Joe L.
Yelp
Not to be confused with Huntington City Beach, this state beach stretches two miles from Beach Boulevard southeast to the Santa Ana River Channel. If you're looking for a huge beach with plenty of space for you to spread out, look no further.
If you surf, I'm sure you don't need me to tell you what a great spot HSB is. The website warns novice surfers that the sandbars create dangerous conditions during the spring and summer. Interesting, because I've taken surfing lessons at the City Beach during the spring and summer! Could there be a major difference between the two beaches? Anyway, I guess it's something to keep in mind.
Do you like bonfires? How do 200 fire rings sound? If you're sensitive to smoke, subtract a star from my review. Alcohol is not permitted, and I've seen this enforced. They seem to target groups of young people. Be discreet. Maybe other controlled substances would be a better choice?
Parking is $15. Consider a CA State Parks membership:
http://www.calparks.org/membership
We once used a Groupon and got a great deal. Now, we park on Beach or Brookhurst and walk. Keep in mind that parking hours on Brookhurst end at 8 pm.
Oh, yeah, the bike path. Look both ways before you cross. Some bikers ride too fast.
This is my wife's and my favorite place for sunset beach walks. Because the beach is so enormous, it never gets crowded, especially off-season. I was just about to type that taking in the awesome vastness of the Pacific Ocean is one of the reasons that I love living in OC when I felt a 4.2 earthquake. Now that I think about it, we were on our way to a bonfire on my birthday when one hit.
Yeah, I'm originally from the East Coast. No, I am not afraid!