Dana Point's First Turkey Trot Without the Wharf Happens Across Golden Lantern

The 49th Dana Point Turkey Trot starts at 7 a.m. on Thanksgiving, Thursday, Nov. 26. It is the first time the race comes back to a harbor with no Wharf in the middle of it. The race is still in the harbor and the distances are familiar. What has changed is where everything around the race happens: packet pickup, parking, the shuttles and the post-race coffee. Almost all of it now sits outside the construction fence, across Golden Lantern at Dana Marina Plaza and a block uphill on Del Prado.

Four weeks between the Wharf's last day and the starting gun

The Wharf's remaining restaurants and shops close for good after Saturday, Oct. 31. Dana Point Harbor Partners told The Log that the Wharf closes to the public on Sunday, Nov. 1. Wind & Sea closed earlier, on Sept. 15, so demolition could start on Building 1. According to the harbor's construction schedule, the businesses in Buildings 2 through 5 have their final day on Oct. 31.

That leaves less than four weeks before the city's biggest morning crowd shows up. The city's event listing puts the crowd at more than 15,000 runners, walkers, volunteers, spectators and supporters. The organizer's sponsor page uses a smaller number, 12,000 participants. The two figures count different groups. Either way, it is far more people than the harbor sees on any ordinary morning, and by Thanksgiving they will arrive at a waterfront where the familiar breakfast spots are closed.

The race is going ahead. In Dana Point Times reporting on the closure, Katie Sorensen, director of marketing for Burnham-Ward Properties, said the harbor stays open after the Wharf closes. She listed the Turkey Trot with the Dana Point Harbor Certified Farmers Market, the Boat Parade of Lights, the Festival of Whales and Little Folk Club as community events that continue through construction.

The race itself, plus one new wave

The official race schedule lists the morning in this order:

1. 7 a.m. 10K start
2. 8:30 a.m. First 5K wave
3. 9 a.m. Costume contest
4. 9:30 a.m. Second 5K wave
5. 10 a.m. 5K Family Walk/Run
6. 10:30 a.m. Kids' 1-Mile Gobble Wobble

The Combo 15K is for runners who want to run both the 10K and a 5K. The race FAQ marks two items as new this year: the 10 a.m. Family Walk/Run and an optional "Gobble Buddy" for adults. The 10 a.m. wave makes the last hour of the morning easier for families. Strollers and slower walkers get their own start instead of joining a faster wave.

Registration on Race Roster is open through Nov. 26. The Dana Point Chamber of Commerce presents the race. This year's charity partners are the Boys & Girls Clubs of Capistrano Valley and the RH Dana Elementary School Booster Club.

One piece is still missing. The course map page says the 2026 map is "coming soon," and the map shown below that note is from 2025. Last year, the Orange County Register reported that every race started and finished at the harbor entrance. One segment went into Doheny State Beach, along the harbor island and out to near where the Spirit of Dana Point docks at the Ocean Institute. The organizer's general description still says part of the 10K route goes into Doheny State Beach. Last year's route is a reasonable guide for planning, but it hasn't been confirmed for this year. Check the map again once it's posted.

Pickup and parking moved across the street

The clearest sign of the shift is packet pickup. Bibs, shirts and the Health & Fitness Expo are at the Dana Marina Plaza parking lot, 25001 Dana Point Harbor Drive. Hours are noon to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 25, and 6 to 11 a.m. on race morning. In the same Dana Point Times article that covered which businesses are staying, Dana Marina Plaza is described as just across Golden Lantern from the harbor. It is home to restaurants, shops and services the revitalization doesn't affect. So the expo is set up at a working shopping center, not next to a fenced-off construction site.

