Admiralty & Gilbert Islands: Where Huntington Harbour Began

If you want to understand Huntington Harbour, I think you have to start where the Harbour itself started:

Admiralty Island and Gilbert Island.

Today, Huntington Harbour is known for its five man-made islands, waterfront homes, private boat docks and incredible boating lifestyle.

But back in the early 1960s, none of this looked the way it does today.

Construction on Huntington Harbour began in 1963, transforming this corner of Huntington Beach into the waterfront community we know now.

And Admiralty and Gilbert were part of the very first phase of development.

That history makes these two little islands particularly special.

They're also in one of the most unique locations in the entire Harbour—tucked just off Pacific Coast Highway, incredibly close to the beach and Sunset Beach, yet once you cross the bridge, you feel like you've entered a completely different little waterfront world.

So let's start my tour of the islands of Huntington Harbour with the originals.

Huntington Harbour Began in 1963

It's hard to picture now, but Huntington Harbour wasn't always here.

Construction on the Harbour began in 1963 as a major master-planned waterfront development.

The waterways were created, islands were formed, bridges were built and residential lots were designed around a very specific idea:

What if you could live in Huntington Beach and keep your boat right behind your house?

That concept would eventually become one of the most distinctive residential lifestyles in Orange County.

Five man-made islands ultimately became part of Huntington Harbour:

Admiralty Island

Gilbert Island

Davenport Island

Humboldt Island

Trinidad Island

But Admiralty and Gilbert came first.

Historical records from the City of Huntington Beach identify Admiralty and Gilbert as the two islands included in the first phase of Huntington Harbour's development.

Even the Admiralty Drive bridge dates to 1963.

So when you're driving across that bridge today, you're entering the original part of Huntington Harbour.

And I think that's pretty cool.

Admiralty Island: One of the Most Unique Islands in Huntington Harbour

Let's start with Admiralty Island.

Admiralty is small.

There are only about 90 single-family homes on the island.

But what makes it especially unusual is its relationship with the water.

Nearly every home on Admiralty Island has water frontage.

That's very different from the other larger Harbour islands, where you'll generally find a combination of waterfront and interior homes.

On Admiralty, the water isn't simply an amenity nearby.

The water is the neighborhood.

Private docks sit behind the homes, boats become part of the backyard view, and the channels connect residents to the rest of Huntington Harbour and eventually out toward the Pacific.

For someone who dreams about buying a waterfront home in Huntington Harbour specifically because they want the boating lifestyle, Admiralty is an island worth knowing.

The Admiralty Island Boating Lifestyle

This is where Huntington Harbour real estate becomes very different from typical coastal real estate.

There is a difference between:

Living near the ocean

and

Living with your boat behind your house.

On Admiralty Island, the second one is the lifestyle.

Depending on the individual property, you'll see private docks, different water-frontage configurations and homes oriented toward the Harbour rather than simply toward the street.

That's also why the dock can be almost as important as the house when you're shopping for waterfront real estate here.

If I'm helping someone buy a waterfront home in Huntington Harbour, I want to know:

What size boat do you have?

What size boat do you eventually want?

How much dock space does the property have?

Where is the home positioned on the channel?

What's the water frontage?

Because two homes that look similar from the street can offer completely different waterfront experiences.

Admiralty Feels Tucked Away—But PCH Is Right There

This is probably one of my favorite things about Admiralty and Gilbert.

You enter from Pacific Coast Highway at Admiralty Drive.

Cross the bridge...

and suddenly you're in this quiet residential waterfront setting.

Yet PCH is right behind you.

That means the beach, Sunset Beach, restaurants, shopping, marinas and the rest of the Huntington Harbour area are incredibly close.

It's an unusual combination.

Private island living without feeling isolated from the coast.

You can be home looking out at your boat and Harbour water, then head back across the bridge and be along PCH in minutes.

For some buyers, that location is exactly the appeal.

Then You Cross Another Bridge to Gilbert Island

This is another fun feature of these two islands.

To get to Gilbert Island, you first enter through Admiralty.

The Admiralty Drive Bridge provides the main access from the mainland, and then another bridge takes you from Admiralty over to Gilbert.

So Gilbert feels even more tucked into the Harbour.

There is no through-route taking random traffic somewhere else.

If you're driving onto Gilbert Island, you're going to Gilbert Island.

That creates a very distinctive residential feel.

Gilbert Island: Small, Quiet and Surrounded by Harbour History

Gilbert Island contains approximately 100 single-family home sites, with roughly two-thirds located directly on the water.

It's bordered by Admiralty Island on one side and the Harbour's Main Channel on the other.

That location creates some really interesting waterfront opportunities.

Depending on the property, homes can have channel views, private docks and different orientations toward the Harbour.

And because Gilbert is relatively small, homes don't come onto the market constantly.

For buyers specifically waiting for a Gilbert Island property, patience can sometimes be part of the process.

