File:Salt Creek Beach Park.JPG

English: Salt Creek Beach Park in Dana Point, California, U.S.A. The park is adjacent to the Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel, which is to the left (south) of this photo. The parking lot for the park is located across the street (Ritz Carlton Drive) from the hotel. You park your car there and walk through a short tunnel that is right below Ritz Carlton Drive. This is the view that you will see (OK, maybe not the kite) as you exit the tunnel. The lawn area pictured here is on a slope (if it's not clear from the photo). At the bottom of the slope with more lawn extending to the right, there are picnic tables, BBQ grills and a basketball court. There is a stairway that takes you from the BBQ area to a lower level where you will find a fast food stand, restrooms, and a little shower space to wash sand off (not to take an actual shower). From there, you can take another stairway to go down to the beach. The parking fee is usually $1 per hour (as of 2013), but there are occasional "free" days. These free-parking messages are not necessarily posted on or near the ticket machines so check around if you think it might be free that day. There is no fee for using the park or the beach. If you are a hotel guest, there is another stairway/path between the Ritz-Carlton and the beach; part of the Ritz-Carlton stairway/path can be viewed in this photo. Of course, you could valet-park at the hotel and play in the park, but the Ritz-Carlton charges for valet parking, plus you'd have to tip the valet; the Ritz-Carlton has no self-parking[1]. If you do have to valet-park at the hotel for brunch or tea time (or perhaps a wedding reception), you might as well check out the beach since you're already paying for parking anyway. See OC Parks' website for more details about the park or the beach.