The Best Places to Paddleboard in Newport Beach

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North Star Beach (Newport Aquatic Center)

The gold standard for launching your small human powered watercraft, with no waves. Located off Polaris Drive in the Back Bay, this spot is open to the public with ample free parking in the NAC parking lot or adjoining dirt lot. There is plenty of space to inflate your board or untie your craft without dinging your neighbor. You can go up the backbay to enjoy nature, or paddle out towards the harbor, which gives you a nice tailwind on the way back. Gates are open 6-8 weekdays, 6-7 Fridays and 6-6 Sat-Sunday. Careful, this previously hidden gem can get packed on sunny weekends and holidays as it is kid friendly, and the parking is plentiful and free. NAC may also be holding a race, which can crowd it even more. Watch out for stingrays and shallow water/submerged piling at low tide. Also, the only bathroom is at NAC and is often locked.

Lower Castaways

North Star’s redheaded cousin. Lower Castaways isn’t so much of a park as an unpaved parking lot. We’re pretty sure this is where everyone in Bayshore picks up their unprescribed pain medication. However, you can launch a paddleboard from the spit of sand adjoining the lot and there is rarely a crowd so it deserves a spot on this list. You can also take the bike path under the bridge to cross PCH without actually crossing PCH, just don’t wear your nice watch. Paddle while you can, there is a plan to turn Lower Castaways into a public aquatic center in 2026.

Bayshore Beach (Private)

If you are fortunate enough to live in Bayshore or know someone who does, or are really good at schmoozing your way past gate guards, Bayshore is the most exclusive beach on this list. Expect plentiful parking and sideways looks from the locals wondering why you aren’t just paddling from your private dock…?

Via Lido Bridge (AKA “Bridges”)

Via Lido is right off Lido Marina Village and is the only way in or out of Lido Isle (excluding yachts). Directly in the armpit of the bridge to Lido is a small spit of sand we call “Bridges”. Launching from here is just a short paddle up to Billy’s for a drink, or down West Lido channel to Marina Park for a picnic. Beware duffy boats filled with drunken bachelorettes and 13 year olds who like to jump off the bridge on hot days. Paid parking is available in a few spots directly above the beach and also behind St. James Episcopal church across the street. There is also a bike rack on the grass area above the beach. Not that you are taking your paddleboard on a bike. We’ve tried, it sucks.

Marina Park

Best beach for kids, second best for parking. Marina park is a go-to for children given it’s well kept playground, large grassy area and waveless water. Unless you already live on the peninsula, getting down there can be a bit of snarl during the season, but if you wait patiently in traffic your reward is an expansive park with ample paid parking in the Lighthouse Cafe lot, the park side lot or the street immediately adjacent right on the sand. If you cannot find parking here, try Veteran’s Memorial Park next door (see below).

Veterans Memorial Park

Across the Marina from Lighthouse Cafe sits Veteran’s Memorial Park, which is small patch of grass outside of the American Legion Post 291. The paid parking is more plentiful than you would expect, and the grass is a great spot to pump up your board or wind down after a good paddle. If you don’t have a board a good option is to bike down there and rent one from Paddle Board Newport Beach. They sell out fast in the summer. Beware launching from the dock, as it is public and can get very busy. Launch from the beach instead.

10th Street Beach

Second to last public beach on the inside edge of the peninsula, it offers decent paid parking and a large stretch of sand that doesn’t often get crowded.

Kid Beach

If you’ve gotten this far you must be desperate for a paddle. Kid beach offers a public pier and sandy stretch of beach that is almost at the very tip of the peninsula. No bathrooms or showers, and the parking is non-existent. It is just a short hop across the channel to Pirates Cove Beach in CDM if you want to see some cool rocks that are absolutely mobbed with tourists.

Honorable Mentions:

Pirate Coast Paddle

The Beach

To answer your question, yes you can also paddleboard directly off the beach in the open ocean. We don’t recommend this unless you are an experienced paddleboarder, and we’re guessing an experienced paddler wouldn’t need this guide.