Blue Lagoon · State Marine Reserve
Goff Cove
Goff Cove is a cove below the Montage Laguna Beach resort, listed between Christmas Cove to the north and Middle Man Cove to the south, with Goff Island at its edge.
Photo: Beyond My Ken, CC BY-SA 4.0
What it’s like
Goff Cove is one of the coves along the shoreline of the Montage Laguna Beach resort. It takes its name from Goff Island, which a California dive guide calls Goff Rock and describes as a large rock attached to the mainland by a sand spit. A visitor guide lists the coves from north to south as Christmas Cove, Goff Cove, Middle Man Cove and Treasure Island Beach.
The Coastal Commission’s access file has no separate entry for Goff Cove. It lists Treasure Island Park and Treasure Island Beach at Wesley Drive, and the coves to the north share that access. A dive guide lists the cove as a dive site and notes surge off the point at Goff Rock.
Getting there and parking
Start at Wesley Drive and Coast Highway. The Coastal Commission lists a parking structure there with a fee, and Visit Laguna Beach lists two paid city lots. Lot 8 is the garage at the southwest corner of the intersection and has 39 spaces. Lot 7 is the surface lot between the Montage and the highway, with 31 spaces, entered from the resort driveway at 30801 Coast Highway. Read the signs at the pay station for rates and limits. Our parking guide covers the city’s lots and permits.
From the lots, walk the bluff walkway of Treasure Island Park. One visitor guide calls the cove a long walk from the parking, and a dive guide calls it a bit of a hike. The guides disagree on the exact spot of the stairs: one puts them at the north end of the bluff walkway, and the other puts them between the hotel and the park. Follow the signs on the walkway. The visitor guide also describes a ramp route: walk to the north end of the bluff, take the ramp down to Christmas Cove and walk back along the sand.
Restrooms stand along the bluff path near the hotel. Beaches north of Aliso Creek close between 1:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m.
Rules and safety
Goff Island is the landmark that California Fish and Wildlife uses to split two protected areas. The Laguna Beach State Marine Reserve runs from Abalone Point south to Goff Island. The Laguna Beach State Marine Conservation Area runs from Goff Island south to Table Rock. Both use the same wording: it is unlawful to injure, damage, take or possess any living, geological or cultural marine resource. Fishing is not allowed in either area. Swimming, wading, boating, diving and surfing stay allowed unless a sign says otherwise.
Pick up nothing. Leave rocks, kelp and every live animal where it is.
The Department of Marine Safety answers questions about tides and surf. Check the tide before you go down. A visitor guide says little beach is left at Goff when the tide is high and the crowd is large.
On beaches where dogs are allowed, the city requires a leash of 6 feet or shorter. From June 15 to September 10, dogs are allowed only before 9:00 a.m. and after 6:00 p.m. The Coastal Commission lists Treasure Island Park as dog-friendly and has no dog information for the coves, so read the signs.
Good to know
Guides use more than one name. One visitor guide uses both Goff Beach and Goff Cove, while the dive guide and the photo captions in the Wikimedia Commons category for Goff Island say Goff Cove. The Montage resort sits above the cove, and the Coastal Commission’s file has no entry of its own for it, so use the Treasure Island Park listing when you look up access.
Live from NOAA
Tides and water at Goff Cove
| Day | High and low tides |
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| Loading NOAA predictions… | |
Sources: NOAA tide predictions, station 9410580 and NOAA NDBC buoy 46253 (owned by Scripps). The buoy reads open water offshore; water at the beach can differ. Check posted lifeguard flags before you swim.
Things to do
Things to do at Goff Cove
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Living nearby
Blue Lagoon, by the numbers
The closest neighborhood to Goff Cove. Read the Blue Lagoon guide.
CRMLS: homes for sale today; closed sales in the 12 months through October 19, 2026. A median needs 5 sales.
Questions
Where is Goff Cove in Laguna Beach?
Goff Cove lies below the Montage Laguna Beach resort, in the same stretch of shoreline as Treasure Island Beach. A visitor guide lists it between Christmas Cove to the north and Middle Man Cove to the south.
How do you get down to Goff Cove?
Stairs lead down from the bluff walkway above the cove. A visitor guide and a dive guide place the stairs in slightly different spots, so follow the signs on the walkway. A ramp route runs through Christmas Cove at the north end of the bluff.
Where do you park for Goff Cove?
Use the paid city lots beside the resort: Lot 8 at Coast Highway and Wesley Drive, and Lot 7 off the Montage driveway. One visitor guide calls the cove a long walk from them.
Can you take anything from Goff Cove?
No. The area around Goff Island is protected, and it is unlawful to injure, damage, take or possess any living, geological or cultural marine resource. Fishing is not allowed.
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Last reviewed
Sources (11)
- Goff Cove lies on the Montage (Treasure Island) site and is named for Goff Rock, a large rock attached to the mainland by a sand spit; stairs at the north end of the bluff walkway; parking at the Wesley Drive structure; the guide calls the walk a bit of a hike; surge off the point at Goff Rock: cadivingnews.com, checked 2026-10-09
- Visitor guide: lists the beaches from north to south as Christmas Cove, Goff Beach, Middle Man Cove and Treasure Island Beach and heads its section Goff Cove; Goff Cove is reached by stairs between the hotel and the park; a long walk from the parking; limited beach at high tide with many visitors; ramp route by way of Christmas Cove at the north end of the bluff; public restrooms along the bluff path past the hotel; the closest lots (7, 8 and 9) are listed by the City of Laguna Beach: funorangecountyparks.com, checked 2026-10-09
- Treasure Island Park access (restrooms, parking structure at Wesley Dr. with a fee, ramps to the beach, dog-friendly); the file has no separate entry for Goff Cove: api.coastal.ca.gov, checked 2026-10-09
- The city's own lots include lots 1 through 9 and Lot 22 (Shopper Permit FAQ; row in the realatrends.com verified table): lagunabeachcity.net, checked 2026-10-09
- Lot 8, the Treasure Island Garage, has 39 spaces at the southwest corner of Coast Highway and Wesley Drive and is a paid lot: visitlagunabeach.com, checked 2026-10-09
- Lot 7, the Treasure Island Surface Lot, is a paid lot with 31 spaces between the Montage and Coast Highway, entered from the Montage driveway at 30801 Coast Hwy.: visitlagunabeach.com, checked 2026-10-09
- Laguna Beach State Marine Reserve runs from Abalone Point south to Goff Island and the State Marine Conservation Area runs from Goff Island south to Table Rock; the same no-take rule applies in both; recreational and commercial fishing is not allowed in either: wildlife.ca.gov, checked 2026-10-09
- Swimming, wading, boating, diving and surfing are allowed in marine protected areas unless specifically prohibited: wildlife.ca.gov, checked 2026-10-09
- Beach closing hours north of Aliso Creek, the 6-foot leash limit, and the Department of Marine Safety as the contact for tides and surf: visitlagunabeach.com, checked 2026-10-09
- City rule: dogs must be leashed at all times; from June 15 to September 10 dogs are allowed on the beach only before 9:00 a.m. and after 6:00 p.m., and at any time the rest of the year (read via Wayback capture of 2026-09-13): lagunabeachcity.net, checked 2026-10-09
- Map pin placed at the camera location (33.514701, -117.759986) of the Wikimedia Commons photo of Goff Cove and Goff Island taken from the bluff to the east; the Goff Island category's captions name the cove Goff Cove: commons.wikimedia.org, checked 2026-10-09