Getting there works the same way. The organizer's packet pickup and parking page lists free race-day shuttles from 5:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., with two places to park and board:

• Dana Hills High School, 33333 Golden Lantern
• Costco, 33961 Doheny Park Road in San Juan Capistrano

Both shuttles drop riders at Del Prado and Golden Lantern near Ralph's, one block from the race. The organizer also points drivers to street parking on Del Prado and to the city's public lots in the Lantern District. Free e-bike corral parking is in the harbor lot from 6:30 to 11 a.m. Bring your own lock.

The Visit Dana Point race guide, published Oct. 6, lists only the Dana Hills High School shuttle and has service ending at 11:15 a.m. The organizer and Race Roster both list two lots and a 12:15 p.m. end time. Go by the organizer's page, and if you're finishing late, aim for a shuttle well before the last run.

Race Roster also lists the harbor's new parking structure at 799 Harbor Way. That structure and the new entrance were the main pieces of Phases 1 and 2, which the harbor marks as complete on July 2, 2025. On a normal day, the harbor's parking page offers up to four free hours, subject to availability. It also says special-event rates may apply, and that Dana Wharf and Catalina Express customers park on level three. On Thanksgiving morning, the shuttle is the safer bet than counting on the free four hours.

Neither the organizer's page nor the city's listing has published a road-closure schedule yet. If you live along Dana Point Harbor Drive or Golden Lantern, check both pages again before the holiday.

What's still open on the water

By race day, the Wharf's stores will have been closed for almost four weeks, but the harbor's boats keep running. Dana Wharf Sportfishing & Whale Watching and Catalina Express are moving into temporary trailers next to the parking structure. Whale watching, fishing trips, ferry service and charters are set to continue without a break. Donna Kalez, Dana Wharf's co-owner and COO, made the same point to Dana Point Times:

"We're not going to be closed even for a day."

The same article names other businesses staying open across the harbor: the Ocean Institute, Capt. Dave's Dana Point Dolphin and Whale Watching Safari, Pure Watersports, Dana Point Yacht Club, Dana West Yacht Club and Aventura Sailing Association. The boardwalk, Baby Beach, the Dana Point Fishing Pier, the Embarcadero, the launch ramp, the fuel dock and the bait barge also stay open. That's a fair amount to see after the race. A walk out to Baby Beach or the Ocean Institute, near where last year's route reached the Spirit of Dana Point, is still an option even though the Wharf shops are gone.

Breakfast is where most people will need a new plan. For years, a harbor Thanksgiving ended with food at the Wharf, and the businesses that served it are closing or moving. Turk's, Proud Mary's, Coco Bloom Coffee, Top Brass, Golden Galleon, Art Sea Gift Chateau, Frisby Cellars and Vintage Yacht Club all appear on the list of Wharf tenants expected to stay open only through Oct. 31. Kalez's suggestion to visitors during construction is to walk across the street and support the businesses at Dana Marina Plaza. Since that's also where the expo is, the race already sends everyone there. Shuttle riders get dropped on Del Prado, so the Lantern District's restaurants are right there when they arrive and when they head back.

The race is the first test of how this works

Phase 4 will build about 20,000 square feet of new waterfront space, with eight new tenants, up to four returning tenants, public gathering areas and new public art. Sorensen told Dana Point Times the timeline is set so the harbor opens ahead of LA28. Until then, the harbor's big events will use the setup this year's Turkey Trot uses, with the activity on the water and the parking, pickup and food on the blocks around the fence. The farmers market already works this way. It still runs Wednesdays, now in a new spot near the parking structure. The Boat Parade of Lights and the Festival of Whales come next, and both are on the list of events continuing through construction.

The practical plan for Thanksgiving morning is simple. Pick up your bib at Dana Marina Plaza on Wednesday afternoon. Park at Dana Hills High School or Costco, or ride an e-bike in. Watch for the 2026 course map. Plan to eat across Golden Lantern or up on Del Prado.

If you're running on Thanksgiving, we hope to see you near the start line. If the harbor's changes have you thinking about what comes next for your own home nearby, Tony Salay Real Estate Group is happy to talk it through over coffee after the race. Contact Us.