Bolsa Chica State Beach, Huntington Beach, CA

Bolsa Chica SB
17851 Pacific Coast Highway
Huntington Beach, CA
(714) 846-3460
parks.ca.gov
Hours: 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Gates close at 9 p.m.
Cost: $15 / car (subject to change)

Has: Bonfire rings, restrooms, RV camping, outdoor showers, BBQ grills, paved beach paths, lifeguards

HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA ---Bolsa Chica State Beach is an Orange County, California beach in Southern California beach area. Why does this matter? Weather! The beach offers some of the warmest temperatures both in and out of the water at California's beaches.

There are many "bolsas" in Huntington Beach. The Spanish word referring to a table or in this instance, a parcel of land that sits above something else much like a table you eat on is elevated above the floor, refers to what once was part of a Spanish land grant in Southern California. Today the entities include the Bolsa Chica wetlands, and Bolsa Chica State Beach, both part of a region of northwest Huntington Beach facing the Pacific Ocean and tied to that ocean in every way.

Bolsa Chica State Beach, operated by the State of California Parks, sits along Pacific Coast Highway directly across the street from the Bolsa Chica wetlands or Bolsa Chica Ecological Preserve.

Bolsa Chica State Beach spans several miles on Pacific Coast Highway between Warner Ave. and Seapoint Street. The beach includes cement parking with year-round facilities for RV camping on the concrete. Maximum Camper Length: 40 Feet, and Maximum Trailer Length: 40 Feet

Fire rings are located along the sand, and pet owners staying at the RV park can walk their dogs over to Dog Beach about a half a mile to mile south of the camping facilities.

Bolsa Chica State Beach is known for fishing, RV camping, sunbathing, beach bonfires, picnics and cook-outs.

Huntington Beach, CA

As the largest RV beach facility for a 35-mile distance north or south from Dockweiler Beach in Los Angeles to Doheny Beach in Dana Point, camping at this beach is popular because of the convenient location and close proximity to Los Angeles, Hollywood, Disneyland and San Diego.

The State Beach charges a parking fee of around $15/day, flat fee, so if you're planning to visit quite a bit, the annual pass is around $125, saving you money after your 9th visit (not all state beaches and parks honor the pass.) parks.ca.gov

The public loves Bolsa Chica State Beach as well. An easy exit from the San Diego Freeway and drive down Bolsa Chica, then right on Warner Ave. will get you to the beach in short order (approx. 5 minutes). A fast food chain, Jack'n the Box, is next door. There's also a beach hotel with many ocean views, Travelodge.

Would you like to bicycle, roller blade, skate, sunbathe, grunion run, and have bonfire? You can do all those at the beach. Kite surfing is a hot activity, too. From Bolsa Chica State Beach, you'll see the freighters in the distance heading toward the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Perhaps you'll notice an oil platform or two sitting offshore a couple miles. And on a clear day, you can't miss the mountain peaks of Catalina Island, approx. 22 miles from shore to shore.

While most days are just gorgeous and not too crowded, be forewarned. On the 4th of July, Labor Day and hot summer weekends you'll often find the beach and parking lots packed with cars. The lots hold several thousand cars at a beach that stretches an approximately 3 miles on Pacific Coast Highway from Seapoint Street to Warner Ave.

Points of interest across the street included the wetlands, mentioned previously, and the Bolsa Chica Interpretive Center with hands-on displays about the local wildlife in the protected wetlands area.

Great restaurants we recommend near Bolsa Chica Beach and within walking distance include: Super Mex, Tsunami Sushi and Captain Jack's.