California's Highway One, Crystal Cove State Park

May 31, 11:53 AMSF International Golf Travel ExaminerKaren Misuraca

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Crystal Cove State Park in Newport Beach, California

Just south of Newport Beach, on both sides of Highway 1, Crystal Cove State Park is one of the largest and most multi-faceted of Southern California’s nature preserves. Thousands of acres of pristine oak woodlands in the rugged canyons of the San Joaquin Hills are popular with hikers, horseback riders and mountain bikers.

The upland area of the park connects to the Laguna Coast Wilderness Park and the Irvine Ranch Land Preserve, together comprising some of the last undeveloped canyons on the coastline.

On the ocean side of the State Park, three-and-a-half miles of trails ramble along the grassy bluffs above the sands of Crystal Cove and other beaches. While divers dodge the dolphins and prowl the waters offshore, tide pools and rocky coves are waiting to be explored by landlubbers. The Pelican Point access area has several easily accessible trails and an extensive native plant collection, which was restored early in the 21st century. In meadows that have been cleared of introduced flora, wild lilac, California sage, elderberry, and sunflowers bloom amid stretches of aromatic coastal sage scrub. A boardwalk runs through part of the restored meadows where native plants are labeled. Birdwatchers keep their eyes peeled for California towhees, mourning doves and white-tailed kites.

Historic beach cottages at Crystal Cove State Park in Newport Beach, California

The treasure of the State Park, and unique on the entire West Coast is an enclave of historic, hand-built cottages, a rare vestige of Southern California vernacular. Right on the beach, built in the 1930s as a ramshackle South Seas movie set, the 46 Crystal Cove Beach Cottages are clapboard and shingle bungalows (available to rent) that have been restored by the park service, and outfitted inside with antique or replica furnishings. Boardwalks connect the wooden porches, which are decorated with vintage surfboards and old lobster traps.

Adjacent to the cottages here in the Crystal Cove Historic District, Dungeness crab cakes and Catalina Sunset martinis are the menu at the Beachcomber Café, which was remodeled as an oceanfront restaurant from an existing cottage. Just off Highway One yet still within the park, the tiny, bright yellow Crystal Cove Shake Shack is a hot spot for burgers and fries, floats, malts and fresh date shakes.