Boardwalk

Dogs Leashed

Features Views

Restroom access at each of the piers as well as Newport Beach Elementary School. There usually pretty clean.

Only things to watch out for are people and sand. Weekends and nice days it can get very crowded. There are bikes, skateboards, skates, dogs, runners, children and walkers. Any of them can jump out in front of you. I have never been hit, but there is certainly potential. Early morning and evening are preferable to me especially when I am running. The boardwalk is paved and mostly clean, but sand does blow on top of it and it can become slick. There are bars around the piers, but the crowd is usually pretty tame.

Head down to Newport Beach and park around 36th street. This is the start of the boardwalk, but if you want a shorter run you can start anywhere along the boardwalk. There is access everywhere. I usually start where ever I can find a parking place. Head toward Newport Pier which is south. The trail is concrete and well marked. You'll pass Newport Pier, Newport Elementary School, Balboa Pier and finally end up where the boardwalk dead ends at E street. At that point you turn around and come back. All the while you'll have houses on one side of you and the ocean on the other side.

You can add distance by running down both piers. This provides excellent views of the sun set.

To make it more difficult you can do the same run in the sand at the beach. There are no barriers and you can run underneath each pier.

For that matter this is only a small part of the beach. You can continue running to the wedge [south] or the Santa Ana River Jetty [north]. There is quite a large channel that is not crossable at the wedge and you can watch the boats come and go. To the north there is an easy to follow road or trail all the way up North to Bolsa Chica State Beach.

Sand and that is about it. If you venture off down either of the piers you'll see fish getting caught or sting rays or occasional shark. I have sometimes seen dolphin pods out in the ocean, but only when I make the run on the sand.