Huntington Beach

Huntington Beach faces a long open stretch of the Pacific, so swells arrive with plenty of energy. The surf is usually best on an incoming tide, when the rising water covers the sandbar around the pier and the waves get cleaner and longer. If you only came for the beach, a lower tide gives you more sand. The nearest NOAA tide station is Newport Beach, which gives predictions only.

The town has been "Surf City" since the 1960s and officially "Surf City USA" since 1991. There are waves around the pier most days and contests through the year. It has 10 continuous miles of beach, and its pier is one of the few in California where you can still surf.

Most people stay around the Huntington Beach Pier and Main Street, which are easy to walk. The International Surfing Museum is right there, a quick stop on the surf history of this stretch of coast.

Along the beach:

• Main Street — the strip running inland from the pier at Pacific Coast Highway, with surf shops, restaurants and the surf walk of fame.
• The Strand (Huntington Beach section) — a flat paved path the length of the beach, for biking or long walks.
• Bolsa Chica State Beach — a less crowded section north of downtown, with campsites and fire rings. The rings fill up early on weekends, so claim one in the morning for an evening bonfire.
• Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve — its wetlands include one of the largest remaining saltwater marshes in Southern California (CDFW), for birdwatching next to the beach.
• Huntington Dog Beach — an off-leash dog beach north of the pier, busy on weekends.