One of Southern California’s most beautiful beaches, Newport Beach, is home to one of the few remaining natural estuaries in the region, Upper Newport Bay. An estuary is a coastal wetland where ocean water mixes with fresh water springs and rivers, creating a unique ecological environment. As an important rest stop/winter home for birds migrating from Canada and Alaska, nearly 35,000 birds call the bay home at one time. Home to six rare and endangered species, Upper Newport Bay is widely considered one of the finest bird watching sites in North America.
Inside the Upper Newport Bay, the Upper Newport Bay Nature Preserve and Ecological Reserve is nearly 1,000 acres of open space and includes the Peter and Mary Muth Interpretive Center. The Center is built into the bluffs on the northwest side of the bay and has some of the best panoramic views Southern California has to offer.
Visitors to the Bay can sign up for a 2-hour guided inflatable kayaks tour from the Newport Bay Conservancy in which the team of experts explain from the basics on how to inflate the kayaks to the best routes people can take to make the most of their experience. With tours leaving every Saturday and Sunday morning all year round, novice and experienced kayakers travel with a trained naturalists and experience the natural beauty of the bay up close and personal. Depending on the season, visitors will see completely different kinds of birds and other wildlife. Some kayakers say that the winter tours are the best since so many species are nesting!
The Newport Bay Conservancy also offers a free bird walk for visitors on the third Saturday of every month, which is a great introductory experience for those interested in learning more about the wildlife of the bay. For a more intense bird watching experience, one of the Conservancy bird experts offers a 2- to 3-hour outing at Big Canyon on the last Sunday of the month.
In addition to bird watching, the Bay is a great place for jogging, bicycling, hiking, kayaking and horseback riding. There are several bluff-top trails, designated horse trails and a 10-mile bike loop around the Bay. Costa Mesa is just a few minutes’ drive or maybe even a bike ride away!
Upper Newport Bay
2301 University Dr
Newport Beach, CA 92660
(714) 973-6820
To see what other great parks there are to visit during your stay in Costa Mesa, visit our parks page.
