked by shopping and dining on either side of the park.
- The Elephant Parade: thanks to Gallery Dana Bay, Dana Point is host to several elephant statues as part of the international Elephant Parade, a showcase of the world’s largest art exhibition of painted and decorated elephant statues to raise awareness for the endangered Asian elephant.
- Watermen’s Plaza: at the South entrance to the city on PCH is Waterman’s Plaza. This plaza features statues that tribute many influential figures in Dana Point’s surfing and water craft history. It is also home to the footprint that crosses PCH to Doheny State Park. The Doheny footbridge serves as the decorative welcome sign for Dana Point.
- Dana Point Brewery Scene: with more restaurants and bars moving into the Lantern District and Downtown, Dana Point now has many breweries and taverns for the beer and ale lovers. Checkout the Delahunt Taproom on La Plaza Park, Station Craft Brewery on PCH, and Dana Point Ale House on Del Prado.
Viewpoints and Overlooks
One of the great things about Dana Point are the vantage points. Given that most of its shoreline is on cliffs, the city has made use of this with preserving excellent vantage points to see the harbor and the Pacific Ocean. Many of these parks feature walking and hiking trails. If you are in need of a beautiful hiking trail or a long running path, Dana Point is a great place to look.
- Pines Park
- Palisades Gazebo Park
- Louise Leydon Park
- Sea View Park
- Lantern Bay Park
- Heritage Park with Doris Walker Overlook
- Bluff Top Trail and Overlooks
- The Blue Lantern Lookout Park and Ken Sampson Overview Gazebo (also known as the Hilltop Cabana or the Blue Lantern Gazebo).
- Hilltop Park
- Harbor Point Conservation Park
- Dana Point Headlands Conservation Area and Preserve Trail
- Strands Vista Park
- Salt Creek Beach Park and Trails. Connects to the Sea Terrace Community Park and Monarch Beach Resort on the south end and to the Salt Creek Bike Trail and Monarch Beach Golf Links on the north.
Coastal Trails
A number of these trails make up the California Coastal Trail. California Coastal Trail (CCT) is being developed to create a continuous, interconnected public trail system spanning over a 1,230 miles from Oregon to Mexico. By connecting the Dana Point sections with sections in San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano, you can enjoy a nice protected ride with amazing views.
- Dana Point Harbor Trails: the harbor features a number of walking paths. There are paths along Harbor Drive, sidewalks and boardwalks along the wharf and mariner’s village, and pathed walking paths in the outer islands of the marina. The island walking trails feature picnic areas along side where you can sit and watch ships, sailboats, kayakers, and paddle boarders come and go from the harbor in the Main Channel. There are also several restrooms along the way. Doing a full loop around the pathways on the islands is just shy of 2 miles. https://danapointharbor.com/
wp-content/uploads/2020/02/ Dana-Harbor-Brochure-Web-1_27_ 2020-page-1.pdf - Bluff Top Trail: Harbor Point Conservation Park to Hilltop Park
- Coast Highway Protected Trail: connected to Doheny State Beach Trails and San Juan Creek Trail on the north end, this trail runs through Doheny, Capistrano Beach and then along PCH all the way to San Clemente. The Dana Point portion ends at the intersection of PCH and Camino Capistrano. It then meets a two-way bikeway and pedestrian path that travels along San Clemente’s El Camino Real. For shoreline access points along Capistrano Beach: https://documents.coastal.ca.
gov/assets/access/ CapistranoBeachAccess.pdf
Distances:
- Coast Highway Protected Trail: Center of Doheny park (Doho Cafe) to the Camino Capistrano intersection is about 3 miles.
- El Camino Real: Camino Capistrano to San Clemente Metrolink Station (North Beach) about 1 mi.
- San Clemente Beach Trail: North Beach to Calafia Beach 2.3 miles.
- San Juan Creek Trail: approximately one mile from center of Doheny State Beach to Stonehill Drive.
- So if you were training for a distance run and needed a long stretch to get your Sunday long run in. Starting from Doho Cafe in the middle of Doheny Park, it’s 5 miles to San Clemente Pier, or a 10 mile out and back. For a 12 mile out-and-back go all the way to Riviera Beach. If you reach the county line with San Diego County, that will give you over 15 miles (almost 15.5) out and back. If you go all the way to Trestles Bridge, you’ll be close to almost 16 miles. For a full 20 miles, go all the way to the end of San Onofre State Park.
- Home to Killer Dana surf break famous in the 1930s to 1966, when construction of the Dana Point Harbor killed the surf break.
- Many attractions are historical remnants of abandoned development that started in the 1920s but were stopped due to the Great Depression. These include the Blue Lantern Gazebo, the Dana Point Bluff Elevator, and the arches of the Dana Point Inn.
- The city was named after the headland of Dana Point, which was in turn named after Richard Henry Dana, Jr., author of Two Years Before the Mast, which included a description of the area. Dana described the locale, including neighboring San Juan Capistrano, as “the only romantic spot on the coast”.
- Hobie Alter opened the world’s first retail surf shop in Dana Point in 1954.
- Many surf publications such as the Surfer’s Journal and Surfer Magazine were formed and headquartered in Dana Point.
- Bruce Brown produced the iconic surfer film Endless Summer in Dana Point.
