Surfers and standup paddle boarders wait on their boards to ride the waves at Doheny State Beach in Dana Point as a swell moves into Orange County on Tuesday, July16, 2019.(Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
By LAYLAN CONNELLY | [email protected] | Orange County Register
Doheny State Beach — with the blue ocean just feet away and some campsites sitting right on the sand — already is one of the hardest campgrounds in Southern California at which to nab a spot.
But it will be impossible to camp overnight from late 2020 through early 2021, with work planned to repair and replace sewer lines. The project also will affect parking in the day-use area as early as next month.
The California Coastal Commission last week approved a project proposed by the California Department of Parks and Recreation to replace and reline about 6,500 feet of sewer line within Doheny State Beach. The 62-acre state park is south of Pacific Coast Highway and adjacent Dana Point Harbor, and includes two areas separated by San Juan Creek. The entire park has 1,267 parking spaces, according to the staff sport.
The northernmost section includes the park entrance and a day-use area with a sandy beach, several large expanses of grass, picnic tables, restrooms, a small park office with an interpretive center, food concessions, and North Day Use parking, the staff report reads. The southern portion includes campground parking, restrooms, a day-use area and South Day Use parking.