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The Park has 1.5 miles of beach to explore reefs, tidepools, coastal caves, fish, and surf. Giant sycamores shade the main campgrounds. The park offers hiking, a visitor center, camp store, and welcomes dogs on a leash in specified areas. Junior Ranger & campfire programs are offered in the summer.

The 13,300 acre park features five miles of ocean shoreline with rocky bluffs, sandy beaches, and sand dunes. There are over 70 miles of hiking trails for all levels, with rugged hills, uplands, two major river canyons and wide grassy valleys dotted with sycamores, oaks, and a few native walnuts.

Moderate ocean temperature at Emma Wood State Beach makes the area a great place for swimming, surfing and fishing. Catches include perch, bass, cabezon and corbina. A freshwater marsh at the southwest end of the beach attract raccoons, songbirds and red-tailed hawks. The beach also features the crumbling ruins of a World War II coastal artillery site. There is a grassy area for groups and a campground for hikers and bikers. The beach offers a view of Anacapa Island - and occasional dolphins.

Bolsa Chica State Beach is a popular place for surf fishing for perch, corbina, croaker, cabezon and sand shark. Also popular in the summer is bare-handed fishing for California grunion, a species that only spawns on southern California beaches. The beach extends three miles from Seal Beach to Huntington Beach City Pier. A bikeway connects it with Huntington State Beach, seven miles south. Wildlife and bird watching are popular. Across the road from the beach is the 1,000-acre Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve, operated by the California Dept. of Fish and Game.