Stacks Of Pancakes, Tall Ships And Tide Pools, The Pacific Pocket Mouse, Panoramas, And Richard Henry Dana's White Squirrels

Do you have a few hours on a weekend morning to visit Dana Point Harbor? Need to kill some time before your whale watching trip? Well then, here's the oddballkidfun plan.

Stop for breakfast at Stacks Pancake House on PCH. Get there early to avoid lines and feast on Captain Crunch Peanut Butter Hawaiian Bread French Toast with bananas and coconut syrup. If your kids don't like that perfect goodness from a sweet, tropical heaven then you can order them a plain cheese omelette with fruit off the kid's menu.

After filling your belly it's time to drive down PCH and enter the harbor on Dana Point Harbor Drive. You'll pass the entrance to Doheny State Beach on your left. It's a great beach for a bike ride. It has large grassy areas for picnics and is usually full of beach campers, surf camps, families, and a few people who've set up homes in the parking lot. But we're going to skip Doheny. We only have a few fours, right?

At the end of Dana Point Harbor Drive is the parking lot for the Ocean Institute. It's an education facility focused on teaching the community about the ocean with lessons in oceanography, conservation, and even maritime history. It's open 10-3 on the weekends and there's a charge for admission - $6.50 for adults, kids $4.50. It's not a museum or aquarium but there are a few exhibits and a small touch tank inside. On weekends you can also tour the Tall Ships. The Pilgrim is built to look like the brig Richard Henry Dana wrote about in his book Two Years Before the Mast. There's often another tall ship called the Spirit of Dana Point which is a replica of a privateer from the late 1700's.

For a great experience with nature, walk behind the Ocean Institute past the picnic tables and down the stairs. To the left is the jetty that now blocks the KillerDana swells and to the right is a stretch of beach with tide pools. You'll see everything from sea stars to sea lions depending on the tide and weather.

After seeing ocean life it's a good idea to get a peek at some interesting life on land. Head on over to the Richard Henry Dana statue which is at the end of Island Way. There's a small grass area around the statue and a walking trail along the cove. It's a nice place to watch stand up paddle-boarders and ships leaving the harbor. You'll see a few dog walkers and it's the only place, except for that one pirate convention, I've seen people walking with pet parrots on their shoulders.

Behind the statue you can try to find the white ground squirrels that live there. They aren't shy if you have a scrap of food. And each light colored squirrel has different markings so you can tell them apart.

For the last stop make your way back onto Dana Point Harbor Drive and head back toward the Ocean Institute but make a right turn on Cove Road and drive up the cliff. At the top of the cliff turn left and follow the road to the Dana Point Nature Interpretive Center, open from 10-4 everyday except Monday. It's the entry spot for the Dana Point Headlands and the Dana Point Preserve. Along with a few displays of local animals and plants they have an informative brochure with a good trail map.

The area around the center has a few critters that are unusual. The star is the Pacific Pocket Mouse, a protected animal living in the Headlands. Mr. Pocket Mouse was thought to be extinct until it was discovered in 1993 right there in the Headlands. It's a nocturnal animal so although it's cute, your family will only get a chance to see pictures of it. There's a 1/2 mile hilly up and back trail in the preserve or a longer trail around the neighborhood.

For the final stop and a great view of the harbor drive from the nature center a short way along Green Lantern. Pass the Chart House restaurant and right across from Cannon's Seafood Grill there are stairs leading to a viewing spot. Park along the road and hit the stairs, It's a workout- we counted 112 steps going up and 102 going down- maybe you'll get the correct number.

At the top of the stairs there's a terrific panorama of Dana Point harbor. There's another small trail that will take you to the top of the hill for a great 360 degree view of Dana Point.




Stacks Pancake House 34255 Pacific Coast Highway Ste 110, Dana Point, CA 92629 (949) 429-2222
Ocean Institute 24200 Dana Point Harbor Dr. Dana Point, CA 92629 (949) 496-2274
Dana Point Nature Interpretive Center 34588 Scenic Dr. Dana Point, CA 92629