Malibu is distinguished by its magnificent beaches and the following is a selection of the best ones for surfing, swimming, walking, sunbathing and practicing other sea and sand entertainment in this charming Californian coastal town.
1.Zuma Beach
Zuma Beach is a long, wide beach over 2 miles long in Los Angeles County, in Malibu, with enough parking spaces to host a Superbowl.
Unlike most Malibu beaches, there are no houses between the Pacific Coast Highway and the ocean.
It is one of the most popular beaches in Los Angeles due to its excellent provision of services and facilities, which include several lifeguard stations, bathrooms, showers, picnic tables, sports fields and a children’s area.
Zuma Beach is visited for surfing, volleyball, diving, windsurfing, fishing, swimming, bodysurfing, and bodyboarding, among other entertainment. It has a strong undertow and a gradual slope, so it is very pleasant to walk towards the waves.
2.Dan Blocker County Beach
It’s a long, narrow beach off Pacific Coast Highway, between the Látigo Shores neighborhood and the houses on Malibu Road. There is a house cluster in the center of the beach where Solstice Canyon meets the shoreline.
Although a bit out of the way, the best parking is a public lot next to the Malibu Seafood Market, in Corral Canyon Park. This park has a walking path that starts from the parking lot and goes under the highway to get to the beach. You can also park on the shoulder of the highway.
Dan Blocker County Beach is visited for walking, sunbathing, and sports such as diving, snorkeling, fishing, and hiking. In summer there are lifeguards.
3. El Matador State Beach
It is one of 3 beaches in Robert H. Meyer Memorial State Beach Park, in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. It is the closest to Malibu and the most popular.
It has marked parking along Pacific Coast Highway and also has a private parking lot on a cliff with picnic tables and magnificent views of the ocean. From the cliff there is a path and then a staircase that leads to the beach.
It is a beach frequented by professional photographers and models for photo sessions and by people who go to sunbathe and watch the sunset. Other entertainment is hiking, swimming, snorkeling, bird watching and cave exploration.
4. El Pescador State Beach
It is the westernmost of the 3 beaches in Robert H. Meyer Memorial State Beach Park. It has a private parking lot on the cliff next to Pacific Coast Highway and a path that leads to the sandbank, which is the shortest of the trio of beaches.
El Pescador is a pleasant cove of sand, rock formations and tidal pools that form at both ends. If you walk towards the west you will find an almost secret beach called El Sol Beach, which does not have its own access.
Walking east you will reach La Piedra State Beach. From the beach, Point Dume Park is visible in the distance.
El Pescador State Beach is popular for walking, sunbathing, bird watching and enjoying the tide pools.
5. El Sol Beach
Public access to this beach has long been the subject of controversy since it became property of Los Angeles County in 1976.
It was called Disney Overlook (Ignore Disney) by the creators of the mobile app, Our Malibu Beaches, because the most prominent opponent of public entry has been Michael Eisner, CEO of The Walt Disney Company for more than 20 years.
The beach lacks parking and direct access, making it one of the most secretive beaches in Los Angeles, which can be reached by walking east from Nicholas Canyon Beach or west from El Pescador State Beach.
Both paths are rocky and it is better to go at low tide. The reward for the effort is that you will have the beach almost empty.
6. Escondido Beach
It is a south-facing beach east of Point Dume, in Malibu, California. Its most direct public access is off 27148 Pacific Coast Highway, on the bridge over Escondido Creek, though parking can be problematic.
Entering through this entrance, to the right is Escondido Beach and to the left is the beach fronting Malibu Cove Colony Drive.
Another access is a long public staircase to the west of Geoffrey’s Malibu restaurant, the entrance leading to the widest and most secluded part of the beach with a small public parking lot.
As with most Malibu beaches, there is little sand left at Escondido Beach when the tide comes in. The main activities are hiking, diving, kayaking and beachcombing.
7. The Coast Beach
La Costa Beach is a Malibu state public beach that lacks public access, so it is used privately. The arrival is comfortable only through the houses on the Pacific Coast Highway, between Rambla Vista and Las Flores Canyon Road.
