Southern California beaches

Balboa Island beaches, like the island itself, are serendipitous. They are tucked amid the boat slips that fringe this diminutive Mediterranean-like enclave in Newport Harbor. Packed tight with doll-size homes and shops, Balboa Island was built by dredging early last century and has grown from mud flat to money acres. The two-tenths-square-mile haven has about 3,000 residents and is a wonderful place to walk and explore. The island is accessible by car ferry from Balboa Peninsula or the bridge of Jamboree Street on the north.

There are not only nice beaches, a splendid setting, civilized community and resports and spas in and around town, but it's home to a relatively new theme park for kids: Legoland.

Carpinteria lies south of Santa Barbara's small-city bustle -- close enough for easy access but far enough to feel like you've gotten away from it all. The setting along this stretch of the coast is spectacular: farmland and ruddy cliffs to the east, and a gently sloping beach along the western margin. In between lies attractive and pleasantly unpretentious Carpinteria.

Catalina Island is one of California’s Channel Islands. A rocky, rugged island reaching more than 2,000 feet above sea level, it is 22 miles south-southwest of Los Angeles. The 22-mile-long, 8-mile-wide island has a romance captured in 1958 by the Four Preps song, “26 Miles (Santa Catalina).”

Huntington Beach is the fabulous strip of sand and surf immortalized by the Beach Boys in their classic hit, “Surf City.” The city offers 8.5-miles of continuous Pacific Ocean beach and the wave -- and waves of people -- just keep rolling in. A steady, predictable surf breaks throughout its length. A Mediterranean climate, a handsome landmark municipal pier and a wide, white-sand beach for sunning make it a beachgoers delight. Skate on the bikeway, build a fire, hang 10 or just hang out.

Imperial Beach is the southernmost city on the California coast. There are three miles of exquisite beach south of the town in the Tijuana River Estuarine Research Reserve and Border Field State Park. The splendid sand of Imperial Beach has made it the home of the U.S. Open Sandcastle Competition. At the oceanfront, be sure to see Surfhenge, a giant acrylic sculpture, and 10 surfboard benches that tell the story of local surfing on the famed “Tijuana Sloughs” between 1937 and 1950.

The seaside at Laguna Beach is more than 6 miles long and varies in character from sequestered cove beaches between rocky headlands and a broad flat strand that spreads before the town center. The city maintains public beaches, some of them in unique coves. Main Beach and nearby Heisler Park are beachfront parks that anchor outdoor recreation squarely in the center of town

La Jolla means "the jewel," and this upscale community perched on ruddy sandstone bluffs overlooking the ocean may be California's most beautiful bauble. One of the West Coast's best surf spots (Windansea Beach), a gathering spot for sunning sea lions (Children's Pool Beach), and hiking trails etched into the bluffs are but a few of its charms.

There is a trove of seaside riches in Malibu. What Malibu Beach is, in fact, is 27 miles of variety along a south-facing coastline. There are wide, sandy beaches with lifeguards for families; beaches where the waves stay cranked up for surfers, quiet secluded coves and sunset-spectacular settings. A series of oceanfront parks guarantees a place in the sun.

A coin flip in 1901 named Manhattan Beach, the first part anyway. The 400-foot-wide beach that runs the 2-mile length of town is Manhattan County Beach Park.

Newport Beach is a plush oceanside community that pulses around the busy yacht basin, Newport Harbor. It’s a wealthy, handsome community that plays on the water and invites those who visit to join the celebration of seaside living.

A full sweep of water-based activity is available at Redondo Beach, from pier fishing to wave running to just plain sunning.  The north end of the beach arc begins with the massive King Harbor and the neighboring Redondo Beach Municipal Pier, a venue with shops and restaurants as well as traditional pier activities. South from here begins the long, wide sweep of Redondo County Park Beach, which carries about 2 miles to the Palos Verdes headlands.

Known as the site of President Richard Nixon’s western White House, Casa Pacifica, San Clemente is also known for its predictable surfer’s swells. In fact, several national surfing publications call it home. A railroad track runs beside the beach, and limited crossings funnel beachgoers onto the sands at just a few locations. One is San Clemente City Beach, a 2-mile stretch of sand that includes the city fishing pier.

Water sports rule in San Diego. The city is on a superbly protected bay that is a major port and military center. San Diego's beaches are scattered throughout the metropolitan area and have a variety of natural and social character. There’s no shortage of water-based recreational possibilities here and the Mediterranean climate makes outdoors at the beach or on the water a reality.

The Mission Santa Barbara sets the Spanish architectural tone for this historic city and its palm-lined oceanfront. The city sits on a cove facing the Santa Barbara Channel with mountains at its back. Its beaches, joined with several parks, have gentle wave action. The oceanfront experience here runs the full range from clifflike overlook to sandy beach apron. Off shore is the national attraction of the Channel Islands National Park, accessible by ferry from the harbor.

This is California's version of an East Coast beach town, complete with concrete boardwalk, seaside amusement park, intriguing restaurants (a great sushi bar), ersatz subcultures and Steamer Lane, where fearless surfers risk life and limb to surf big waves in rock-strewn waters.

At Santa Monica Beach, the city must wrestle with being blessed with a 3 1/2-mile-long, wide sandy beach, gentle surf, an average of 340 sunny days a year and a park on sandstone bluffs that overlooks the beach-Palisades Park.  Add to that a fishing pier, amusement park and a portion of a 20-mile-long seaside bike path and it's no wonder everybody stays outside. What else? Why, the famed “Muscle Beach” workout area.

Seal Beach is a small community in the northwestern-most corner of Orange County, Calif., fronting San Pedro Bay. The beach serves the local community and stretches one mile between the jetty at the San Gabriel River and the north jetty for Anaheim Bay. The U.S. Naval Weapons Center and the Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge occupy two-thirds of the land in the city limits. Main St. ends at Eisenhower Park and the public parking lot for the Seal Beach Pier.

Seaside Beach is the collective name given to the oceanfront of the adjacent cities of Sand City and Seaside. A series of state and local parks -- Marina State Beach, Seaside State Beach, Houghton Roberts State Beach and Del Monte Beach -- provide beach access to this wild stretch of coast, much of which is undergoing significant dune restoration. The former Fort Ord, a deactivated U.S. Army base, is being converted to civilian use and the base golf courses are now open to the public.

Venice Beach describes a civic gathering space as much as it does a beautiful expanse of sand beside the Pacific Ocean. The setting is lively with artists, vendors, beachgoers and the curious, and is as eclectic as the city’s colorful signature canal neighborhoods. At Venice Beach, eyes are squarely on Ocean Front Walk and its bazaarlike atmosphere of performers, shops and restaurants.

Ventura Beach is the casual name for a wonderful series of public beaches that comprise the waterfront of Ventura. San Buenaventura State Park is the largest of these parcels; it connects to Marina Park on the east and Promenade Park to the west. The frontage boasts a 1,700-foot fishing pier, a bike path, showers and restrooms, volleyball courts and seasonal lifeguard stations spread along the 4 1/2 miles of Pierpont Bay.