Dana Strand Beach

This was our first time going and we had a great time! The beach is beautiful, clean, and tons of sandy spots. We really appreciated the mini elevator so that we didn’t have to walk down the stairs but it wasn’t working on the way back. But going up the stairs wasn’t too bad. We packed lightly to be on safe side. Plenty of parking (and free!), when we got there at 10am but it was full when we left around 2pm. Great beach to go with the family!

We came to this stretch of beach in Dana Point for the Memorial Day weekend. This beautiful spot was a wonderful place to spend some quality time with my family during the holiday.
There is a long walkway from the parking lot to this nice section of beach. Be prepared for a lot of walking down those stairs, and there can be some serious crowds on the weekends.
This is still a great spot for a run or leisurely walk in the late afternoon. With those lovely views, I don’t mind that long walk to the beach!

Free parking, clean, quiet & secluded! My favorite beach & the best place to watch a sunset!!! I could come here everyday! So beautiful!

I love this park, nice ocean view… free parking, a lot of space.

My Aunt and Uncle took me here after lunch. My Uncle said he likes to walk here and look at the houses. This beach is located in a really nice residential area. The parking is free which was pretty awesome. It has a cool lift that can take you right down to the beach, so it’s handicap accessible, which was perfect for me. The beach is pretty rocky though, but if you like tide pools there are plenty of them here at low tide. I found a bamboo walking stick propped up in the rocks at the beach entrance so I used it and returned it when I came back. It was the perfect size. It was nice to walk on the beach and find some pretty rocks every now and then. They also have a boardwalk that is parallel to the beach if you don’t want to step in rocks. The beach wasn’t too crowded so we had a nice, easy little walk. I would totally come here again, it’s a great spot.

Quiet secluded beach with free parking. Take the stairs or the funicular (operates only in the summer) a great place for gentle waves for bodyboarding.

Wonderful beach and perfect for walking and getting some fitness in. At the time I was here the current took away most of the sand but it’s still an amazing beach with plenty of photo opportunities.

If you don’t have 15 million dollars but want the same view as a multi-​millionaire come to this beach. Weave down the steps between the mansions to a strip of strand. No dogs but lots of rocks. Smooth and sound amazing as the tide subside back into the ocean. best sounding beach for sure.

Awesome beach, beautiful from the park on top too. So quiet and peaceful, plenty of parking. My only issue is that they don’t allow dogs on the beach.

I would not recommend coming to this beach if visiting, the stairs are too steep, there are too many people and you just would have a horrible time, Especially at sunset, you wouldn’t like some of the most beautiful sunsets painted by God.
There are plenty of other beaches nearby that you would have a much better time at. Try Salt Creek or Aliso Creek.

Strands Beach is a great choice whether you’re looking to go on a walk, jog, surf, swim, or to lay out and enjoy the sound of the waves! My girls and I love this beach and they go running here all the time! Free parking, not to tough to get up and down because there’s a little lift by the stairs that will take you up and down so it’s easy access. Love it!

While this is a beautiful beach it does have some drawbacks. Long steep decent to get to the beach which was a long steep ascent at the end of the day. My knees still ache. There is a tram, but it is very slow and holds few people. Also, the rest rooms are either up a steep grade or all the way at the end of the beach. No food! Need I say more. Finally, the water was full of seaweed. On the plus side the parking is free and the vista is beautiful.

FREE parking and free lift ride to take you down to the beach. We went here around 9AM and plenty of parking was available. Clean beach, restroom available near the lift. The stairs aren’t that challenging to take. Beautiful view of the ocean taking the stairs down. Walk-​able distance to Salt Creek beach and to Ritz Carlton.

August 29, 2014
Beautiful beach. We came here today after the wedding rehearsal for one of my very good friend’s wedding tomorrow at San Juan Capistrano Mission. We had a wonderful BBQ with the bridal party. Parking is FREE, which is a HUGE PLUS! Clean and very family-​friendly. I would love to spend a whole day here, and not a mere hour.
Next time, I will bring my boyfriend here for a date or something.

