Doheny State Beach | |
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![]() Doheny State Beach in September 2018. Dana Point Harbor can be seen in the background. | |
Location | Orange County, California |
Nearest city | Dana Point, California |
Coordinates | 33°27′39″N117°40′41″W / 33.46083°N 117.67806°W |
Area | 254 acres (103 ha) |
Established | 1931 |
Visitors | 850,000+(in 2007) |
Governing body | California Department of Parks and Recreation |
Doheny State Beach (known colloquially as Doho) is known as the first state beach in the California state park system. [1] Located on the Pacific Ocean in the city of Dana Point, the beach is adjacent to several surf spots and scenic beaches including Salt Creek Beach, Baby Beach, and Capistrano Beach. [2] Along with its neighbors, Doheny beach is a popular surf spot located at the mouth of San Juan Creek, which flows from the Santa Ana Mountains southwest to the beach, where it forms a fresh-water lagoon.
The original inhabitants of Doheny were the Acjachemen (Juaneno) tribe who occupied the land that is now considered Orange County. [3] It is estimated that they inhabited the land for close to 9,000 years before their first contact with Europeans in 1769 with Gaspar de Portola and his Spanish soldiers and Franciscan missionaries. [3] The presence of the Spanish and missionaries led to the eventual end of the Acjachemen settlement and culture through strenuous labor, disease, and confinement and also led to the construction of Mission San Juan Capistrano in the middle of an Acjachemen village in 1776. [3]
The beach is named after Edward L. Doheny who in 1893, borrowed money to dig the City of Dana Point's first oil well and struck oil 200 feet deep, creating an oil empire from the initial investment. [3] And on May 31, 1931, right before he died, the beach was donated for public use. [3]
On July 1, 1963, the beach was named Doheny State Beach in his honor. The original donation was 41 acres (17 ha). An additional 21 acres (8.5 ha) was later added by acquisitions from the Santa Fe Railroad, University of California Regents, and the Union Oil Company. [4] An additional 192 acres (78 ha) not owned by the state are included in the site's official total area. [5]
In the late 1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corps built campgrounds, picnic areas, and custodian lodges in Doho under the "New Deal" program under the Roosevelt administration. [3] The structures are now mostly gone, with some remnants remaining. [3]
In October 2022, the California Coastal Commission approved Doheny Desalination Plant that will draw water offshore from the state beach and will be capable of producing 5 to 15 million gallons of fresh water per day. [6]
The city of Dana Point, the home of Doheny, was once one of the most attractive surf epicenters of Southern California for its incredible waves, the most famous being "Killer Dana". [7]
"Killer Dana" was known as a "brutal" right hander wave that was located at the headland, very close to Doheny. [8] The wave attracted people all over to watch, surf, and live by the surf breaks of Dana Point, boosting the areas economy, but most importantly, culminating in both a rich culture and deep respect for California's natural ecosystems. [7] [8]
The first talks of the installation of a harbor right at the headland shocked and angered the residents of Dana Point. [8] The idea was first heard in 1964 when it was said the Dana Point Chamber of Commerce was seeking gov and military assistance for the installation of the harbor. [8] Despite local outcry for the waves, culture, and local ecosystems, the wave was killed on August 29, 1966, along with a large part of the city's culture and natural ecosystems. [8]
The installation of the harbor changed the surf at Doheny's beaches but its vibrant surf lifestyle still remains strong. [3] The surf break in Doheny is known to be a beginner level spot while its neighbor break Strands is considered experienced. [9] It's well-known for its consistent reef break and long rides (on good days can be 300m). [9]
There are four "takeoff spots" within Doheny: [9]
The beach covers an area of 62 acres (25 ha) and includes a day use surfing beach at the northern end, as well as campgrounds in its southern area. The beach is one of California's most popular camping grounds and attracts over 850,000 people per year. [10] The beach has tide pools and a visitor center with several aquariums.
