Tidepool Description
Crescent bay offers on of the best tide pool locations in all of orange county. The tide pools are a mix of flat benches and undulating rocks and deep crevices. This makes a great place for tide pool animals to thrive. This is a large area and there are better places than others. There is a large flat area that is covered by mussels and barnacles on the north western portion of the tide pool area that is a great location. There are masses of mussels, barnacles, shore crabs, chitons, clams and much more. There are also several deeper pools with lots of sea urchins and sea stars. This location is just to the north of Shaws cove that also have really great tide pools.
Location, Parking and Amenities
Crescent Bay is located at the northern end of Laguna Beach in the last non-restricted access. From PCH, turn into Cliff drive and follow all the way north to Circle Way. Note that Cliff drive intersects PCH in two location and either will work. Forget about parking near here in the summer months as it is way crowded. Plan on parking across PCH and walking in. There are restrooms at this location. Another option is to take the free trolly that runs during the summer months.
Tidepool Access
After finding a parking place walk down to the beach and turn left. Follow the beach to the south end and walk along the rocky area until you reach the tide pool area. This can be a tricky walk so be patient. The tide pool area can also be accessed from Shaws cove. This takes a little longer but is a little flatter to get over to the crescent bay side.
Points of Interest
This tide pool location has a few large flat areas were the water can cover the animals at a medium tide. In these flatter areas, expect to find lots of volcano barnacles, small mussels and lots of the smaller barnacles. I have seen chitons, tube worms in this area as well so keep an eye out. Along the edge of these flat areas are masses of mussel beds. These are so dense that the mussels are growing on other mussels. There are also some gooseneck barnacles in this area as well. This location also has more sea stars and urchins that other nearby areas. Most of the sea stars are at the base of small shallow pools. It is common to see several sea stars all crowded together as they feed on the mussels.
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