Dana StrandS Beach
Strands Beach at Salt Creek in Dana Point (also referred to as Dana Strands Beach or Dana Strand Beach, both with and without the s) is a long skinny stretch of beach popular with surfers and walkers. Also popular in the summer for sunbathers and standup paddler-boarding.
This beach sits below a hillside development called “The Strand”. Your view will include ocean vistas with a backdrop of nice large beach homes. The beach and surrounding hillside is reinforced by a seawall. Stands Beach features a boardwalk and sidewalk for strollers and runners.
The beach is located just north of Dana Point Headlands Conservation Area, which also has nice walking and hiking trails and beautiful panoramic ocean views. Dana Strands Beach is also just south of Salt Creek Beach. The two beaches are separated by a short rocky outcrop. The County of Orange owns and manages both beach parks.
There are multiple access points down to the beach but the way down is long. The city installed and runs a funicular cable car/elevator for those that need assistance. The trip down to the beach is worth it as it’s a beautiful beach, great for long walks. This is a perfect beach to spend your Saturday mornings, watching dolphin pods and surfers share the big blue ocean.
Dana Strands Beach Information
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Address: 34001 Selva Rd, Dana Point, CA 92629
- Pacific Coast Hwy & Selva Road, Dana Point, CA 92629
- The entrance will be from above at the Strand Vista Park. Strand Vista Park offers a panoramic ocean view and walking trails.
- A trail down to the beach can be found at both the South and North end of the Strand Vista Park. The north end has the funicular (inclined elevator) that holds eight passengers for those that need assistance with the hike up and down.
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Parking: large parking lot that is free on the bluff at the Strand Vista Park with a long walk down to the beach. The lot is just off Selva Road.
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Accessibility: staircase and funicular
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Amenities: Restrooms, showers
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Strands Surf report: https://www.surfline.com/surf-report/strands/5842041f4e65fad6a77088d5
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Dogs: No dogs on the beach. Dogs are allowed on the trails in the park area above.
- More Information:
OC Beach Apparel and Souvenirs
Dana Strands History
From Mobile Home community to abandoned site to multi-million dollar development
The Dana Strands community surrounding the beach has undergone quite the changes over the years. Until 2004, the neighborhood surrounding the bluffs was a mobile home site. From 1956 to 1989, the property was owned by the Chandler family and the Dana Strand Club managed the area providing member residents with a restaurant, clubhouse, tennis court, swimming pool, and private access to the beach.
In 1988, the mobile home parks was closed to make way for development. Not until 2004 was a plan approved and development started. That is many years for the abandoned site to fall into disrepair. Videos of graffiti buildings and MMA fight clubs from those times still roam the internet. Even though it was largely abandoned, beachgoers accessing Strand Beach through the area—the former mobile home park site —before its 2004 public dedication were crossing through privately owned land.
While the beach below mean tide was technically public, the Strand Beach remained private until it (from the high tide line inland) was dedicated to the county as a public park in 2004 as part of the Headlands Development and Conservation Plan. The dedication of the private land to public use by Headlands Reserve LLC was a condition of approval for the development of the area. The surrounding development is now home to the Strand at Headlands neighborhood.
Sources:
- Castles on the Sand, Orange County Register, Dec 6, 2006. https://12ft.io/proxy?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ocregister.com%2F2006%2F12%2F06%2Fcastles-on-the-sand-2%2F
- Strand Semantics, Dana Point Times, Apr 29, 2016, https://www.danapointtimes.com/strand-semantics-was-strand-beach-private-prior-to-development-by-headlands-reserve-llc/
- Dana Strand Club Records, Online Archive of California. https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c8wd466d/entire_text/#:~:text=The%20Dana%20Strand%20Club%20was,and%20included%20a%20private%20beach.
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