There is no longer public access through the parking lot of Duke’s Malibu restaurant and the state of California or the county have not been able to install an entrance somewhere between the houses that line the beachfront.
The way to get to La Costa Beach is from Carbón Beach (east access next to David Geffen’s house) and walk about 1600 meters east at low tide.
The beach is used by walkers and sunbathers. It has no public facilities, nor are dogs allowed.
8. La Piedra State Beach
La Piedra State Beach is in the middle of the set of 3 beaches in Robert H. Meyer Memorial State Beach Park, west of Malibu. It is flanked by luxurious houses on both sides, but the mansions are barely visible from the beach.
Access is via a parking lot near Pacific Coast Highway, where a path and steep stairway descend from the cliff to reach the beach.
La Piedra is dotted with rocks and has tidal pools that are exposed near the access trail at low tide.
To the left is its widest and most sandy area and at low tide and walking east, you will reach El Matador State Beach. Walking west you reach El Pescador State Beach.
9. Yellow Beach
It is a Malibu beach on the eastern part of Malibu Road, next to Malibu Bluffs Park. It has several corridors for public access along the avenue and the sandbank is wider in the part without houses.
On the hillside above Malibu Road are trails that lead into the park and provide a good opportunity for hiking. The beach almost completely disappears when the tide rises.
Although it lacks tourist facilities, Amarillo Beach is a place suitable for sunbathing and surfing, hiking and diving. Access with dogs is not allowed.
10. Las Flores Beach
Las Flores Beach is a narrow state beach east of Las Flores Creek near Las Flores Canyon Road and Duke’s Malibu restaurant. Access through this food outlet was closed and now the beach lacks an official entrance.
Some unofficial access has been made, but residents often block it or post signs pointing out its illegality.
The closest “official” pass is Big Rock Beach (2000, Pacific Coast Highway), from where Las Flores Beach can be reached by walking more than 4 km along a sandy and rocky path, at low tide.
The beach is mainly used for walking. It has no service facilities and dogs are not allowed.
11. Las Tunas Beach
Las Tunas County Beach is a rocky beach in eastern Malibu, an area where the shoreline is eroding so much that authorities are taking steps to protect the Pacific Coast Highway and the homes on the lower reaches.
The narrow beach of Las Tunas is used mainly as a fishing site. The beach is not wide enough to comfortably sunbathe and the noise coming from the highway is annoying.
It has a small parking lot at 19444 Pacific Coast Highway. Apart from fishermen, it is also visited by divers. It has lifeguards and restrooms. Access with dogs is not allowed.
12. Whip Beach
Látigo Beach is on the east side of Látigo Point, more precisely, below the condominiums and houses that are along Látigo Shore Drive. It has its rights of way clearly defined and almost the entire beach is public, both wet and dry. You just have to stay about 5 meters (16 feet) from the first few condos.
Although little known, Látigo Beach is a very pleasant beach to stretch your legs and sunbathe. It is quieter than other Malibu beaches as it faces southeast and is protected by Látigo Point on the west side.
At the western end, accessible tidal pools are formed at low tide. Walking west and at low tide you will reach Escondido Beach. The sand stretches to Dan Blocker County Beach on the east.
13. Owl Beach
Named after a nocturnal bird of prey, this public beach sits below the homes on the north end of Broad Beach Road and is not well known in Malibu. Its best access is on Broad Beach Road near the center of the beach, opposite the Bunnie Lane cul-de-sac.
From this point there is a short route through a tree-lined corridor and then there is a flight of stairs down to the beach.
Other public entrances to Lechuza Beach are at West Sea Level Drive and East Sea Level Drive. Near the entrances there are free parking lots.
Playa Lechuza has several rock formations where the waves break, making the place very photogenic. It also has tidal pools and is used for walking, sunbathing and taking photos.
14. Leo Carrillo State Park – North Beach
North Beach is a wide beach in Leo Carrillo State Park, west of Malibu. In front there is a linear parking lot for day use. It is separated from South Beach in the same park by a rocky area called Sequit Point, where tide pools form and there are caves to explore at low tide.
On its north side, North Beach continues to Staircase Beach, a narrow stretch of sand popular with surfers.
To get to the beach, enter the state park and follow the signs to the parking lot, going under the Pacific Coast Highway.
The beach is frequented for diving, fishing, swimming and watching marine life; leashed dogs are allowed in the area north of lifeguard station 3.
Leo Carrillo Park has a large campsite and hiking and mountain biking trails.
15. Carbón Beach – East Access
Coal Beach is a long beach between the Malibu Pier and Coal Canyon Road. In front of the beach there are luxurious houses belonging to celebrities and wealthy executives, which is why it is called the “billionaire’s beach”.
The eastern entrance to Carbón Beach (located at 22126 Pacific Coast Highway) is also called David Geffen Access, because it is located next to the house of the well-known film and music producer, who for many years opposed the entry of vacationers to the beach. beach.
It has a gradual slope and soft sand, good for walking barefoot and sunbathing. At high tide it is covered by the ocean. There are no tourist facilities and dogs are not allowed.
16. Carbón Beach – West Access
After several years of litigation, the western access to Carbón Beach was opened in 2015. It leads to a long stretch of beach whose shore, like the eastern area, is dotted with millionaires’ homes.
At low tide, this sector of Carbón Beach is perfect for walking along the sand and sunbathing. Another activity for visitors is to admire the luxurious mansions of Los Angeles celebrities and magnates who live in this area of Malibu.
Although the official name of the entrance is West Access, it is also called Ackerberg Access, because of how hard this family fought to prevent the passage near their property. The beach sector does not have facilities for visitors and dogs are not allowed.
17.Big Rock Beach
The main hallmark of this Malibu beach is the rocky promontory that gives it its name. A narrow and rocky sandbank that remains underwater at high tide and with its large rock near the coast used by seabirds.
In front of the beach there is a long stretch of houses and the residents take pleasant walks at low tide. At 20000 Pacific Coast Highway Malibu there is a public access.
There is not a lot of parking so if you park on the other side you have to be very careful when crossing the highway. The main activities are fishing, diving, bird watching and hiking.
18. Carbon Beach – Zonker Harris Access
The western access to Carbon Beach is named Zonker Harris after the hippie comic strip character created by Garry Trudeau, a cartoonist who in 2007 agreed to allow public access to the beach.
This is the westernmost pass to Carbón Beach and is right next to the house identified as 22664 Pacific Coast Highway, where there is a gate and ramp leading to the beach.
From this sector and to the west, the Malibu Pier is visible and many walkers walk there. The route to the east is also interesting, looking at the houses of the rich.
Parking at Carbon Beach is available along the highway, as well as on the second floor of the shopping center located at 22601 Pacific Coast Highway.
19. Leo Carrillo State Park – South Beach
South Beach is also in Leo Carrillo State Park with its access from the park by crossing Pacific Coast Highway. At the entrance there is a day-use parking lot and a visitor center.
From the main parking lot there is a path that goes to the beach, passing under the highway. The park’s hiking trails also start from the parking lot and take hikers and hikers inland, including as far as Nicholas Flat Natural Preserve.
South Beach is a nice sandy beach near the mouth of a creek. At low tide there are tide pools and various tunnels and caves to explore at Sequit Point. Some of the caves are only accessible at low tide and others are safe from the waves.
20. Leo Carrillo State Park – Staircase Beach
Staircase Beach is a little-used beach at the north end of Leo Carrillo State Park. Its main visitors are surfers and its access is at 40000 Pacific Coast Highway, in the parking area next to the park manager’s residence.
Staircase Beach can also be reached by walking from the North Beach parking lot, next to the main entrance of Leo Carrillo Park. It is a much narrower beach than North Beach and South Beach.
The path zigzags along the cliff and curiously there are no stairs. The beach is quite rocky and the best area to lie on the sand is to the south. You can bring your dog, but on a leash.
21. Little Dume Beach
Little Dume Beach is a small east-facing cove near Point Dume, Malibu. When the waves are good it is visited by surfers and from the rest it allows a good panoramic walk below the cliffs and the mansions and properties of the rich people of Los Angeles.
Its only direct access through a path that begins at Whitesands Place, is private. Those willing to walk can reach the public part from Cove Beach or Big Dume Beach, at Point Dume State Park.
The public area is the one below the average high tide level. Leashed dogs are allowed at Little Dume Beach above mean high tide level, but not below.
22. Malibu Colony Beach
It’s a narrow strip of sand in front of the houses on Malibu Colony Road, with a private entrance into the neighborhood. In many publications and maps, this beach is referred to as Malibu Beach.
To get there you can walk from Malibu Lagoon State Beach to the west or from Malibu Road to the east, always at low tide.
The main attraction is walking along the sand and observing the Malibu Colony houses with their stairs that reach the beach.
At low tide, rocks and natural pools are exposed at the ends of the beach. To get to the beach from Malibu Laggon you have to park at the park entrance, at the intersection of Pacific Coast Highway and Cross Creek Road.
23. Malibu Lagoon State Beach
This beach is located at the point where Malibu Creek meets the ocean. The creek forms Malibu Laggon and in winter the berms break allowing tidal flows that separate it from the Surfrider Beach Lagoon.
Malibu Lagoon State Beach has parking at the intersection of Pacific Coast Highway and Cross Creek Road. Some dirt paths lead from the parking lot towards the lagoon with the possibility of bird watching.
Along the path that ends at the beach in front of the lagoon there are some artistic structures. The beach is used for surfing, sunbathing, walking, swimming and observing animal species. It has lifeguards and health services.
24. Malibu Surfrider Beach
Malibu Surfrider Beach is a popular surfing beach between the Malibu pier and lagoon. It is part of Malibu Lagoon State Beach and with its good waves it lives up to its name.
The Malibu Pier is a perfect place to fish and is comfortable to hang out with plenty of benches and beautiful views.
At its entrance is Malibú Farm Restaurant & Bar, with fresh, organic food and delicious cocktails facing the ocean. At the end of the pier there is a cafeteria.
The beach has separate areas for swimming and surfing and there are lifeguards in the day. Next to the pier there is a beach volleyball court.
Near the parking lot located at 23200 Pacific Coast Highway are the Adamson House (local history museum) and the Malibu Lagoon Museum.
25.Nicholas Canyon County Beach
Long beach in western Malibu called Point Zero, after the rock-covered point where the waves break below the parking lot where San Nicolas Canyon meets the sea. The sandy beach is north of this point.
Descending from the cliff there is a long paved path that leads to the beach. In the summer there are lifeguards and a food truck during peak hours. There are also picnic tables, restrooms and showers.
The parking lot is off the Pacific Coast Highway, approximately 1.5 km south of Leo Carrillo State Park.
The beach is visited for surfing, swimming, fishing, diving, windsurfing, walking and sunbathing.
26. Paradise Cove Beach
It is a public beach in Malibu with access via 28128 Pacific Coast Highway. There is the Paradise Cove Café, a private establishment with palm trees, thatched umbrellas, wooden armchairs, boogie boards and paid parking.
The parking fee for the whole day is quite high, but visitors who park and eat at the cafe receive a good discount. It is worth paying the price because the beach is wide and has lifeguards, a private pier and good sanitary facilities.
Paradise Cove is a frequent location for film scenes and photo shoots.
Walks along the sandbank are pleasant and to the west the walk leads under steep sandstone cliffs to Little Dume and Big Dume Beaches at Point Dume State Beach.
27.Broad Beach
This Malibu beach is a long, narrow stretch of sand off the coast of Los Angeles County. The best season to visit it is in summer at low tide, since at high tide it is hidden by the sea.
Under certain conditions it is good for surfing, bodyboarding and windsurfing and at the end that separates it from Lechuza Beach there are tidal pools.
Look for the public entrance stairs between houses 31344 and 31200 on Broad Beach Road. Near this access there is limited parking along the road.
The beach is also accessible on foot from the northernmost parking stalls at Zuma Beach.
28. Pirates Cove Beach
This Malibu beach became famous in the 1968 movie Planet of the Apes, particularly for the scene in which Charlton Heston appears with the ruined Statue of Liberty, buried between the rocks and the sea.
Pirates Cove is a hidden beach in a small cove on the west side of Point Dume.
Its access is from the southern end of Westward Beach, but it can be difficult at high tide. The option is to take a rough road that goes up in a detour and then goes down towards the beach.
The sandbank is part of the Point Dume State Beach Nature Preserve. From the end of Westward Beach a path leads to the cliff above it and makes an excellent natural viewpoint. Pirates Cove Beach has no facilities.
29. Point Dume State Beach
Point Dume State Beach’s main beach is Big Dume Beach, also called, Dume Cove Beach.
It is a crescent-shaped beach, whose access is through a small walk along a cliff that at the end has a long and steep staircase that goes down to the sandbank.
The path that reaches the highest point of Point Dume also starts from this place in the reserve. After reaching Big Dume, you can walk east to Little Dume Beach and a little further to Paradise Cove. On the route there are excellent tidal pools if the time is low tide.
The Point Dume headland is a great place between February and April to watch gray whales during the migration season. It is also popular with rock climbers due to the ease of its routes.
30. Pig Beach
Playa Puerco is a narrow, south-facing stretch of sand, west of Malibú Road, with a tightly packed row of beachfront houses.
At high tide it is almost always wet, which is why it is generally classified as a public beach by state standards.
It has 2 public accesses; one next to the house at 25120 Malibu Road and another on the west end at 25446 Malibu Road. To the west of this second pass is Dan Blocker Beach.
The only access to Malibu Road is from the intersection of Webb Way with the Pacific Coast Highway, turning seaward at the light.
On the eastern side of Malibu Road is Amarillo Beach. Puerco Beach lacks services and is mainly used for walking and sunbathing.
31. Sycamore Cove Beach
Sycamore Cove Beach is a pretty southwest-facing cove in Point Mugu State Park in southern Ventura County. It is located in a day-use area of the park that has a huge campsite from which an extensive network of hiking trails departs.
This point is the gateway to the Boney Mountain State Wilderness Area, at the northern end of the Santa Monica Mountains.
Sycamore Cove Beach has lifeguards, picnic tables and convenient facilities.
On the other side of the highway is the camp, a care center and the maps with the hiking trails. Service facilities include barbecues, toilets and showers. Dogs are allowed, but on a leash.
What to visit in Malibu?
Malibu is a city in Los Angeles County that stands out for its beaches and for the homes of celebrities and wealthy people.
Other places of interest are its pier and its natural parks to practice different entertainments in the open air, such as hiking, mountain biking and rock climbing.
In the cultural field, Getty Villa stands out, an enclosure that is part of the J. Paul Getty Museum; and Adamson House, a historic monument and museum.
Malibu Beaches
Topanga Beach and Westward Beach are 2 Malibu beaches that are good for surfing and have service facilities.
The first is located next to the Pacific Palisades neighborhood and is the closest Malibu beach to Los Angeles.
Westward Beach is a long, wide beach on the west side of Point Dume with access via Westward Beach Road.
Malibu Beach : General Information
Where is the Malibu beach located?: Along the Malibu coast there are many beaches, some equipped with tourist facilities and very frequented, and others without services and quieter.
The beach most associated with the city is Malibu Surfrider Beach, between the famous Malibu Pier and the lagoon. In 2010 it received the distinction of first World Surfing Reserve.
Malibu beach movie: the beauty of Malibu’s beaches and its proximity to Hollywood make them frequently used as a location for movies and television series.
