Post By: Jose Santamaria, Assistant Coordinator 2022
One of my personal favorite plans for the weekend is to enjoy a bonfire with friends. It can serve as the perfect weekend chill kick-off, or it can also be the perfect closure for the weekend. Near Irvine, there are a couple of cozy places to have a bonfire, but the one I like to go to the most is Corona del Mar State Beach.
Picture by: Jose Santamaria
Located at 3001 Ocean Boulevard, Corona del Mar, 92625, you can swim, sunbathe, and even play beach volleyball with your friends until sunset, and then head to the designated firepits to enjoy having a chat with your group and/or listening to music, having some snacks and all of it by the light and warmth of a bonfire.
Although you can find information online at the California Parks and Recreation website and the City of Newport Beach website for Fire Rings, I am going to share some tips and recommendations based on my own experiences in the past years.
Starting off with parking, there are two main options: you can either park in the Corona del Mar Municipal Lot for a daily or hourly fee, which is directly next to the beach, or you can choose street parking if you find a spot, this last option is free, and generally, it is not too difficult to get a spot.
Once you are there the next step would be finding yourself a fire pit/fire ring, located on the right side of the beach. These are first come first served, so I recommend getting there early to secure one for you and your group. In the Summer months, it is actually difficult to get a spot unless you arrive there early (in the morning). A thumb rule for Winter, Spring, and Fall would be getting there before sunset. However, if by the time you get there there aren’t any available, it is always a good idea to approach some of them and ask the people there if it is okay with them that you share the fire ring. As long as you are respectful there should not be any issues. There are 24 fire rings in total: 8 for charcoal only and 16 for either wood or charcoal, 4 of these are handicapped-accessible. Yes, there are fire rings dedicated to charcoal exclusively, they are painted in green.
From: City of Newport Beach website for Fire Rings
The reason for this is because wood produces more smoke than charcoal, and if it is burned too close to the houses, it disturbs the neighbors (that is what the park ranger told us our first time when we accidentally used the wrong fire pit for wood and asked us to move to a wood one).
This brings us to the third thing to keep in mind: what to bring/buy. Just for the sake of having more fire pits available, I recommend getting charcoal, but wood is also a good option, and I must say, wood flames are bigger and warmer, and overall it feels more like a bonfire experience. Then it is also a good idea to get some type of fire starter, it will help you create a flame much faster. Obviously do not forget a lighter or matches. Get some snacks, and since you are after all around a bonfire, if you have any roasting sticks, this is the perfect chance to roast some marshmallows or going an extra level and add some chocolate and crackers to prepare delicious s’mores.
There are also some considerations for once you are ready to head back home. The beach closes at 10 pm, and the rangers will make sure you leave, so do not plan to stay any longer. Before you leave, make sure the fire has been extinguished. Aside from pouring water, one useful and more practical strategy to put out a fire is throwing in sand. Finally, remember to pick up any trash, so that our beaches stay clean and ready for the many more bonfires to come.
Final tip: your clothes will probably smell like smoke after a bonfire so, as much as you’d like to show off your nicest outfit, it is probably best not to wear your favorite clothes. However, if you still want to rock that outfit by the fire, leaving it on the balcony overnight should do the trick and prevent your home from smelling smokey for days after the bonfire.