This California pier stretches 1,850 feet over surfers’ heads and stays open until midnight

It’s America’s surfing capital

Huntington Beach has been a surf town for more than a century, and the pier at the end of Main Street is where it all comes together.

The concrete deck reaches 1,850 feet into the Pacific, one of the longest public piers on the West Coast.

You can walk it from early morning until midnight, 30 feet above the water, with surfers paddling below and Catalina Island floating on the horizon.

The surfing history here runs deep, and so does everything else.

Storms, submarines and a $92,000 gift from Japan

The first wooden pier went up around 1902 and stretched 1,000 feet into the ocean. It didn’t last.

Storms wrecked it, a 1933 earthquake cracked it, and a rare tropical storm in 1939 knocked it out again. During World War II, the U.S. Navy turned it into a submarine lookout post.

After another round of storm damage in 1988, a community group called P.I.E.R. raised rebuilding funds, and Huntington Beach’s sister city, Anjo, Japan, donated $92,000.

The concrete pier you walk today opened on July 18, 1992, with over 500,000 people at the celebration.

Duke Kahanamoku surfed here in the 1920s

George Freeth gave the first surfing demonstration at the pier’s 1914 reopening, and the crowd couldn’t look away. By the 1920s, Duke Kahanamoku, the father of modern surfing, was riding waves at the same break.

Open-ocean swells bend around Catalina Island and push consistent surf toward the pier year-round, which is why the city earned the official nickname “Surf City, USA.” In 2014, Huntington Beach celebrated 100 years of surfing.

Surf schools still line the sand for beginners.

Walk over granite plaques of surfing legends

Head down Main Street near the pier and you’ll find the Surfing Walk of Fame right in the sidewalk.

Granite plaques have gone in since 1994, with an induction committee picking honorees each year in six categories, including Surf Champion, Local Hero and Woman of the Year.

Across the street, the Surfers’ Hall of Fame holds handprints and footprints of the sport’s biggest names. A bronze bust of Duke Kahanamoku sits at the center.

Pacific City’s second level has an Honor Wall too.

500,000 fans pack the sand for nine days

Every summer, the south side of the pier turns into the stage for the US Open of Surfing, the largest surfing competition in the world. Close to 500,000 people show up over nine days to watch.

The event started in 1959 as the West Coast Surfing Championship and picked up its current name in 1994. It counts as part of the World Surf League qualification process.

You don’t need a ticket. The whole thing is free, with live music, food and action sports demos running alongside the heats.

See Duke Kahanamoku’s surfboard for free

Two blocks from the beach on Olive Avenue, the International Surfing Museum sits in a small building that punches above its weight.

Founded in 1987, the museum holds Duke Kahanamoku’s personal surfboard and the Guinness World Record holder for the largest surfboard ever made.

Exhibits rotate through topics like surf music and competitive surfing history. Volunteers run the whole operation as a nonprofit.

Admission is free, though they welcome donations at the door.

1,300 acres of wetlands and 200 bird species

Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve sits along Pacific Coast Highway just north of the pier area, and it feels like a different world.

This 1,300-acre saltwater wetland is the largest along the California coast and a critical stop on the Pacific Flyway migration route.

Nearly 200 bird species pass through, including great blue herons, snowy egrets, brown pelicans and the endangered western snowy plover. Five miles of flat trails wind through the reserve.

Admission and parking cost nothing.

Bike 10 miles of coastline right under the pier

A paved beachfront trail runs roughly eight to 10 miles along the coast, connecting Bolsa Chica State Beach to Huntington State Beach. The path rolls right under the pier, so you get the full view from below.

Beach cruisers and electric bikes are easy to rent from shops near the pier.

Huntington Beach has earned multiple honors from the League of American Bicyclists as a bicycle-friendly community. If you want more distance, the trail connects to the Santa Ana River Trail heading inland.

Grab a fire ring before sunset

More than 500 concrete fire rings spread across three beaches here: Huntington City Beach, Huntington State Beach and Bolsa Chica State Beach.

They’re free, first-come, first-served, and they fill up fast on weekends. City Beach fire pits stay open from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

The mild coastal climate means you can pull this off in January as easily as July.

Beach bonfires have been part of the culture in Huntington Beach for decades, and once you’re sitting around one at dusk, you’ll understand why.

Dogs run off-leash on the sand and into the waves

About two miles northwest of the pier, Huntington Dog Beach gives your dog the kind of day most pets only dream about. Dogs run free on the sand and splash straight into the surf with no leash required.

The beach opens daily from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., and access is free. Waste bag stations, restrooms and picnic tables line the area.

It’s one of the most popular dog-friendly beaches in Southern California, so expect company on warm weekends.

Surf shops, street fairs and jets over the pier

Main Street runs from Pacific Coast Highway inland, lined with surf shops, restaurants and local businesses. Every week, Surf City Nights brings a street fair with vendors and entertainment to the downtown blocks.

Each fall, the Pacific Airshow sends military and civilian jets screaming over the beach and pier. The Surf City Marathon runs along the oceanfront every February.

In spring, the AVP Huntington Beach Open draws top beach volleyball players to the sand near the pier.

The sun drops straight into the ocean from here

The pier faces due west, so nothing blocks the sunset.

You stand at the end and watch the sun sink straight into the Pacific while surfers below catch the last waves of the day. Fire pits along the beach start to glow as the sky shifts.

The pier and the beach surrounding it are free to access every single day of the year. No tickets, no reservations.

Just show up, walk out, and let the day end the way it should.

Walk the Huntington Beach Pier in California

You’ll find the pier at the end of Main Street where it meets Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach, Calif. It’s open daily with a midnight curfew, and walking it costs nothing.

Leave the bike and skateboard behind, though, because neither is allowed on the deck. Metered parking and lots line Pacific Coast Highway nearby.

Show up early on weekends if you want a spot close to the pier. Check the official website for any seasonal event schedules.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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