The city of Laguna Beach California has a high concentration of named beaches along it’s nine mile long waterfront. Thirty-six to be exact! While each of these beaches are excellent places to visit some have their limitations or are just not one of “best” that Laguna has to offer.
Unfortunately (for most of us) there are beachfront gated communities such as Irvine Cove, Emerald Bay, and Three Arch Bay that close off access to their beaches from the general public. Others such as Totuava have difficult access and some are simply all wet at higher tides.
On the brighter side, Laguna is known for its stunning cove beaches such as Thousand Steps, Crecent Bay, and Victoria Beach. But the focal point of the beach scene in Laguna is at Main Beach where you’ll find grass lawns, volleyball courts, shops, restaurants, and lots of people. It’s the best people-watching spot in all of Laguna.
One section of the shoreline from Main Beach to the Keyhole Rock at Pearl Street Beach is a continuous sandy beach, but it has stairwells at each street so the city has created 12 separate beach names between these end points. Walking on the sand from Main Beach to Pearl Street is a thrill and you can return on the sidewalks of Coast Highway if you’d like. There are many shops and restaurants along this route. Of course it’s possible to turn around or loop back at any of the stairways you find on the way to the end at the Keyhole. If you do the whole thing you can cross many of the Laguna beaches off your to do list.
There are a few parks in Laguna Beach worth mentioning. The crown jewel by far is Crystal Cove State Park at the north end on the border with Newport Beach. This park has six different beaches with two of them in Laguna. You can hike the trails in the park on the bluff or walk long distances on the brown sand below. Heisler Park is another worthy stop in Laguna. It’s just a few paces north from Main Beach and is home to a large picnic area above Picnic Beach and excellent tide pools at Rockpile Beach. Finally in South Laguna there is a huge park called Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park with loads of hiking and mountain biking trails. At the bottom of this canyon is family-friendly Aliso Creek Beach.
Below is our list of the best beaches in Laguna Beach ordered from north to south. As we said, even the smaller hard-to-find beaches in Laguna are worth a visit. So if you have extra time, then check this complete list of Laguna Beaches and see how many you can find!
Beaches on this list
Crystal Cove State Park – Moro Beach
Moro Beach is the southern beach in Crystal Cove State Park located between Laguna Beach and the Corona Del Mar area of Newport Beach, CA. For many years this was […]
Crescent Bay Beach
Crescent Bay Beach is a large popular beach in northern Laguna Beach, CA. The main public access is on Cliff Drive one block from where it begins at North Coast […]
Shaw’s Cove
Shaw’s Cove is a small sandy locals beach tucked away below homes in Laguna Beach, CA. There is a public entrance to Shaw’s at the intersection of Fairview Street and […]
Fisherman’s Cove at Boat Canyon
Fisherman’s Cove Beach is a small south-facing beach tucked away in Laguna Beach, CA. The signage at the entrance to this beach is clearly signed Fisherman’s Cove, but locals also […]
Picnic Beach at Heisler Park
Picnic Beach is the northern beach of Heisler Park in Laguna Beach, CA. The park above the beach offers grassy areas to spread out on and many picnic tables as […]
Main Beach in Laguna Beach
Main Beach is the simple name given to the main centrally-located city beach in Laguna Beach, California. Main Beach is a nice sandy beach in a broad cove that faces […]
Pearl Street Beach
Pearl Street Beach is located below a stairway that begins at the west end of Pearl Street in Laguna Beach. Pearl Street ends at Ocean Way just one block off […]
Woods Cove Beach
Woods Cove Beach is in a sandy cove that has rocky points at both ends and fancy Laguna Beach homes high above the bluff. Bette Davis lived in the English […]
Victoria Beach
Victoria Beach is a long white sandy beach south of Victoria Drive in Laguna Beach. The majority of this southwest-facing beach lies in front of the private gated Lagunita housing […]
Treasure Island Beach
Treasure Island Beach is south of the Montage Resort in Laguna Beach, CA. This sandy beach is the north end of the same large cove that begins at Aliso Beach […]
Aliso Beach
Aliso Beach County Park is a popular sandy beach in South Laguna Beach, CA. Unlike many of the nearby beaches, Aliso Beach has a large off-street parking area next to […]
Table Rock Beach
Table Rock Beach is a locally-known tucked away beach in south Laguna Beach, CA. This is an excellent sandy beach in a deep cove with homes high above. Rocks of […]
Thousand Steps Beach
Thousand Steps Beach is one of the largest beaches in south Laguna Beach, CA. It’s a wide sandy beach with volleyball courts, restrooms, and tide pools and even caves to […]
