The cache is NOT at the posted coordinates. This is the bonus cache for the CA Highway 1 Adventures: Huntington Beach Adventure Lab. Complete select locations of the AL to be given the coordinates of the bonus cache. The bonus is located near Dog Beach, up the coast from downtown Huntington Beach. The link for the Adventure is https://adventurelab.page.link/AoFp and the QR code is displayed below. Update 30 August 2022: The coordinates for the bonus cache have been updated in the AL Journal. If you completed the lab on/before 30 August 2022 please revisit the Journal entries to get the new coordinates.
Parking Options for CA Highway 1 Huntington Beach Adventure Lab Stops
Parking WPs given on this page are meant to help with parking for the whole AL. Geofences for all locations are set to a minimum of 200 meters (656 feet) so if you have a buddy with you to drive, you can tap the answer button as you drive past the location and then enter the answer when you've found a spot to safely pull over. Be aware that parking will be challenging at several locations on weekends and over the summer.
I DO NOT RECOMMEND PARKING AT THE STATE BEACH OR CITY BEACH unless you already have plans to spend the day at the beach. Parking at each of Huntington State Beach and Huntington City Beach is a flat $15/day with no in/out privileges. There are much more economical parking options available, including metered spaces ($2.50/hr) and the occasional free parking if you are able to walk a short to moderate distance.
The northernmost three locations and the bonus cache are at Dog Beach, which is a $2.50/hr metered lot. Numerous pay stations are available, and they take credit cards and coins. Credit card transactions appear to have a 1 hour minimum; with quarters, you can pay for as little as 6 minutes. Half an hour should be sufficient to complete the three AL stops as well as retrieve the bonus cache. There are two lots at Dog Beach: the North Lot and the South Lot. The AL stops and bonus are centered around the South Lot, which is larger and tends to have more spaces available. Parking will be challenging here on mornings when the waves are good and on weekends.
The next four stops are near downtown Huntington Beach, where there are numerous metered street parking spaces for $2.50 an hour. These meters also take credit cards or coins. There are metered spaces on both sides of PCH, in downtown Huntington Beach, and along Beach Boulevard. Free street parking is available on residential streets a few blocks inland from the business district.
The three stops to the south are the most challenging, parking-wise. There is free parking on Brookhurst near the intersection with Bushard; this is about three blocks from the Huntington Beach Wetlands stop, and about half a mile from the Santa Ana River Trail and Least Tern Nesting Area stops. There is limited metered parking along PCH in Newport Beach near Orange Street (the first signal after you've crossed into Newport), which is a short walk to the SART and Tern stops. There is also extremely limited free parking and metered lot spaces along Seashore Drive. In my experience you need to be very patient and very lucky to get one of these spots. If you choose to park at a meter and walk to the SART and Tern stops, you might want to pay for an hour so that you don't need to rush back to your car. All three of the SART, Tern, and Wetlands stops are multiple choice in order to make it easier to do these stops as drive-bys. At the NW end of Seashore Drive there is a turnaround, and the geofences for both the SART and Tern stops are extended out this far. If you are quick with the app you can visit the Answer screens for both stops to unlock the Answer screens, and then revisit those Answer screens later when you have found a safe place to park.
A detailed description of parking areas in Huntington Beach is available at the Surf City website. Be aware that parking prices may be different than what is on that page.
Update 30 August 2022: The coordinates for the bonus cache have been updated in the AL Journal. If you completed the lab on/before 30 August 2022 please revisit the Journal entries to get the new coordinates.