The beach is home to several types of marine life, such as abalone, anemone, several types of sea bass, crabs, the common dolphin, harbor seal, kelp, California moray, sea urchin, octopus, stingrays, several varieties of sharks (including the Great White), as well as many other marine life. Several types of birds also live at the beach such as brown pelican, great blue heron, snowy egret, and several other species.
The area is known for its mild weather, making Doheny beach especially attractive. Average summer temperatures range in high 70s while winters typically only reach low to mid 60s [1]
Doheny State Beach offers year-round interpretive education programs in marine life, bird life, animal life, water quality, insects, and Native American studies.[ clarification needed ]
Huntington Beach is a seaside city in Orange County in Southern California, United States. The city is named after American businessman Henry E. Huntington. The population was 198,711 as of the 2020 census, making it the fourth most populous city in Orange County, the most populous beach city in Orange County, and the seventh most populous city in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area. Located 35 miles (56 km) southeast of Downtown Los Angeles, it is bordered by Bolsa Chica Basin State Marine Conservation Area on the west, the Pacific Ocean on the southwest, by Seal Beach on the northwest, by Westminster on the north, by Fountain Valley on the northeast, by Costa Mesa on the east, and by Newport Beach on the southeast.
Dana Point is a city located in southern Orange County, California, United States. The population was 33,107 at the 2020 census. It has one of the few harbors along the Orange County coast, and with ready access via State Route 1, it is a popular local destination for surfing.
San Clemente is a coastal city in southern Orange County, California, United States. Located in the Orange Coast region of the South Coast of California, San Clemente's population was 64,293 in at the 2020 census. Situated roughly midway between Los Angeles and San Diego, San Clemente is a popular tourist destination in Southern California, known for its beaches, Spanish Colonial Revival architecture, and hospitality industry. San Clemente's city slogan is "Spanish Village by the Sea".
Bolsa Chica State Beach is a public ocean beach in Orange County, California, United States. It is surrounded entirely by the city of Huntington Beach to the north and east, and to the northwest by the Huntington Beach community of Sunset Beach and the Pacific Ocean to the west. The beach extends 3 miles (5 km) from Warner Avenue in Sunset Beach south to Seapoint Avenue, where the Huntington City Beach begins. The Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve is located across the busy Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) from the beach and is a popular spot for birdwatching. The Bolsa Chica Bicycle Path runs along the length of the park through Huntington City Beach.
San Onofre State Beach is a 3,000-acre (1,214 ha) state park in San Diego County, California. The beach is 3 miles (5 km) south of San Clemente on Interstate 5 at Basilone Road. The state park is leased to the state of California by the United States Marine Corps. Governor Ronald Reagan established San Onofre State Beach in 1971. With over 2.5 million visitors per year, it is one of the five most-visited state parks in California, hosting swimmers, campers, kayakers, birders, fishermen, bicyclists, sunbathers, surfers, and the sacred Native American site of Panhe.
Capistrano Beach or Capo Beach, is a coastal neighborhood in the city of Dana Point in Orange County, California. It is bordered by San Clemente to the south and Doheny State Beach to the north.
Edward Laurence Doheny was an American oil tycoon who, in 1892, drilled the first successful oil well in the Los Angeles City Oil Field. His success set off a petroleum boom in Southern California, and made him a fortune when, in 1902, he sold his properties.
Half Moon Bay State Beach is a 4-mile (6 km) stretch of protected beaches in the state park system of California, United States, on Half Moon Bay. From north to south it comprises Roosevelt, Dunes, Venice, and Francis Beaches. The 181-acre (73 ha) park was established in 1956.
Emma Wood State Beach is a California State Beach in Ventura, California. It is located on the Santa Barbara Channel on the west side of the Ventura River estuary and south of the railroad tracks of the Coast Line and the US Highway 101 freeway.
Malibu Lagoon State Beach in Malibu, California, United States, is also known as Surfrider Beach. It was dedicated as the first World Surfing Reserve on October 9, 2010. The 110-acre (45 ha) site was established as a California state park in 1951. It lies within the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.
