Newport Balboa Boardwalk

Awesome spot to go to the beach. right near the Newport pier, lifeguards are on duty and the boardwalk provides food, drink and shopping. Only problem is finding parking in one of the metered spots here. It’s a madhouse. Plan on driving around at least 4 times before you find a spot. Careful, though, the spots right next to the sidewalk are only one hour at a time on the meters. You definitely want the ones away from the sidewalk which are up to six hours at a time!
The water here was clean and warm in early July. It has been many years since I spent time at Newport, but I would definitely consider it for future beach days!

Nice boardwalk to bike and rollerblade on. Theres a lot of people that rent the bikes there. We brought our own bikes. Like to look at the beach n the beautiful homes lining the boardwalk.
Last time we were there, there was a poor sea lion looking lost n hungry heading toward the streets, but a bunch of nice people were escorting the sea lion back to the waters.
There’s also basketball courts n volleyball courts for those interested in playing by the waters.

I am making it a mission to check out all of the boardwalks in California, I am off to a slow start and have seen almost 10 so far.
I think they are all beautiful, our entire family always has a great time.
The views here are amazing, breathtaking, calming.
Take a break from your crazy life and stroll up and down the pier, nothing will feel better.

I love riding my bike through Newport on most of the days I’ve been. The boardwalk can get pretty crowded on weekends, particularly in the summer or on holidays. But, if you get there early enough, it’s not so bad. I grew up in Southern California and have been to Newport endless times, and have been regularly using the bike path for the past 5 years or so.
I do get slightly annoyed with pedestrians who have their head in the clouds and aren’t paying attention. I can’t even count the number of times someone has darted out or stopped in the middle of the path without looking, or has a dog that they let use the entire retractable leash so that it can clothesline a cyclist or roller blader. There are also the groups of several people who walk in a line and hog the entire path. Nice, folks. The aforementioned nuisances are hazardous to others, especially cyclists or roller bladers. I recommend having a bell on your bike or learning how to politely yell at people to move over or watch out.
The view is great and the path is usually clean of debris. Since it’s at the beach, it’s a super flat path with zero elevation gain, so, assuming it’s not a particularly windy day, it’s an easy path for cyclists of all levels and ages. If you’re opting for a longer ride, you can keep going along the beach going North and go through HB and up to the Long Beach area. You can also opt to go in towards Anaheim. There is a loop going up the Santa Ana River Trail that starts (or stops, depending on how you look at it) right at the beginning of Newport Beach. You’ll see the bike path split near a little marsh and tidepool area that seems to be a favorite for people with their dogs, and the path will curl sort of steeply, and go under PCH. That will take you up through Anaheim and beyond.
In Newport, there are plenty of restaurants right off of the path, ranging from mom and pop places like Mint Leaf (Thai) to familiar commercial chains (BJ’s). Or stop by the ferry and get a Balboa Bar and play some arcade games.
There are several metered lots or you can opt for street parking.

Want a leisurely day? Then come to the boardwalk.
Easy to spend an hour walking along the boardwalk. At the end you can even spot some whales!
There’s also plenty of fish to catch based on what we saw that day. Some guy caught 4 fish in one go! Not that I know anything about fishing but that was impressive.
The views are great and the peaceful water sound can be relaxing.

This is one of my favorite places to skate down, ride a bike at, or go hiking along. You have a great view of the beach/​ocean the entire way. Its about 6 miles all told if you hop onto the streets to go down all the way to the wedge.
There are a number of restaurants, shops, houses, volleyball games, etc along the way. It is a great place to people watch and enjoy a beautiful day at the beach without having to go deal with the sand or water (if the water is too cold). There are several playgrounds strewn throughout its length.
The path is wide, usually sand free, and can lead to lots of fun: D
The bad part is that this place is patrolled by NBPD. These guys are seriously underworked. If you are there on an off day (read weekday, or non summer weekend) be ready to deal with the jackwagons in the police dept.
Last summer, I was skating (rollerblading) the boardwalk with my daughter in a jogging stroller. Literally there is not another person within a ¼ mile in front of me. So I am cruising along and having fun. Well till NBPD no fun patrol shows up. Well the no fun allowed patrol shows up on their fancy big engined loud ATVs. One pulls me over (I kid you not) and the other goes up about 30 yds and puts his hand on his gun.
So the cop is like do you know why I pulled you over. I am totally perplexed and dont ahve a clue and state as much. He responds in proper police collequilism, «Do you know how fast you were going?» I must have had an incredulous look on my face since all I could think but refrained from saying was «no officer, let me check the speedometer on my rollerblades.» So you guys are so bored you are going to pull someone over for speeding on rollerblades?
Ok to continue on… I look at the officer and state, «I have absolutely no idea.» He looks me in the eye and says do you know what what the speedlimit is. I go nope, I didnt even know there was a speedlimit on the boardwalk. He points down the path a ways to a sign which I cant read from where we are and says its «EIGHT». I think to myself ok… whats the big deal???
He then asks again, «Do you know how fast you were going?» I am thinking I must have been going 9 but I dont see a radar detector gun on his bike, so i doubt he really knows. Before I can process what to say, he goes you were going at least 15! THE HORROR!!! I was doing 15 in an 8 zone on rollerblades??? In my mind I start laughing uncontrollably. I had no idea I could go that fast on rollerblades. At least he didnt see the laughter in my eyes, as he proceeds to lecture me that I am putting my child in danger. This is classic since she is in a jogging stroller with metal struts all around her with a 5 point harness on so she cant fall out.
The bored guy ends up «warning» me about speeding and races off to annoy some other nice person trying to enjoy the beautiful southern california beach.
None the less… if not for the over zealous bored idiots in blue this would be an awesome 5* place to ride hike walk blade or just enjoy life.
I suggest that you all go, it is a great way to spend the day.