Gilbert Has Something Admiralty Doesn't: A Little Park

Gilbert Island also has a small neighborhood feature I love:

Tarbox Park.

It's a small pocket park with lawn, benches, a picnic table and a children's play area.

It's not some huge destination park.

And that's actually what makes it charming.

It's a little neighborhood space tucked onto an island in the middle of Huntington Harbour.

Those are the kinds of details you don't necessarily notice when you're scrolling through real estate listings online.

But they're the things you notice when you actually live somewhere.

Why Location Is Such a Big Deal Here

When buyers first hear "Huntington Harbour," they sometimes assume all five islands offer basically the same lifestyle.

They don't.

Each island has its own location, housing mix, access, channel orientation and personality.

Admiralty and Gilbert have a particularly interesting advantage:

their proximity to Pacific Coast Highway and the beach.

You're at the western edge of Huntington Harbour, close to the coast and Sunset Beach.

Restaurants and businesses around Huntington Harbour and PCH are nearby.

You have marinas and boating services close by.

And of course, you're still in Huntington Beach.

For someone who wants both Harbour life and beach life, that's a pretty compelling combination.

Harbour Life + Beach Life

This is something I think deserves its own section because they're actually two different lifestyles.

Living in Huntington Harbour gives you:

Boating

Kayaking

Paddleboarding

Duffy rides

Private docks

Calm Harbour water

Then, just outside the Harbour, you have:

The Pacific Ocean

The beach

Surfing

PCH

Sunset Beach

Coastal restaurants

Admiralty and Gilbert sit right where those two lifestyles meet.

And that's pretty special.

What Are the Homes Like?

Because Admiralty and Gilbert were part of Huntington Harbour's earliest development, you'll find an interesting mix of homes.

Some properties still reflect the architecture and footprint of the Harbour's earlier years.

Others have been extensively remodeled.

And some have been completely rebuilt into custom waterfront estates designed around modern indoor-outdoor living.

That's one of the things I love about Huntington Harbour real estate.

Two homes on the same island can be completely different.

You may find an older home that's an incredible opportunity for someone who wants to remodel.

A few doors down, there may be a fully rebuilt contemporary waterfront property with walls of glass opening toward the channel.

The land, water frontage and dock opportunity are often just as important as the house itself.

Waterfront Buyers Need to Look Beyond Square Footage

If you're considering buying on Admiralty or Gilbert, don't evaluate these homes the same way you would an inland Huntington Beach property.

Square footage matters.

Bedrooms and bathrooms matter.

Condition matters.

But on the Harbour, we also need to think about:

Water frontage

Dock size and configuration

Channel location

Boat access

Views

Lot orientation

Seawall and waterfront improvements

and how you actually plan to use the water.

A beautifully remodeled home with the wrong dock setup may not be the right property for a serious boater.

Meanwhile, an older house on an exceptional waterfront lot may be exactly what another buyer has been waiting for.

That's why Huntington Harbour real estate really needs to be looked at property by property.

Which Is Better: Admiralty or Gilbert Island?

I don't think there is a universal answer.

That's part of the fun of Huntington Harbour.

Admiralty Island may appeal to someone who specifically wants that almost entirely waterfront environment and loves being part of one of the Harbour's smallest, original enclaves.

Gilbert Island offers a mix of waterfront and off-water homes, its own little neighborhood park and the feeling of being tucked one bridge farther into the Harbour.

Both share that great location near PCH.

Both were part of the original Harbour development.

And both give you access to a lifestyle that's very difficult to duplicate elsewhere in Huntington Beach.

The better question is:

Which island fits the way YOU want to live?

Selling Surf City Tip 🌊

If you're considering buying in Huntington Harbour, don't start by saying:

"I want a waterfront house."

Get more specific.

Do you have a boat?

How big is it?

Do you want a larger boat someday?

Do you want main-channel exposure or something quieter?

Do you want to be close to PCH and the beach?

Would you consider an off-water island home?

Do you want a home that's already remodeled, or would you love the opportunity to create something yourself?

Once I know those answers, we can start figuring out which Huntington Harbour island actually fits you.

Why I'm Starting My Island Series Here

I'm starting my Selling Surf City tour of the Huntington Harbour islands with Admiralty and Gilbert for a reason.

This is where the Harbour started.

These were the original islands in the first phase of development beginning in 1963.

More than 60 years later, they're still home to some of the most distinctive waterfront living in Huntington Beach.

And they're a perfect example of why I don't think you can simply say:

"I want to live in Huntington Harbour."

You need to understand the islands.

The waterways.

The homes.

The docks.

The location.

And the personality of each little community.

Over the rest of this series, I'm going to take you island by island through Huntington Harbour so you can see what makes each one different.

I'm Meghan Koshar, a Huntington Beach local and REALTOR® behind Selling Surf City—and Huntington Harbour happens to be especially close to my heart because it's where I grew up.

So yes, I know these islands as real estate.

But I also know them as home.

Welcome to Huntington Harbour. ⚓🌊