I love going to this beach. It is one of my favorites.
First of all, the parking is free — so hard to come by at beaches. Also, the parking lot is really big — good for summer crowds. The view from the parking lot is beautiful. I love to just go there and look at the different house lots and dream about my future house haha. There are a few different ways to get down — two ways from each end of the parking lot and one in the middle where you go through the neighborhood. The one to the North has an elevator that works during the summer and then only during the weekends after Labor Day and before Memorial Day. It goes down most of the way and then the rest of the way is a ramp. If you don’t take the elevator there are stairs. If it is crowded there can be a wait for the elevator because it only fits so many people and it gets pretty stuffy.
I love to come here for the beach and also to go running. There is a trail/​walkway above the sand that is nice to go for walks/​runs and then you can run up the stairs on either end.
Beautiful, beautiful beach.

Don’t ever
come here, its truly awful ;)

Dana Strand beach is right before Salt Creek Beach and less crowded.
Beautiful views, the cliffs, you can see for miles!
Parking is easy, we found a free spot right away.
One of the nicest beaches in the area and worth a stop of you are in the area!

What a fantastic strip of beach in SoCal. As a Texan, just feeling the Cali climate is enough to start throwing around the word paradise. Having never been to Dana Point, I was quite unaware of the locale and accompanying levels of gaping tourists populating such fancied places as Laguna Beach. As soon as we first journeyed down into the depths of the Strand, I knew this was going to be a killer spot to spend the week.
The beach offers some incredible wave patterns for the surfing, bodyboarding and swimming enthusiasts. While there were some rocky areas, the OCLG crew did a commendable job of posting signs and vocally communicating warnings as to where surfers and the common swimmer should be to avoid the hazards. While my snowboarding skills need to be addressed by the US Ski/​Snowboard team for the olympics next year, my surfing abilities are quite poor. I gave it a shot, but bodyboarding is what I should stick with. We had too much fun with the waves at The Strand!
The strict no-​alcohol is a bummer, but honestly I never once felt like I was missing out by not having a beer on this beach. Besides, the strict rule seems to play a large part in The Strand’s immaculate state of cleanliness. When not riding the sizably pleasing waves, I spent a considerable amount or time just lying under the umbrella, soaking in the beautiful California climate and the noise of the Pacific while daydreaming about winning the Powerball and buying one of the houses lining the beach with an 8 digit price tag.
All around, one of the best beaches I’ve ever been to. I hope it can stay as a hidden gem for locals and a couple Texans to enjoy!

I came here for the first time the other day (being that I live in San Diego) and I must say, I loved it! The beach is SO CLEAN, there is lack of debris on the beach and its definitely a nice place to swim.
I loved the variety of people that came here, there were surfers, joggers, family’s building sand castles and people just lounging (me being one of them). Because it was a Saturday the free parking was a little bit difficult to find, but after a couple minutes we were able to snag a spot.
The walk can be quite the trek, being that you need to go down some steps to get to the beach, but its definitely worth it.
Its an extremely peaceful beach, more so than any of the ones I’ve been to in San Diego. It was quiet and the waves were really relaxing. I’ll definitely be coming back.
Plus, you HAVE to check out the houses that overlook the beach, A-​MAZ-​ING.

Woohoo! As good as it gets! An apt description of Strands Beach, a local favorite. I think this is so great. To get to the beach, you’ll walk up sets of stairs. Good exercise, yeah! There is also an incline lift (small elevator) that runs up and down to the beach if you are unable to walk. After so many Unilocal reviews, I have decided to take the stairs :)
The beach attracts surfers, walkers, joggers, and sunbathers. It’s a small stretch of beach, but you can walk over to Salt Creek Beach for more glorious waves and sand. Bring your sunblock and enjoy one of nature’s pleasures. Highly recommended.