Salt Creek Beach Park
Managed by County of Orange
21 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Don Ramey Logan · CC BY-SA 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Dana Point
9% of Dana Point’s land is conserved, and 98% of residents live within a half mile of a park
7.8 miles of mapped trail cross Dana Point, 1.2 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Salt Creek Beach Park (0.9 mi), Lantern Bay County Park (0.9 mi), Doheny State Beach (0.7 mi). 9% of Dana Point’s land is conserved, about 376 acres.
Ahead of 86% of U.S. towns · #223 of 847 in California. What drives it
Conserved land
9%
376 acres · of 6.5 sq mi of land
Trails
7.8 mi
1.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
383 ac
12 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
98%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
28 mi
21 mi lanes · 6.7 mi paths
What kind of outdoors town is Dana Point?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Dana Point have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Dana Point is ahead of 86% of U.S. towns, #223 of 847 in California. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Dana Point’s overall grade.
Conserved land9% of the land · typical CA town 4% · U.S. 4%B+Trails1.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (8 mi) · CA 0.9 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land12 acres of park per 1,000 residents (383 acres) · CA 5 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home98% of residents within a half mile of a park · CA 91% · U.S. 72%A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 86%
LessMore
California towns of 2,500+ (847)Ahead of 74%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Salt Creek Beach Park, with 0.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Lantern Bay County Park
Park
13 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Doheny State Beach
Managed by California Department of Parks and Recreation
73 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Del Obispo Park Community Center
Park
11 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Dana Crest Park
Park
3 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 18 parks & preserves
Salt Creek Beach Park21 acres · 0.9 mi of trail · County of Orange
DirectionsLantern Bay County Park13 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
DirectionsDoheny State Beach73 acres · 0.7 mi of trail · California Department of Parks and Recreation
DirectionsDel Obispo Park Community Center11 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsDana Crest Park3 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Sea Terrace Community Park24 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsStrands Beach At Salt Creek15 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · County of Orange
DirectionsSea Canyon Park7 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park20 acres · Orange County Parks
Heritage Park7 acres · City of Dana Point
DirectionsVia Canon Park6 acres
Dana Woods Park6 acres
DirectionsPines Park4 acres
DirectionsDana Point State Marine Conservation Area3 acres
DirectionsSunset Park3 acres
DirectionsThunderbird Park3 acres
Ocean Knoll Park1 acres
DirectionsLa Plaza Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
376 conserved acres
9% of Dana Point’s land. Who manages Dana Point’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city140 ac
County138 ac
State parks70 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits29 ac
Local Park · 220 acState Park · 70 acLocal Other or Unknown · 29 acPrivate Conservation · 29 acLocal Conservation Area · 20 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 32 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Doheny State Beach State Park | State parks | 70 | Open |
| Capistrano Beach Park Local Park | County | 45 | Open |
| Salt Creek Beach County Park Local Park | County | 41 | Open |
| Dana Point Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 29 | Open |
| Sea Terrace Park Local Park | Town or city | 27 | Open |
| Sea Canyon Park Local Park | Town or city | 22 | Open |
| Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park Local Conservation Area | County | 20 | Open |
| Lantern Bay Park Local Park | County | 16 | Open |
| South Strands Conservation Park Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 15 | Open |
| Hilltop Conservation Park Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 12 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
60 places to go in Dana Point
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Dana Point
Baby Beach
DirectionsGroup CampsiteIn Doheny State Beach
DirectionsNorth Day Use BeachIn Doheny State Beach
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Dana Point
10 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Dana Point
Creekside Park
DirectionsCrystal Cove Dog ParkIn Ocean Knoll Park
DirectionsPlus 2 dog parks without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Dana Point
4 boat launches without a name on the map.
Waterfalls in Dana Point
Dana Point Seasonal Waterfall
DirectionsScenic views in Dana Point
Doris Walker OverlookIn Heritage Park
DirectionsPlus 10 scenic views without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Dana Point
26 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Dana Point
Doheny Beach CampgroundIn Doheny State Beach
DirectionsTrails & water
1 named trail
Named trails
Unpaved · 2.1 mi
Sycamore Creek Trail0.4 mi
Biking & sports
28 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
21 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
6.7 mi
off-road bike paths
0.3 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
35Tennis
13Basketball
10Baseball
9Beach volleyball
4Pickleball
3Volleyball
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 3 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
VIRGINIA (sloop)Structure · listed 1991
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Dana Point: April to August
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 10.2 | 10.9 | 11.9 | 13.0 | 13.9 | 14.4 | 14.2 | 13.4 | 12.3 | 11.3 | 10.4 | 9.9 |
| High (°F) | 66 | 65 | 66 | 68 | 69 | 71 | 75 | 77 | 76 | 74 | 70 | 65 |
| Rain (in) | 2.8 | 3.1 | 1.8 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 0.9 | 2.1 |
August is the driest month (under 0.1 in) and the warmest (highs of 77 °F). 3.1 inches fall in February, the wettest month. The climate in Dana Point →
Next door
Dana Point and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dana Point | 9% | 1.2 | 12 | 98% | A |
| Laguna Niguel | 11% | 1.8 | 18 | 98% | A |
| San Clemente | 4% | 2.5 | 8 | 91% | A− |
| San Juan Capistrano | 13% | 5.4 | 35 | 97% | A+ |
| Laguna Beach | 31% | 2.5 | 78 | 99%+ | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Dana Point
Where can I hike in Dana Point?
The longest trail networks: Salt Creek Beach Park, 0.9 miles; Lantern Bay County Park, 0.9 miles; Doheny State Beach, 0.7 miles; Del Obispo Park Community Center, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Dana Point is conserved land?
9% of its land, against a typical 4% for a California town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Dana Point’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Salt Creek Beach Park (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Dana Point?
28 miles of bike routes are on the map: 21 of painted or protected lanes, 6.7 of off-road paths and 0.3 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Dana Point?
25,885 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Dana Point or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 383 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Dana Point have?
Ahead of 86% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #223 of 847 in California. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Dana Point neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →