Time Square in New York City, the Colosseum in Rome, the Eiffel Tower in Paris,Big Ben in London… In Malibu though there is no place for man-made attractions. Instead, the natural beauty of dozens of beaches in the City of Malibu steals the show and urges you to visit them. From small and secluded beaches to the big and popular summer destinations, the iconic Southern California city seems to satisfy every need and taste. Even not a big beachgoer like me can’t resist these 27 miles of scenic beauty. Thus, once in Southern California, you ought to explore these top 20 beaches of Malibu.
HERE ARE THE BEST BEACHES IN MALIBU YOU MUST VISIT:
Topanga Beach
18700 Pacific Coast Hwy, Malibu, CA 90265
Topanga Beach in the Eastern Malibu coast is one of the closest beaches to Los Angeles. Easy access, daytime lifeguards, and availably of restrooms and showers make it one of the most popular spots in the area. Additionally, big waves wrapped around the sandy point of the beach create the right break to surfers’ delight.
Carbon Beach
22126 Pacific Coast Hwy, Malibu, CA 90265
Access to Carbon Beach, a narrow sandy stretch in Eastern Malibu, has been a controversial topic for many years. You should thank lavish beachfront homes of wealthy residents for such inconvenience. Fighting hard, these owners tried to prevent public from entering Carbon Beach in every way possible. Nevertheless, their efforts were unsuccessful. However, it was enough to nickname the beach “Billionaire’s Beach”. One of the most talked-about beaches in Malibu, Carbon Beach is mostly flat and is great for walking and sunbathing.
Malibu Lagoon State Beach
23500 Pacific Coast Hwy, Malibu, CA 90265
Malibu Lagoon State Beach is one of the most popular beaches in the city. Access to this beach provides a great opportunity for a short hike where dirt trails wrap around wetlands and barely have any elevations.
Malibu Surfrider Beach
23050 Pacific Coast Hwy, Malibu, CA 90265
The area between Malibu Lagoon State Beach and the Malibu Pier is known as Malibu Surfrider Beach. As the name suggests, this sandy spot provides good waves for surfing. The nearby pier attracts fishermen and those beachgoers that prefer to relax on its many benches and enjoy beautiful views.
Dan Blocker County Beach
26000 Pacific Coast Hwy, Malibu, CA 90265
Formerly known as Corral State Beach, Dan Blocker County Beach is a long narrow beach with a few cottages for rent behind it. Pretty secluded, the place is one of the favorite beaches in Malibu for surfing and stand-up paddle boarding.
Paradise Cove Beach
28128 Pacific Coast Hwy, Malibu, CA 90265
Paradise Cove Beach is one of few beaches in Malibu favorited by Hollywood. This public beach nestles in front of privately owned Paradise Cove Beach Café. Paradise Cove is one of the best places in Malibu to take long walks by the ocean and practice your surfboarding skills. There are no entrance fees. However, the café charges parking fees. The amount depends on the time and day of the week.
Point Dume State Beach
29245 Cliffside Dr, Malibu, CA 90265
Point Dume State Beach encompasses two of the most unfrequented beaches in Malibu. Crescent-shaped Big Dume Beach or Dume Cove Beach is the main feature here. To access the place, you need to hike across a small bluff-top natural preserve and descend steep staircase. Little Dume Beach sits to the east of Big Dume Beach. Both of Point Dume State Beaches in Malibu boast beautiful tide pools. Additionally, due to high vantage point, this Malibu area offers great opportunities to watch gray whale during their migration from February to April.
Westward Beach
7103 Westward Beach Road, Malibu, CA 90265
Westward Beach is a three-mile long sandy stretch on the western side of Point Dume State Beach. It’s by far one of the largest and popular beaches in Malibu. Along with regular beach activities, its visitors enjoy surging, kite-boarding, paddle boarding, snorkeling and body boarding.
Pirates Cove Beach
7103 Westward Beach Road, Malibu, CA 90265
Adventurous beachgoers often extend their Westward Beach activities to Pirates Cove Beach. This hidden sandy beach in a small cove can be accessed from the southern end of Westward Beach.
