The 49th annual Dana Point Turkey Trot is Thanksgiving morning, Thursday, November 26, 2026, at Dana Point Harbor. The race takes about an hour. The best part of Thanksgiving in Dana Point takes four days. Here's everything you need for race morning, plus a simple Wednesday to Sunday plan that turns…
Read MoreDana Point has a mild coastal climate all year. Daytime highs run from the upper 60s in winter to the upper 70s in late summer, nights rarely drop below the mid-40s, and the town gets about 13 inches of rain a year, most of it from November through March. Mornings are often cool and gray near the…
Read MoreThe closest airport to Dana Point is John Wayne Airport, Orange County (SNA) in Santa Ana, about 25 miles north of town. Without heavy traffic, it's roughly a 30 to 35 minute drive. Dana Point also sits within reach of three bigger airports: Long Beach, Los Angeles and San Diego. Which one makes…
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Indigenous Peoples' Day in Dana Point: The Acjachemen Story Behind Our Coastline Stand on the bluffs above Dana Point Harbor on a clear fall morning and you are looking at one of the most photographed stretches of the Orange County coast. You are also looking at Acjachemen homeland. Long before…
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Every December, Dana Point Harbor trades its daytime bustle for a floating light show. For three nights, decorated boats of every size circle the harbor while families line the docks to cheer them on. The 51st Annual Boat Parade of Lights runs December 11 to 13, 2026, starting at 6:30 p.m. each…
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Every December, two migrations arrive in Dana Point. One is made of families and friends coming together for the holidays. The other is made of Pacific gray whales, swimming south on one of the longest annual migrations of any mammal, about 10,000 miles round trip between the Arctic and the warm…
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The Best Time to Visit Dana Point (Hint: It's Fall) Dana Point has sunshine all year, but ask a local when to come and most will say fall. The summer crowds head home, the water is still warm, and the evenings stay mild enough for a sunset on the bluffs. Here is what each season looks like so you…
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The 2026 edition of Ohana Fest is being held Friday‚ September 25 through Sunday‚ September 27‚ 2026‚ at Doheny State Beach (25300 Dana Point Harbor Drive‚ Dana Point‚ California) on the sand․ It will be the 10th anniversary of the festival and is expected to feature more than 35 acts across three…
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Stand on the deck of a schooner as the sails fill and something happens that feels like it should not be allowed. The wind is coming across the bow at an angle, and the ship is moving toward it. Not with it. Toward it. That moment is the payoff on roughly a thousand years of sailors solving fluid…
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Winter in Dana Point is the perfect winter escape to milder temperatures. Days hold in the low to mid-60s through December and January, while the harbor settles into a quieter pace that peak season doesn't allow. The holiday calendar brings the Boat Parade of Lights to the waterfront in December…
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