The best beach-walking is at low tide. Begin at the east jetty of Newport Beach, where you'll see sailboats tacking in and out of the harbor. Surfers tackle the waves near the jetty. Proceed down-coast along wide sandy Corona Del Mar State Beach. The beach narrows as you approach the cove that encloses Little Corona Del Mar Beach.
Snorkeling is good beneath the cliffs of both Corona beaches.
Each area is protected from boat traffic by kelp beds and marine refuge status. A mile from the jetty, you'll pass well-named Arch Rock, which is just offshore, and can be reached at low tide. Trails lead up the bluffs, which in winter, offer a good vantage point from which to observe the California gray whale migration. Continuing your stroll down the undeveloped beach and past some tidepools brings you to the tiny resort community of Crystal Cove, site of a few dozen beach cottages. The wood-frame cottages, little altered since their construction in the 1920s, are on the National Register of Historic Places.