Zuma Beach
30000 Pacific Coast Hwy, Malibu, CA 90265
Zuma Beach falls into a category of the biggest beaches in Malibu. Unlike majority of other waterfront sandy stretches here, this beach doesn’t have luxurious houses sitting right behind it. Instead, Zuma Beach with lifeguard stations on the shore focuses on creating fun and safe environment for its visitors. Apart from long walks along the gradually sloping beach, surfing and paddle boarding are the two main beach activities here. Volleyball courts, picnic areas, restrooms, and concession stands are also available.
El Matador State Beach
32350 Pacific Coast Hwy, Malibu, CA 90265
Malibu is all about summer all day, every day, light, casual outfits, healthy food, and gorgeous beaches. All kinds of them… However, if a perfect spot by the ocean to enjoy sunset is on top of your list, look no further. El Matador State Beach, one of Malibu’s hidden gems, got you covered. Thanks to its big rocks, caves and arches, the beach creates beautiful natural silhouettes that gradually disappear as the sun goes down.
La Piedra State Beach
32700 Pacific Coast Hwy, Malibu, CA 90265
Less than a mile drive north from El Matador State Beach leads you to La Piedra State Beach. It’s the second of three beaches in Robert H. Meyer Memorial State Beach in Malibu. (The other two are El Matador Beach and El Pescador Beach). You access the beach through a narrow hiking trail with overgrown bushes and steep installed ladder. At the bottom of this hike, La Piedra State Beach presents itself as a mix of rocks and sand with tide pools. Less crowded than other beaches in Malibu, this stretch by the Pacific Ocean is better for hiking than sunbathing.
El Pescador State Beach
32860 Pacific Coast Hwy, Malibu, CA 90265
Similar to La Piedra State Beach, El Pescador State Beach belongs to that type of beaches in Malibu that require some hiking to get to them. Nevertheless, the trail to El Pescador is shorter compared to two previous beaches of Robert H. Meyer Memorial State Beach. However, some steepness and slipperiness are still present. Despite initial inconveniences, El Pescador surprises with pleasant sandy cove with rocky areas and tide pools and practically no crowds.
El Sol County Beach
33550 Pacific Coast Hwy, Malibu, CA 90265
But if even a few visitors of El Pescador State Beach are way too many for you, head over to El Sol County Beach. One of the most secluded beaches in Malibu, it doesn’t have a direct access. To get to El Sol Beach, you can either walk east from Nicolas Canyon County Beach or west from El Pescador State Beach. Both routes, though, are quite rocky and presents some difficulties. It’s recommended to use them at low tides.
Nicholas Canyon Beach
33850 Pacific Coast Hwy, Malibu, CA 90265
Nicholas Canyon Beach is another perfect place to escape big crowds typical for majority of other beaches in Malibu. The beach is almost a mile long with several picnic tables, pretty big parking lot and restroom facilities. It’s perfect for sunbathing, swimming, windsailing and scuba diving. Most interest to Nicolas Canyon Beach, though, comes from surfers. These beachgoers call it “Point Zero” or “Zeros” and take advantage of its big waves that break on the boulders-strewn point.
Leo Carrillo State Park
3500 Pacific Coast Hwy, Malibu, CA 90265
Leo Carrillo State Park is located in western Malibu. As its name suggests, the place offers more than just nice spot to unwind in front of the ocean. This Malibu area includes a few diverse beaches, caves, rock arches, tide pools, hiking trails and over a hundred camp sites.
South Beach at Leo Carrillo State Park nestles behind the main park entrance. The narrow sandy stretch is especially beautiful at low tide with its exposed tide pools. The area between South Beach and North Beach called Sequit Point features several caves and tunnels to walk through.
North Beach is one of the widest beaches at Leo Carrillo State Park in Malibu. It’s especially popular among families with kids. Dogs on leash are also welcomed.
North of North Beach, Staircase Beach takes the baton continuing the race of the best beaches of Malibu you ought to explore. This beach is narrower than the pervious two and attracts mostly surfers.
Country Line Beach, the last of four beaches of Leo Carrillo State Park in Malibu, also entices primarily surfers. Scuba divers and fishermen frequent this beach as well.