Trestles is a collection of surfing spots between northern San Onofre State Beach in San Diego County and southern San Clemente in Orange County in California. Trestles consists of, from north to south, Upper Trestles (Uppers), Lower Trestles (Lowers), and Middle Trestles (Middles). North of Upper Trestles is the surf spot called Cottons. South of Middles is the surf spot called The Church. Middles gets its name because it was a middle area between Trestles and The Church (sometimes just called "Church". It is named after Trestles Bridge, a wooden trestle bridge that surfers must walk under to reach the beach, replaced in 2012 by a concrete viaduct.
The Acjachemen are an Indigenous people of California. Published maps often identify their ancestral lands as extending from the beach to the mountains, south from what is now known as Aliso Creek in Orange County to the Las Pulgas Canyon in the northwestern part of San Diego County. However, sources also show that Acjachemen people shared sites with other Indigenous nations as far north as Puvunga in contemporary Long Beach.
Swami's is an area in San Diego County that contains Swami's Beach and other local attractions. The beach, also known as "Swami’s Reef'" and "Swamis", is an internationally known surfing spot, a point break located in Encinitas, San Diego County, California. Swami's was named after Swami Paramahansa Yogananda, because the grounds and hermitage of the Self-Realization Fellowship ashram, built in 1937, overlook this reef point. The name "Swami's" is also given to the sand beach that extends south from the point to the next beach access point, which is next to the San Elijo State Beach camping area; this more southerly surf spot often goes by the name "Pipes".
San Juan Creek, also called the San Juan River, is a 29-mile (47 km) long stream in Orange and Riverside Counties, draining a watershed of 133.9 square miles (347 km2). Its mainstem begins in the southern Santa Ana Mountains in the Cleveland National Forest. It winds west and south through San Juan Canyon, and is joined by Arroyo Trabuco as it passes through San Juan Capistrano. It flows into the Pacific Ocean at Doheny State Beach. State Route 74, the Ortega Highway, crosses the Santa Ana Mountains via San Juan Canyon.
Aliso Creek is a 19.8-mile (31.9 km)-long, mostly urban stream in south Orange County, California. Originating in the Cleveland National Forest in the Santa Ana Mountains, it flows generally southwest and empties into the Pacific Ocean at Laguna Beach. The creek's watershed drains 34.9 square miles (90 km2), and it is joined by seven main tributaries. As of 2018, the watershed had a population of 144,000 divided among seven incorporated cities.
Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park is a major regional park in the San Joaquin Hills of Orange County, California in the United States. Comprising 4,500 acres (1,800 ha) of rugged coastal canyons, open grassland, and riparian woodland, the park borders the suburban cities of Aliso Viejo, Dana Point, Laguna Beach, Laguna Hills and Laguna Niguel and lies within a portion of the ancestral homeland of the indigenous Acjachemen people.
Dana Point State Marine Conservation Area
Panhe was one of the largest Acjachemen villages confirmed to be over 9,600 years old, and a current sacred, ceremonial, cultural, and burial site for the Acjachemen people. The site of Panhe is now within San Onofre State Beach, San Diego County, California, located at the mouth of San Mateo Canyon and Cristianitos Canyon, and approximately 3.7 miles (6.0 km) upstream from the Pacific Ocean. Mission's records have shown evidence of many Acjachemen's ancestry in Panhe.
"Surfin' U.S.A." is a song by the American rock band the Beach Boys, credited to Chuck Berry and Brian Wilson. It is a rewritten version of Berry's "Sweet Little Sixteen" set to new lyrics written by Wilson and an uncredited Mike Love. The song was released as a single on March 4, 1963, backed with "Shut Down". It was then placed as the opening track on their album of the same name.
The Doheny Desalination Plant is a 5-million-US-gallon per day (19 Ml) facility proposed by South Coast Water District in Dana Point, California. The 30-acre site (12 ha) is just north of State Route 1 on east side of San Juan Creek with access off Stonehill Drive.
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