Dana Point Sea Caves
DETAILS:
Location: 24200 Dana Point Harbor Dr, Dana Point, CA 92629 (this is the address to the Ocean Institute)
Hours of Operation: Daily - Sunrise to Sunset (generally speaking)
Parking: Multiple free parking lots available near the Ocean Institute (please make sure to observe any posted signs in regards to parking)
Cost: Free!
Time Commitment: 1-2 hours.
Miscellaneous:
Depending on your starting point, it’s approximately 1.5 miles round trip to the sea caves.
Until you reach the sea caves themselves, there isn’t any shade on your way, so make sure to bring appropriate sun protection (hat, sunscreen, etc.)
You will have to traverse very rocky terrain to get to the sea caves, appropriate footwear is a must.
Can’t stress this enough: go during low tide! Tidal information provided below, under “resources”.
Please visit the provider website below under “resources” for current beach closure information.
Sometimes referred to as Pirate’s Cove or Pirate’s Cave due to its fabled use by seafaring marauders at the turn of the 20th century, the sea caves of Dana Point certainly live up to that legend. Located amongst the coastal bluffs of the Dana Point Headlands in Orange County and a part of the Dana Point State Marine Conservation Area, these sea caves are some of the largest in Southern California, and definitely makes for a fun excursion to the beach. Then again, any chance to escape to the Pacific Ocean is a great reason to go.
Given its location on a long stretch of beachfront, there’s obviously a handful of routes you can choose from to reach the caves (whether from the north or from the south). One of the most often-used access points is via the path next to Dana Point’s Ocean Institute, and that’s the route I’ll detail here. The address provided is for the Ocean Institute and the road will literally dead-end into the Institute’s parking lot. While I saw numerous people parking here, please be aware that this parking lot is technically for Institute visitors only. Instead, there are several free parking lots just prior to the Institute that are just a few blocks away, so I recommend those instead just to be safe. On the day I visited (a Friday), parking was not an issue.
From here, you’ll be trekking towards the caves from the south. You’ll find beach access along the path to the right of the Institute. It’s hardly a block’s walk until you reach the stairway down to the beach. Once at sea level, you’ll proceed to the north. Very quickly, you’ll reach pretty rocky terrain, populated by boulders the size of your head or larger. So bring proper shoes and take your time to avoid injury. This is also a good time to note that you’ll want to plan your visit with low tide since this will determine how much water you’ll need to wade through to reach the caves (if at all). I’ve provided a few websites below under “resources” with tide info. At low tide, the route and caves are almost entirely dry. Just when it appears like you can't go any further without taking a swim, you’ll notice a narrow crevasse in the bluffs to your right. This is the entrance to the caves! Once you’ve arrived, you’ll realize that you’ve found two caves, divided by a wall. Again, depending on the tide, you might have to wade through some water to reach the other cave, but it’s doable. Just watch your step since it’ll be slippery. From within either cave, it’s not hard to imagine why it was used by those pirates of lore. Regardless, the view of the ocean and craggy rocks is certainly a site to behold.
On your way in or out, make sure to check out the never-ending collection of tide pools along the way. It’s a seafood paradise. Also, I’m not sure how busy it gets on weekends (I assume pretty busy), but weekdays seem pretty tame. I was the only one in the caves when I visited and only encountered a handful of others along the way.
