#41 of 52 Taco Challenge Sancho’s Tacos Huntington Beach

Huntington Beach, aka Surf City USA. At almost eight and a half miles of sand, you know you’re now in California. Seal Beach to the North and Newport Beach to the South. When you are on PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) you begin to notice the ocean and expansive parking lots; in our winter time, they become full of expensive ocean front parked RV’s; the people in the RV’s are also known as “snowbirds.”

It was in Huntington Beach where Duke Kahanamoku, the legendary Hawaiian swimmer and surfer, introduced surfing in 1925, to the affluent.

After finishing your fantastic tacos continue riding south on PCH, aka Highway 1 towards Newport Beach. Plan on stopping at Crystal Cove Date Shack, you won’t be disappointed. The views are great and the riding scenery along the coast is fantastic.

If you feel like stretching your legs, take a hike at Crystal cove state park. Here you can camp, surf, walk on sandy beaches, visit the tidepools, or just hang out and people watch. The gently sloping hills, the deeply wooded canyons and ridges all around provide a great contrast to its urban surroundings.

Crystal Cove is located between Corona del Mar and Laguna Beach and is Orange County’s largest remaining open space and natural seashore.

In December the Mediterranean climate in the area is characterized by moist, foggy summer mornings, with the fog burning off by midmorning to bring warm, sunny days and cool evenings.

You can also park at Huntington and rent a bicycle to further explore the urban and bike beach path. I highly recommend parking at Huntington as there are massive parking lots right at the beach, which cost $10-15 for the whole day.

Newport has a few parking lots as well, but they are smaller, and the parking options are a lot less plentiful than Huntington.