Beaches, Tide Pools and Marine Reserve
There are seven miles of Laguna Beach coastline with many public beaches and unique coves. Lifeguard coverage varies depending on the season, with expanded service in the summer months. Please obey all posted rules and regulations located at beach entrance. All of Laguna’s beaches and coves are designated “Marine Protection Areas” under the California Fish and Game laws and regulations. For more information, contact the Marine safety Department at (949) 497-6571 or www.LBLG.org. For tide pool information, visit www.LBLG.org/beach/tidepool.htm. For weather and surf conditions, recorded information is available 24 hours at (949) 494-6573.


Click to download the Map of Laguna Beach.
Thousand Steps Beach

Located between 9th and 10th streets on South Coast Highway, Thousand Steps Beach is an intimate cove featuring views of some of the area’s most magnificent private homes. It’s one of Laguna’s hot surf spots and is also known for sand volleyball. Beach parking is along South Coast Highway. Descend 230 steps down to the sand and enjoy what is truly a hidden gem in South Laguna.		  
Aliso Beach Park

Located at 31131 South Coast Highway, Aliso Beach Park is one of the most family-friendly beaches. Picnic tables, fire pits, playground equipment and tot lot, concession building, large sandy beaches and views of wildlife perched atop rock promontories just off the shoreline make Aliso Beach a great place for kids. Activities include surfing, tide pool exploration, sandcastle building and, of course, sunbathing.		  
Treasure Island Beach

With expansive sand that stretches far and wide, Treasure Island Beach is a sunbathing mecca. Popular activities here include skin and scuba diving, and tide pool exploration. The surf at Treasure Island Beach breaks at the shore and rip currents are a common occurrence, but lifeguards do allow skimboarding at the southern end of the beach where the sea is calmer. To access Treasure Island Beach, use the ramp located at the southwest corner of Montage Laguna Beach (30801 South Coast Hwy.).		  
Goff Cove Beach & Christmas Cove Beach

Although Goff Cove Beach is most easily accessed by stairs that lead down from Montage Laguna Beach (30801 South Coast Hwy.), this peaceful spot can also be accessed by a ramp at the north end of the beach (at the end of Montage’s park area). Goff Cove Beach is relatively protected from large waves because of its cove setting, making it a good place for snorkeling, skin and scuba diving, tide pooling and kayaking.		  
Victoria Beach

Head to the end of Victoria Street, and the watch for foot traffic heading down a path toward the water. Secluded Victoria Beach offers soft white sand and crystal blue-green water with popular activities such as volleyball, skimboarding, and skin and scuba diving. A main destination at Victoria Beach is a medieval-looking tower that rises from the sand. Built in 1926, it was designed as a private spiraling staircase for beach access from above. Today, the tower is closed and serves as an area landmark.		  
Moss Point Beach

Tucked away in a small cove is Moss Point Beach, a secluded spot best accessed by walking down from Moss Street off South Coast Highway. When the tide is high, the beach can get submerged, but during low tide, popular activities include skin and scuba diving, and exploring tide pools. Moss Point Beach is not recommended for surfing, and its rocky sea floor makes swimming difficult.		  
Wood’s Cove Beach

Easy access, gorgeous water and stunning views of the bluffs above make Wood’s Cove Beach a favorite destination for visitors and locals alike. The best way to enter is from the street at Ocean Way; follow the cement walkway to a set of stairs that descend to the beach. Popular activities at Wood’s Cove Beach include diving, body surfing and tide pool exploration. Be aware that high tides can make this beauty inaccessible at times.		  
Pearl Street Beach

Located at the end of Pearl Street down a flight of stairs, Pearl Beach is famous for its earth-colored rock formations that are home to thousands of ocean-going birds and sea wildlife. Arch Rock, an often photographed formation, is found here. Popular attractions include body surfing, body boarding, diving and tide pooling, but surfing is not allowed.		  
Agate Street Beach

Descend the stairs at the end of Agate Street and you’ll arrive at Agate Street Beach. Close to downtown shops, restaurants and resorts, Agate Street Beach is tucked-away and offers some seclusion. Locals like this spot because surfing is allowed, although during the busy summer season when kids and families take to the water, surfing is limited to certain hours for safety reasons.		  
Bluebird Beach

Located in front of Surf & Sand Resort (1555 South Coast Hwy.) at the base of Bluebird Canyon, the best access to Bluebird Beach is via a ramp located at the corner of South Coast Highway and Bluebird Canyon. Bluebird Beach offers a long sandy stretch that’s popular with sunbathers, and a strong shore break attracts body surfers and boogie boarders to the area.		  
Cress Street Beach

