3842 Warner Ave, Huntington Beach, CA 92649 (Interpretive Center)
Hours:
- Trail Hours – Monday-Sunday (6 AM-8 PM)
- Interpretive Center – Monday (9 AM-1 PM) Tuesday-Sunday (9 AM-4 PM)
Overview
Located in the city of Huntington Beach, Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve is a fantastic nature area. The reserve consists of a saltwater marsh among 1,300 acres of wetlands. While the reserve covers a lot of land there is only about 5 miles worth of trails altogether. However, these trails are great and all connect. Short out and back hikes will allow visitors to see the best areas of the reserve or hikers can choose a 4.5 mile loop to discover a little bit more. In addition to hiking, birding is an incredibly popular activity here. The reserve is a great and kind of unusual place that visitors should be sure to check out. The hikes here are short and easy and the reserve is a nice change of pace from the other hikes in the area.
Interpretive Center at Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve
In addition to hiking and bird watching at the reserve, visitors should make sure to check out the nice interpretive center that is present here. Kids will especially enjoy this building as Interpretive panels will help them learn about the reserve and its local animals and plant life. Kids will also have the opportunity to check out a few live animals that are local to the area. These include a California King Snake, a Rosy Boa, Gopher Snake and Alligator Lizards. There is lots of taxidermy inside and a few small aquariums as well. The building is always staffed with a volunteer, willing to answer questions and to better help visitors understand the preserve and the living creatures in it.
Hiking at Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve
Hiking in Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve is pretty straight forward, with all the trails being fairly short and with very little elevation gain. In reality, there are 3 options for hiking here. The first is to combine all the trails to form a loop hike, starting from either the interpretive center or from the parking area across the street from Bolsa Chica State Beach. This option warrants a pretty flat trek, with the loop culminating at just under 5 miles.
The last two options for hiking in the reserve are the two that I prefer. Starting from the interpretive center, hikers can cross the bridge and head right onto the main trail.
From here a gravel track will take visitors as far as they choose to go, with great views of the saltwater marsh and the wetlands along the way.
The first mile typically sums up what the trail is and I usually turn around at this point, making it about a 2 mile out and back hike. This is a great option for those with little kids (like me) who might not be up for the longer loop hike or for spending too much time out in the sun. Again, this trail is about as straight forward as it gets.
The last option is my personal preference for hiking in the reserve and I believe offers the best hiking experience here. From the interpretive center, drive away from Warner Street, briefly heading south on Highway 1. In no time Bolsa Chica State Beach will come into view on your right and just across the street will be parking for the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve. This is the boardwalk trail. This hike is about 1 mile out and back and strictly follows along a wooden boardwalk over the marsh.
The scenery here is stunning and the boardwalk, is, well, just cool. I don’t think I’ve met a boardwalk hike that I haven’t loved. The hike is short, flat and great for kids and families, while offering the best views of the reserve.
Scout’s Story
The past few days have been quite a whirlwind. Five days ago we celebrated my wife, Ryan’s birthday by hanging out with our daughter, Scout, in Huntington Beach. Despite living fairly close to Huntington Beach and having driven past the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve more times than I could count, we had never stopped to venture in. We figured Ryan’s birthday would be a good day to try something new. We enjoyed checking out the interpretive center with Scout and then did about a mile or so of the trail from here. It was hot, but fun and we enjoyed the short stroll.
The following day we celebrated my birthday and the day after that, numerous family members started arriving in town for what we presumed would be a small ceremony the next day. That following day, my wife, Scout and I would travel to Kaiser Permanente to meet with our Oncology team to discuss the monitoring of the little bit of tumor (benign) that had to be left behind in Scout’s body after her recent surgery. For the past year, Scout, who just turned 2 years old, had been battling stage 4 cancer. Last month Scout’s cancer was placed into remission. On this day, after meeting with our Oncologist, we made our way downstairs for Scout’s EOT (End of Treatment ceremony/bell ringing).
As we walked off the elevator to what we believed would be immediate family waiting for us, had now turned into quite a spectacle. Doctors and nurses from throughout the hospital had gathered to cheer Scout on. It was quite an overwhelming moment and I am so glad that so many of our family and friends got to take part. That includes the Doctors and nurses who helped saved Scout’s life and whom we consider a part of our family.
Scout’s Day Hiking at Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve
A day after celebrating Scout’s remission with her “End of Treatment” ceremony, many of our family members remained in town. We were so grateful for everyone that came in town to support Scout and us, but also felt a little overwhelmed and felt a need to go to our safe place (nature/the outdoors) for a little bit. Five days after visiting Bolsa Chica Reserve for the first time, we would return. My wife was a little shocked that this was what I suggested we do before meeting up with family later in the morning. I assured her this would be a different trip than a few days ago.
With a little more knowledge of the preserve than I had a few days ago (which was practically nothing), we made our way to the parking lot just across the street from Bolsa Chica State Beach. Immediately, I knew this was gonna be a fun morning and a brief reprieve from the constant reminders and anxiety of Scout’s tough journey over the past year. The boardwalk trail is about as easy as it gets and is unquestionably the best area of the reserve. Like I stated above, boardwalks are just cool and make trails a lot of fun.
Scout ran back and forth along the boardwalk, telling her mom and I to “hurry up”. I’m not sure where she thought we were going, but she wanted to get there fast. We ran up and down the boardwalk, with fantastic views of the wetlands in every direction.
Every time I stopped to take a rest, Scout would implore, “run fast”, and off we would go again. The whole trail (stroll) is about a mile altogether and was great for our busy schedule on this day. It still allowed us to get outside with Scout and to do what we love most, while allowing our minds a brief rest from all the constant scenarios and memories from Scout’s battle over the past year.
June 26, 2023
Getting to Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve
18000 CA-1, Huntington Beach, CA 92648 (Boardwalk Trail)
3842 Warner Ave, Huntington Beach, CA 92649 (Interpretive Center)
Notes, Questions and Thoughts
Is this a fee area?
- No, there are no fees to hike or park at the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve
Are dogs allowed in the reserve?
- No, dogs are not allowed in the reserve or along the trails inside of the reserve.
Are there restrooms in the reserve?
- Yes. Restrooms are located at the interpretive center.
Please recreate responsibly. Respect hikers and all visitors and wildlife. Help make everyone’s experience better by keeping the nature experience as authentic as possible. Leave no trace and pack out everything that you pack in. Please remember that we are visitors and stewards of these special places. Help keep these places as wild as possible while not diminishing the outdoor experience of others.
