Back Bay viewpoint, aka., a stop and capture moment.
07/22/2026 After eating an almond croissant and sipping a Hikari matcha at Juliette’s Cafe, I opted to walk the Back Bay located in Newport Beach, California. I parked at the Upper Newport Bay Nature Preserve (for free, you know I like that).
Follow the point to where I parked. This is also proof that I started out on a trail. The Back Bay
After parking, I hopped on a trail and decided to just follow it. I had not done any preparation prior to this walk and envisioned a 2.5~ mile loop.
Just follow the path. ->A palm tree sighting. Below the palm tree was a tree fort dream escape like when we were kids. This loop is a little colorless (with the exception of the water)… so, I tried to capture color whenever spotted. A classic trail bridge to cross. Color, mood match.
So, the trail I was on ended. I was faced with a turn around and go back the way I came OR venture into the Newport Beach neighborhood streets until I find my way back onto a trail. I was committed to a LOOP. The pink flowers were spotted outside of someone’s extravagant house (hah). Being off the trail was not all bad. To be honest, I was amazed at how quiet it was.
The dead-end road has a view at least. Somehow, I need to get to the other side. Paused to take some pics and orient to where I was. The sidewalks led to this cute little park. Sidewalk satus, continued. Orienting again, I had been here before. Paddle board and row. Zoomed in. Lol, I love when dog parents watch their dogs have fun in water. (just happy swimming)Made too many errors, started to be more vigilant of signs like this. To take the high road or the low road? (I took high)Do you think that looks like a hockey stick?A path that will lead me to Castaways Park. A scenic pause. We all agree that is a foot, right?Paved trail overlooking the bay and harbor. Wins for the most stunning view! (so… I took multiple pics that look the same, lol).Guess where I am? (if you guessed PCH, you would be right)Yay, a sign to point me in the right direction (loop, back on track)The paved path. Passerby, flower spy. The point where I realized I had gone far beyond 2-miles and still had a long way to go.This just looked important, lol. This was my favorite and least anticipated sighting of all. A horse! I was passed by a lot of bikers. Near the end, I had bike envy. If that water looked cleaner, I would want to swim. Still alive and back to where I started. ❤
If it was not clear from the pictures, I ended up walking the entire Back Bay Loop (10.5~ Miles). That was not the original plan… but seeing as I did not have a full-fledged plan or have it mapped out… it became the plan. I had never done the entire loop before (only segments). I will call that a cool feat. It gave me plenty of time to reflect and appreciate scenery!
Back Bay, thank you for being a place to get outside. You will be missed. xo
Simply Op 
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