Seclusion and a rocky shoreline are what Cress Street Beach is most known for. The formations, which look volcanic, offer postcard images. Getting here is tricky because there are no markers. Head down Cress Street toward the beach, then look for stairs that descend to the sand and you’ve arrived. Although the rocks make ocean sports difficult, some local surfers prefer this spot because it’s usually not crowded.		  
Brooks Street Beach

Located at the end of Brooks Street and down the steps sits a top surf spot in Laguna. Brooks Street Beach is home to one of the most famous surf contests, the Brooks Street Summer Surf Classic, and features a south swell that often generates big waves, making it a local favorite. If you’re not a surfer, sit atop the bluffs to catch all the action below.		  
Oak Street Beach

At the foot of Oak Street sits one of Laguna’s great sunbathing spots. Oak Street Beach features plenty of sand, but there’s no surfing allowed here. Body surfing and body boarding are enjoyed at Oak Street Beach.		  
Thalia Street Beach

A local favorite, Thalia Street Beach is all about surfing. Situated on a rock reef, the coastline here is nature’s perfect design for surfers. If you’re a novice though, take caution. Rip conditions are common, and pay attention to which parts of the beach are designated for surfers. Finding this beach is easy. Just look for Thalia Street Surf Shop (915 South Coast Hwy.) on Thalia Street; locate the nearby stairs that descend to the beach.		  
Cleo Street Beach

Known as a family beach because of its close proximity to downtown, Cleo Street Beach is easy to find at the end of Cleo Street. Favorite activities here include skimboarding, body boarding, and scuba and skin diving. There’s even a ship wreck here about 200 yards offshore! Known as the Cleo Street Barge, the wreckage is more than 50 years old and is said to be in fair condition.		  
Sleepy Hollow Beach

Just a stone’s throw from downtown, Sleepy Hollow Beach is not as quiet as its name implies. Visitors flock here to take in body boarding, and those who enjoy swimming find calm conditions at the beach’s northern end. Getting to Sleepy Hollow Beach is easy: Take the stairs that descend from Sleepy Hollow Lane. The closest parking for this beach is metered along Coast Highway.		  
Main Beach

Main Beach is situated in the heart of Laguna. There’s always something to see and do here. Popular activities on this largest of city beaches include volleyball, basketball, swimming, body boarding and body surfing; surfing is not allowed during the summer months because of the particularly crowded conditions during the season. Main Beach is an easy spot to find: Look for the white lifeguard tower on the sand located at the intersection of Broadway, Ocean Avenue and Pacific Coast Highway.		  
Rockpile Beach

A small cove located at the south end of Heisler Park, Rockpile Beach is a designated surf spot (no swimming or body boarding) enjoyed by those who prefer quieter waters. You don’t have to be a surfer to enjoy Rockpile Beach. This spot offers great tide pooling during low tide, and nearby Bird Rock, a rocky formation that serves as a bird sanctuary, is in view.		  
Picnic Beach and Diver’s Cove Beach

With Heisler Park situated directly above, Picnic Beach is a great family spot. The park itself offers a grassy area with picnic tables and beautiful shade trees. Beach activities include skin and scuba diving, body surfing and tide pooling. Right next to Picnic Beach, situated in a cove at the bottom of a spectacular rocky cliff, is Diver’s Cove Beach. Part of Heisler Park, popular activities here include swimming, skin and scuba diving, and body surfing.

The area is also part of the Glenn E. Vedder Ecological Reserve, which encompasses the Heisler Park shoreline and features an underwater protected park which is a diver’s paradise. The Reserve also includes tide pools that are visible at low tide. Find parking at Heisler Park and then look for stairs that descend to Diver’s Cove Beach.		  
Boat Canyon Beach

Secluded and small, Boat Canyon Beach is a great scuba diving destination because of the rocky ocean floor found here that’s home to thousands of sea creatures. Boat Canyon is best accessed via stairs located next to Diver’s Cove condominiums.		  
Shaw’s Cove

Located at Fairview Street, Shaw’s Cove is a hot scuba diving spot, but beachgoers also enjoy swimming, boogie boarding and skin diving. When the tide is low, the beach also offers good tide pooling.		  
Crescent Bay

Our northern-most stop but certainly not our smallest, Crescent Bay is about one-quarter mile long, located where Cliff Drive and Viejo converge off North Coast Highway. Popular activities here are skimboarding, skin and scuba diving, body surfing, body boarding and tide pooling. About 120 yards offshore at the northern end of the beach sits Seal Rock, named for the seals and sea lions that inhabit it.		  

Tide Pools
Today many tide pool plants and animals are rare. One of the main reasons for their scarcity is public impact including pollution. When you visit the tide pools, we urge you to be careful and considerate. Please click here to view a fun and educational video on tide pools.
 


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