North Laguna

What it’s like

North Laguna is the coast north of downtown. Cliff Drive follows the bluff from Main Beach past Heisler Park to Shaw’s Cove and Crescent Bay. The Coastal Commission’s access list counts ten public access points from Smithcliffs View Park to Main Beach, a stretch of about 1.2 miles in a straight line. Heisler Park, Picnic Beach and Rockpile Beach sit on Cliff Drive with metered parking. Divers Cove, Fisherman’s Cove and Shaw’s Cove have stairs down to sand and rock, and Crescent Bay has a ramp.

The water belongs to the Laguna Beach State Marine Reserve. The reserve starts at Abalone Point, the city’s northern limit, and runs south to Goff Island. State rules bar fishing and any other take of marine life there. The state lists Shaw’s Cove, Divers Cove, Heisler Park and Main Beach among the reserve’s beaches. Read the details on the pages for Crescent Bay, Shaw’s Cove and Divers Cove.

The land climbs fast. Federal elevation data puts a point on Cliff Drive at Heisler Park near 50 feet above sea level, a point on Hillcrest Drive near 145 feet and a point on Panorama Drive near 340 feet. Both of those streets lie north of Crescent Bay.

Homes run from historic houses to contemporary designs. realatrends.com files single-family houses, condominiums, duplexes and lots under North Laguna, and the stairs to Fisherman’s Cove run beside a condominium complex on Cliff Drive.

realatrends.com places two more neighborhoods in North Laguna: Irvine Cove, a gated community, and Smithcliffs, a bluff-top neighborhood by Coast Highway. Each has its own page here: Irvine Cove and Smithcliffs.

Getting around

The city’s free trolley starts at a stop named North Laguna/Heisler Park. From there the Coastal Route runs down Coast Highway through downtown to South Laguna, Mission Hospital and the Ritz-Carlton in Dana Point. From September 8, 2026 to June 25, 2027 the weekday route runs Monday to Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., every 30 minutes. The weekend long route starts on North Cliff Drive and runs Friday 5 to 10 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., every 20 to 30 minutes. Summer runs on a different schedule, so check the city’s trolley page before you plan around it.

Cliff Drive has metered parking, and city enforcement runs from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Some addresses beside Coast Highway qualify for the city’s Residential Permit, which covers up to 24 hours at a meter within one block of home. Confirm your address with the city before you count on it. See the parking guide for the city’s permit and lot rules.

By road, Heisler Park is about half a mile from Main Beach and Crescent Bay is about 1.2 miles. Coast Highway runs through North Laguna and is one of the two roads that connect the city to the rest of Orange County. The other is State Route 133 through Laguna Canyon; the getting around guide has the details.

Things to know before you buy or rent

Along the coast, many older cottages have limited parking or street parking only. Ask where you would park before you fall for a floor plan.

Work on a house here can need several approvals. The city sends major remodels and any improvement taller than 15 feet to a public design review hearing, and a project may also need a coastal development permit. In 2026 the city adopted an urgency ordinance to streamline design review, and it extended that ordinance in August. Ask Community Development which path your plan takes today.

According to the Laguna Beach Fire Department, about 65% of the city’s buildable property lies in a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone. The city’s interactive map looks up any address. A sale of a one-to-four-unit home in that zone that requires a Transfer Disclosure Statement also needs a defensible-space inspection, and the Fire Department performs it.

The city bars short-term rentals, meaning stays of 30 days or fewer, in its R-1, R-2 and R-3 residential zones. Permits that already exist run with the property. See the short-term rentals guide for the full rules.

Browse homes for sale in North Laguna on realatrends.com, or read the moving checklist before you sign a lease.