Best Camping Spots & Outdoor Adventures

Explore the best best camping spots & outdoor adventures options for kids and families in Costa Mesa

Upper Newport Bay Nature Preserve

Upper Newport Bay Nature Preserve

Birding, biking & an interpretive center. Home to many bird species, this 135-acre park offers an interpretive center & hiking/biking trails.

Visit
The CAMP

The CAMP

Hip, eco-conscious retail & dining spot. Retail complex featuring health-conscious & eco-friendly local shops, services & eateries.

Visit
Estancia Park

Estancia Park

Green space with picnic & grilling areas. Modest recreation area with green spaces, picnic shelter, tables & grilling sites.

Visit
Talbert Regional Park

Talbert Regional Park

180 acres divided up by plant groups. Park divided into 6 areas by plant groups to showcase diverse habitats along the Santa Ana River.

Visit
Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort & Marina

Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort & Marina

Rustic beach cottages, plus a pool. Casual resort offering simple beachside cottages, plus RV parking, a pool, dining & a marina.

Visit
Mile Square Regional Park

Mile Square Regional Park

Large urban park with many facilities. City park offering 3 golf courses, soccer fields & baseball diamonds as well as picknicking & lakes.

Visit
Huntington State Beach

Huntington State Beach

Large surfing beach with a paved trail. A popular surfing destination, this sandy 121-acre beach also offers a 8.5-mi. paved trail.

Visit
Camp Sycamore

Camp Sycamore

Park campground for youth groups. Youth-group campground at Mile Square park offering a fire ring, BBQs, a shelter & restrooms.

Visit
Huntington Beach RV Campground

Huntington Beach RV Campground

RV park with ocean views & beach access. Unassuming RV park offering sites with partial hookups, plus ocean views & beach access.

Visit
Turtle Rock Nature Center

Turtle Rock Nature Center

Educational nature preserve with trails. Five-acre nature preserve with trails for viewing wildlife & habitats, plus an outdoor classroom.

Visit
Bommer Canyon Nature Trail

Bommer Canyon Nature Trail

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
Bommer Canyon Preserve Cattle Camp

Bommer Canyon Preserve Cattle Camp

Wildlands, trails & a former cattle camp. This large natural area features many paths for hiking & biking, plus a historic former cattle camp.

Visit
Pacific Ridge Trailhead

Pacific Ridge Trailhead

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
Deer Canyon Campground

Deer Canyon Campground

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
Haster Basin Recreational Park

Haster Basin Recreational Park

Soccer fields, a lake & picnic areas. Community park with jogging trails, soccer fields, exercise stations & lakeside picnic shelters.

Visit
Crystal Cove State Park

Crystal Cove State Park

Beach, hiking trails, coves & tide pools. Park has 3.2-mile beach with sandy coves & tide pools, plus 2,400 acres of land for hiking & biking.

Visit
Camp Izza

Camp Izza

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
Moro Campground Entrance

Moro Campground Entrance

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve

Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve

Protected coastal estuary & bird habitat. 1300 acre ecological preserve with over 200 avian species spread around the coastal wetlands.

Visit
Bolsa Chica State Beach

Bolsa Chica State Beach

A public beach with RV sites & fire pits. A beachfront state park with fire rings & RV campsites, featuring sunbathing, surfing & volleyball.

Visit
Upper Moro Campground

Upper Moro Campground

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
Redwood Creek Challenge Trail

Redwood Creek Challenge Trail

Kid-oriented adventure trail in a forest. A traverse wall, ropes course & slides, plus a cave for visitors to discover their spirit animal.

Visit
Laguna Coast Wilderness Park: Big Bend

Laguna Coast Wilderness Park: Big Bend

Recreation area within coastal canyons. 7,000-acre park with many trails for hiking, biking & horseback riding, plus a nature center.

Visit
Canyon View Park

Canyon View Park

Grassy areas, a playground & paths. 12-acre park with big grassy areas, a sand-covered playground & path overlooking the canyon.

Visit
Peters Canyon North Trailhead

Peters Canyon North Trailhead

340-acre park includes reservoir. Popular jogging & hiking park features coastal sage scrub & grassland habitats, plus a reservoir.

Visit
Irvine Ranch Outdoor Education Center

Irvine Ranch Outdoor Education Center

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
Little Cottonwood Park

Little Cottonwood Park

Place for picnicking & shooting hoops. The grounds include sand volleyball courts, picnic shelters, BBQs, playgrounds & a basketball court.

Visit
Laguna Niguel Regional Park

Laguna Niguel Regional Park

Lakefront fishing, sports & amphitheater. Surrounding a fishing lake, this park offers trails, sports courts, picnic space & an amphitheater.

Visit
Oak Canyon Park

Oak Canyon Park

Vast fishing & camping area on a lake. Sprawling 750 acres with forested mountains & a lake, plus fishing for many species & camping.

Visit
William Peak Park

William Peak Park

Neighborhood go-to for skating & sports. City greenspace with a skate park, baseball fields, basketball courts, a playground & a pool.

Visit
Seaview Park Trail and Overlook

Seaview Park Trail and Overlook

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
Lake Forest Sports Park: Glass Creek Overlook

Lake Forest Sports Park: Glass Creek Overlook

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
El Dorado Nature Center

El Dorado Nature Center

Wide-ranging park for flora & fauna. 105-acre park featuring a visitor center, flora & fauna, lakes, a stream & walking trails.

Visit
El Dorado East Regional Park

El Dorado East Regional Park

Outdoor recreation & a nature center. Expansive outdoor area with fishing lakes, bike trails, camping, an archery range & a nature center.

Visit
Black Star Canyon Wilderness Park

Black Star Canyon Wilderness Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
Oak Canyon Nature Center

Oak Canyon Nature Center

Nature park with an interpretive center. Nature park featuring oak forests, scrubland & canyons, plus wildlife & an interpretive center.

Visit
Red Rock Canyon

Red Rock Canyon

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
Sports Basement Long Beach

Sports Basement Long Beach

Massive store for sports apparel & gear. Sprawling retailer for sports & outdoor clothing, gear & accessories, plus equipment rentals.

Visit
Don Knabe Community Regional Park

Don Knabe Community Regional Park

Public park with fishing & swimming pool. Over 50 acres of outdoor activities, including a fishing lake, swimming pool & basketball courts.

Visit
Friendship (Smith-Murphy) Park

Friendship (Smith-Murphy) Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
Rynerson Park

Rynerson Park

Large city park with a bike trailhead. Spacious park, dedicated in 1990 & offering psorts facilities, open spaces & a variety of trails.

Visit
Bluff Park

Bluff Park

Ocean views & the Lone Sailor Memorial. 13.2-acre city park offering ocean views, footpaths, benches, telescopes & the Lone Sailor Memorial.

Visit
Ralph B Clark Park

Ralph B Clark Park

104-acre park at foot of Coyote Hills. Sprawling park covering more than 100 acres includes a softball complex & plenty of open fields.

Visit
Yorba Regional Park

Yorba Regional Park

Picnicking, fishing, hiking & biking. Mile-wide park adjacent to the Santa Ana River has 140 acres of picnic tables, lakes, trails & more.

Visit
Craig Regional Park

Craig Regional Park

Recreation on 124 acres with a lake. 124-acre recreational park with biking, hiking & picnicking, plus hills, a rose garden & a lake.

Visit
Laguna Lake Park

Laguna Lake Park

Park with trails & an equestrian center. In addition to lake fishing, this 28.5-acre park offers trails, picnic areas & an equestrian center.

Visit

Explore More Activities

Discover more events and activities happening in the city.