Shaw's Cove Beach

What it’s like

Shaw’s Cove is a pocket beach about 500 feet long at the base of Fairview Street in North Laguna. Rocky points flank the sand. The Coastal Commission lists a sandy beach, a rocky shore and wildlife viewing.

The city names swimming, boogie boarding, skin diving and scuba diving as the popular activities. Skimboarding is not allowed. The surf tends to be a mild shorebreak, and the city says it sets up small rip currents along the rocky points. It also says hazardous conditions can occur anywhere in the cove.

Neither the city’s amenity list nor the Coastal Commission shows restrooms or showers at Shaw’s Cove. Crescent Bay, about 0.2 mile to the north in a straight line, has both.

Getting there and parking

Stairs lead down from Cliff Drive, opposite Fairview Street. The Coastal Commission lists stairs and no path to the beach.

Parking is on the street. The Coastal Commission lists on-street parking off Cliff Drive. The city says Laguna Beach has three-hour metered parking in some areas and limited neighborhood parking in others, and it opens large lots in different parts of town in summer. The Laguna Beach Parking App shows open spaces. Meters and pay stations take cards, coins and bills. The city’s parking page lists enforcement from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., but its lot list gives 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. for the off-season through June 2027, so check the meter. The parking guide covers permits and lots, and getting around covers the trolley.

City beaches open at 5 a.m. and close at 1 a.m.

Tide pools and reserve rules

The Coastal Commission lists tide pools at Shaw’s Cove. The city names the cove, Main Beach and Treasure Island as popular tide pool spots. Pools show at low tide, so check a tide chart before you go. Waterproof shoes protect your feet from the sharp rock.

Take nothing from the pools. The city’s Good Tide Pooler Rules ask you to watch animals without touching them, avoid stepping on plants and animals, and leave rocks unturned.

The state lists Shaw’s Cove among the beaches of the Laguna Beach State Marine Reserve, which spans Abalone Point to Goff Island. Injuring, damaging, taking or possessing any living, geological or cultural marine resource is unlawful there, and so is fishing. The city’s page for the cove makes the same point about fishing and taking.

Good to know

High surf changes the walk between Shaw’s Cove and Crescent Bay. The city warns that big surf makes the point north of the cove dangerous for people walking to and from Crescent Bay.

City beaches ban alcohol, smoking and fires. Some beaches have no lifeguard at times, so the city asks you to swim with a partner and near a lifeguard when one is on duty.

The next cove south is Fisherman’s Cove, about 0.2 mile away in a straight line. The streets above Shaw’s Cove, Cliff Drive among them, sit in North Laguna.