Epic Travel → North America → The West Coast → Southern California → Los Angeles Area → Crystal Cove State Park

Location: Laguna Beach area, South of Los Angeles

Time Required: 4 hours

Red Tape/Notes: Open daily, 6am to sunset (historic area open until 10pm). There is no admission fee, but day use parking is $15 per vehicle. For more information on the park, visit their website.

What’s Nearby?: Wayfarers Chapel, Victoria Beach Pirate Tower

With 3.2 miles of beach and 2,400 acres of backcountry wilderness, you could find hikes to occupy you for hours. However, that’s not why we were interested in visiting the park (although we obviously explored the backcountry some as well) – the main reason we came here is because the park is home to a historic district. In the 1930’s and 40’s, 46 cottages were built on the coast as part of a seaside colony. The park has been engaged in an extensive effort to restore the cottages, and 21 cottages are currently available for overnight stays (other cottages have been set aside for visitor services, education and community programs, and a restaurant) . I was somewhat more fascinated by the un-renovated cottages, but those will be a thing of the past soon, since the Coastal Commission has recently approved the final phase of cottage restoration. Regardless, the presence of the historic district gives this park an extra level of interest, and the opportunity to stay in the cottages gives you the chance to be transported to another time (something we all could use occasionally).

Epic Travel → North America → The West Coast → Southern California → Los Angeles Area → Crystal Cove State Park