Crystal Cove Trail — Attraction in Newport Beach

We were having a great time hiking Crystal Cove Trail and decided to take out our drone to capture some beautiful shots of the scenery and our group enjoying the trail. After about 10 minutes of flying, out of nowhere, a white male lifeguard abruptly ran toward us and started yelling at us to take it down. His tone was extremely aggressive, to the point where we genuinely felt unsafe.

We calmly told him that we didn’t see any signs prohibiting drone usage, but he completely ignored us and just stood there, staring us down in an intimidating way until we packed it up. The way he handled the situation was completely uncalled for—there was absolutely no reason to be that hostile. It really felt like he wouldn’t have reacted the same way if we weren’t people of color. There are ways to enforce rules without aggression, and the fact that he chose to approach us like this says a lot.

I’ve included videos and images so others can see for themselves. This situation could have been handled much more professionally, and it left a really bad impression...

Whether you want your feet wet and the birds flying beside you as you walk down the beach past tide tidepools and dolphins, or if you prefer to look down on all that from the bluff, this trail is the best. How many three-mile stretches of beach in SoCal have tide pools, a world-class restaurant, and a solid surf break, with very small crowds to boot? Whenever I get the chance, I run this trail one way and the sand the other. And a family ritual is walking from the tunnel on the south end all along the water to Ruby's Shake Shack about mid-way through the park. Support the state parks with your parking dollars, or take advantage of the validation at...

Great for a quick walk or run as well as a bike ride. There are a few areas that go off the trail for beach access and observation areas with an amazing view of the beach and ocean. I wouldn't say this trail is difficult by any standard, but you'll definitely get much sun, so wear sun block. There are paved paths as well as dirt paths. I would recommend wearing proper footwear such as hiking shoes. At designated areas along the trail are also picnic tables which were quite empty when I visited. There is also several parking lots at various entry points...