A 5 mile stretch of sandy coastline including 2 piers, Balboa Peninsula is a favorite spot for tourists and local residents to enjoy the warm summer days and catch some waves. While there are parking spots along this entire stretch of coast, these parking spots can fill up quickly on hot summer weekends especially during holidays so if you're visiting during these times, you'll need to arrive before 10am. Newport Pier and Balboa Pier both have decent sized parking lots and you can also utilize the street parking on any of the streets near the section of beach you're visiting. You can always expect the areas around each pier to be the most crowded so if you're looking to get away from the crowds, plan on getting about a 1/2 mile away from the piers. However, if you are near either of these piers, there are restrooms and lots of food options available.

At the end of Balboa Peninsula, you will reach a famous beach known as "The Wedge" which is a notoriously dangerous place to enter the water. While some days it can be calm here, it is still a dangerous place to swim as strong rip currents can create problems for swimmers. When there are big swells, it is a great place to watch surfers and bodyboarders ride massive waves that can reach 10-30 ft. This is definitely not the place that you want to go in the water.

Lifeguard towers line the beach all throughout the peninsula but in winter most are unattended. If you're looking to surf, this area is known for decent but very short lasting waves. It is not the easiest place to swim due to the steep drop off which can cause waves to form fast and slam down right on the sand. If the swells are small, then the waves are much nicer to swim.