Smithcliffs

What it’s like

Smithcliffs lies just off Coast Highway, south of Emerald Bay and north of Crescent Bay. The Orange County Business Journal described it in 2021 as a gated neighborhood of 20 homes. The Coastal Commission’s access list places Smithcliffs View Park on the south side of Smithcliffs Road, off Coast Highway, as the first entry before Crescent Bay.

realatrends.com calls Smithcliffs a bluff-top North Laguna neighborhood with oceanfront properties. The Business Journal says every lot is built out and that the homes date back to the early 1990s. Federal elevation data puts a point at Smithcliffs View Park near 110 feet above sea level.

The park is the part of Smithcliffs open to everyone. The Coastal Commission describes a pedestrian entry on the downcoast side of the vehicle gate, then a walkway to a blufftop overlook above a rocky shore. The listing notes wildlife viewing and shows no parking or restrooms at the park. Crescent Bay Point Park, a second blufftop overlook with on-street parking and no beach access, sits about 0.2 mile south in a straight line. Crescent Bay itself has a ramp down from Cliff Drive.

The water below belongs to the Laguna Beach State Marine Reserve, which runs from Abalone Point to Goff Island. State rules bar fishing and any other take of marine life in the reserve. For the next neighborhoods along the coast, see Emerald Bay to the north and the rest of North Laguna to the south.

Getting around

By road, Smithcliffs View Park is about 0.4 mile from Crescent Bay, 0.9 mile from Heisler Park and 1.3 miles from Main Beach. Smithcliffs Road runs off Coast Highway. Irvine Spectrum is about 10.8 miles from Smithcliffs View Park by road and John Wayne Airport about 12.3 miles.

The city’s free trolley starts at a stop named North Laguna/Heisler Park on weekdays, and the weekend long route starts on North Cliff Drive. Summer runs on a different schedule. Check the city’s stop map for the stop nearest your address, and read the getting around guide for the full list of options.

City parking enforcement runs from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Smithcliffs View Park has no parking listed; the Coastal Commission lists on-street parking at Crescent Bay and Crescent Bay Point Park. The parking guide covers the city’s meters and permits.

Things to know before you buy or rent

The Business Journal reported in 2021 that homes there rarely come up for sale. Ask the seller whether an association governs the gate and the common areas, and request its documents, budget and rules before you make an offer.

The city’s Local Coastal Program page lists three areas where coastal development permit reviews remain under the Coastal Commission: Blue Lagoon, Irvine Cove and Three Arch Bay. Smithcliffs is not on that list. Work on a bluff-top house can still 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. The city adopted an urgency ordinance in 2026 to streamline design review and extended it in August, so ask Community Development which path your plan takes today.

The city’s list of 22 evacuation management zones has no zone named Smithcliffs, so look up the map for your address on the city’s evacuation page.

The Laguna Beach Unified School District runs the city’s public schools; see the schools guide for more. The Laguna Beach County Water District serves North Laguna, so confirm your address with the district.

See the homes for sale in Smithcliffs on realatrends.com, or browse Emerald Bay and Irvine Cove, the other gated communities at this end of the coast.