Main Beach

What it’s like

Main Beach is the largest beach in Laguna Beach. It sits in the middle of town where Broadway and Ocean Avenue meet Coast Highway, and a white lifeguard tower stands in the middle of the sand. Sand makes up most of the bottom, and rock shows at the north end near Bird Rock.

The shorebreak draws swimmers, bodyboarders and bodysurfers. The city warns that the surf can run large, with rip currents and a heavy shorebreak. Surfing is not permitted on Main Beach during the summer months.

A boardwalk runs the length of the beach. Two basketball courts sit at the north end, and the city lists four sand volleyball courts and a playground. Restrooms and outdoor showers stand at both ends. Restaurants and shops downtown are a short walk away, and the galleries and restaurants of the Village sit a few blocks from the beach. The beach volleyball page covers the courts and the Laguna Open, and downtown Laguna Beach covers the Village around the beach.

Getting there and parking

Main Beach lies at the west end of Broadway Street. The Coastal Commission lists parking with a fee, and Visit Laguna Beach points to metered parking along Coast Highway and metered lots downtown. City meters and pay stations take cards, coins and bills, and you can pay through the Laguna Beach Parking App. The city’s lot list gives enforcement at city lots from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. through June 25, 2027, while its parking page lists 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., so check the meter. The city says some parts of Laguna Beach have three-hour meters and others have limited neighborhood parking, and it opens large lots in different parts of town in summer. Vehicles with a valid disabled placard or plate park free at metered street spaces and in city lots.

The free Coastal Route trolley runs along Coast Highway through downtown. On Saturdays and Sundays you can park at Lot 16 at 1900 Laguna Canyon Road for $5 and ride the free Canyon Route trolley downtown. Read the parking guide for permits and lots, and getting around for trolley hours.

Beach-friendly wheelchairs are available first come, first served at the Lifeguard Headquarters, according to Visit Laguna Beach. City beaches open at 5 a.m. and close at 1 a.m.

Tide pools and reserve rules

The city names Main Beach, Shaw’s Cove and Treasure Island as popular tide pool spots. At Main Beach the rock sits at the north end, near Bird Rock. Low tide shows the pools. Check a tide chart, and wear waterproof shoes on the sharp rock.

Look without collecting or touching anything, and do not turn over rocks, as the city’s Good Tide Pooler Rules ask.

The state names Main Beach among the beaches of the Laguna Beach State Marine Reserve, which runs from Abalone Point to Goff Island. Injuring, damaging, taking or possessing any living, geological or cultural marine resource is unlawful in the reserve, and fishing is not allowed. The city’s page for the beach says the same.

Good to know

City beaches allow umbrellas only, except in designated canopy and easy-up zones. The city publishes a map of Main Beach that marks the areas for larger shade coverings in green.

The city code bans bicycles on the Main Beach Boardwalk. It bans golf carts and motorized scooters there too, with an exception for people with disabilities.

Dogs on a leash are welcome on the sand. In the summer window, June 15 to September 10, they can come before 9 a.m. and after 6 p.m.; the rest of the year they can come at any hour. The city bans alcohol, smoking and fires. A lifeguard tower stands in the middle of the beach. The city asks you to swim with a partner and notes that some beaches have no lifeguard at times.

Rockpile Beach and Heisler Park lie to the northwest. Sleepy Hollow Beach lies south of the center of town.