Newport Pier and Beach

Newport Pier is the older of Newport Beach's two ocean piers. It reaches about 1,032 feet into the Pacific from the Balboa Peninsula at McFadden Place and West Ocean Front. It stands on the site of McFadden Wharf, a shipping wharf completed in 1888 that is now California Historical Landmark No. 794. A hurricane destroyed the old structure in 1939, and the current pier was built on the same spot in 1940.

What it's like

The pier and the wide sand beach on either side draw anglers, walkers, swimmers, surfers and families. The Dory Fishing Fleet, a beachside fishing cooperative founded in 1891, still works from the sand at the foot of the pier. The City's lifeguard headquarters is at the pier's base too, and lifeguards cover the city's 6.2 miles of ocean beach every day of the year.

Hours and conditions

The pier opens at 5 a.m. and stays open until midnight, while the beach is open 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. The lifeguards keep a recorded surf and weather report that's updated twice a day. The City asks surfers and bodyboarders to leash their boards. Fishing from the pier doesn't need a license under state rules, but size and bag limits still apply.

Getting there

The City's West Ocean Front lot sits at the pier, with metered and street parking along the peninsula. On summer weekends it fills early.