Thousand Steps Beach

What it’s like

Thousand Steps Beach is a sand beach below a bluff in South Laguna. The Coastal Commission lists sand, a bluff and a long stairway to the beach. The name overstates the climb: a visitor counted 218 steps for a 2021 Patch story, about 12 flights. Patch described a shady descent under overgrown trees.

The stairway is the beach’s calling card. A realatrends.com guide to Laguna Beach communities describes Thousand Steps as famous for the staircase down to it. Patch’s reporter added that the cliff keeps the sand in shade until about noon, and that a rocky, moss-covered shelf leads to a sea cave. The story places the cave at different ends of the beach in different passages, and no official source names it, so check with Marine Safety before you look for it.

Totuava lies just north, connected to this beach but with no public access of its own. Table Rock Beach lies just under half a mile north in a straight line. The private beach at Three Arch Bay lies less than a mile south.

Getting there and parking

The stairway starts on South Coast Highway, opposite 9th Avenue. Swim Guide notes a crosswalk at the access point, so use it to cross the highway. The Coastal Commission lists on-street parking and restrooms and no disabled access. Patch found unmetered street spaces on the northbound side of Coast Highway early in the day in 2021, so arrive early and read the signs.

The free Coastal Route trolley runs from North Laguna through downtown to South Laguna. Check the city’s trolley page for the stop nearest 9th Avenue. Our parking guide and getting around guide cover permits and the trolley.

Thousand Steps Beach closes between 9:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. That is an hour earlier at night than the other beaches south of Aliso Creek, which close between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. Plan the climb back up before dark.

Rules and safety

Thousand Steps Beach lies in the Dana Point State Marine Conservation Area, which begins where the Laguna Beach conservation area ends at Table Rock. California Fish and Wildlife names Thousand Steps as a kelp forest and rocky reef spot for snorkelers and divers.

The two areas have different rules. In the Dana Point area it is unlawful to injure, damage, take or possess any living, geological or cultural marine resource, with one set of exceptions: recreational take of finfish by hook-and-line or spearfishing, and lobster and urchin, is allowed. Taking living marine resources from tide pools is prohibited. The Laguna Beach area to the north allows no take at all. Check California Fish and Wildlife’s rules before you fish or dive, and leave the pools alone.

Swim Guide notes a three-day rain advisory after each storm, because bacteria levels can rise. The Department of Marine Safety answers questions about tides and surf.

The city prohibits dogs at Thousand Steps Beach every day of the year, so leave yours at home.

Good to know

Patch reported private, cordoned-off areas along the sand, so watch for signs as you walk. The cove next door, Totuava, has no public access of its own, and Patch warned that anyone who goes there can be trapped by the tide.