Hidden coves in Laguna Beach

What this list covers

The ten coves below are small beaches with stairs or a ramp, and each has its own page on this site. The page title says hidden because that is how people search for them. They are not secret and they are not empty: the city says Woods Cove can become very crowded on summer weekends. What they share is a way down by stairs or a ramp and, at seven of the ten, no restrooms listed at the access.

The list runs north to south and picks small, public coves reached by stairs or a ramp. Larger beaches such as Main Beach and Crescent Bay have their own pages.

The coves

North Laguna

Shaw’s Cove is a pocket beach about 500 feet long at the base of Fairview Street. Stairs lead down from Cliff Drive. The city says skimboarding is not allowed, the surf is often a mild shore break, and under high surf the point to the north is especially dangerous for people walking to and from Crescent Bay.

Fisherman’s Cove, which the city lists as Boat Canyon Beach, is about 400 feet long. Its stairs start in the 600 block of Cliff Drive. The city says the beach washes out at moderate high tides and that the rock areas to the north are very dangerous under swell.

Divers Cove is 300 feet long, with stairs 20 yards south of the Fisherman’s Cove stairs. The city says the beach is steep, has a shore break under all conditions, and that the rocks and north point are closed under high tides or surf. Restrooms and outdoor showers are here, which Fisherman’s Cove lacks.

Woods Cove to Victoria Beach

Woods Cove has stairs at the end of Diamond Street and a second stairway one block north off Ocean Way. The city lists exploring the tide pools at low tide as a popular activity, asks you to check with a lifeguard before exploring the northern rocks, and says there is no diving or jumping off any of the rocks.

Moss Street Beach, listed by the Coastal Commission as Moss Point, has stairs at the west end of Moss Street. The Coastal Commission lists on-street parking and no restrooms.

Victoria Beach has two sets of stairs, one from Victoria Drive near Sunset Terrace and one from Dumond Drive. The California Coastal Trail’s guide says the Sunset Terrace stairs between houses may need a close look to spot, and that the shoreline route toward Goff Island is impassable at high tide.

Below the Montage

Christmas Cove sits at the north end of the Treasure Island Park bluff walkway, reached by a ramp. Goff Cove comes next to the south, reached by stairs from the walkway. A visitor guide calls Goff a long walk from the trolley stop and parking, and says the beach can be limited at high tide when the crowd is large. Guides place the stairs in slightly different spots, so follow the signs.

South Laguna

West Street Beach has stairs at the far end of West Street, and Table Rock Beach has a stairway at the end of Table Rock Drive. Neither lists restrooms at the stairs.

Getting down and parking

Parking at most of these coves is on the street. Christmas and Goff coves use the paid city lots beside the Montage, and the Coastal Commission lists a parking structure with a fee at Wesley Drive. The parking guide covers permits and lots, and getting around covers the trolley. Most of these coves list no restrooms or showers, so plan for that before you go down. Divers Cove lists both, and a visitor guide places public restrooms on the bluff path near the Montage.

Tides and surf

Check a tide table before you go. The city’s beach pages list the Department of Marine Safety at (949) 497-0310, and its Woods Cove page asks you to check with a lifeguard before exploring the northern rocks. Several coves change with the tide:

• Fisherman’s Cove washes out at moderate high tides, says the city.
• At Victoria Beach the shoreline route toward Goff Island is impassable at high tide.
• At Goff Cove, a visitor guide says little beach is left at high tide on a busy day.
• At Divers Cove the city closes the rocks and north point under high tides or surf.

See the tide pools page for when the pools show.

Marine reserve rules

All ten coves are inside state marine protected areas. The Laguna Beach State Marine Reserve runs from Abalone Point to Goff Island, and the no-take Laguna Beach State Marine Conservation Area runs from Goff Island south to Table Rock. In both it is unlawful to injure, damage, take or possess any living, geological or cultural marine resource, and fishing is not allowed. That means no shells, no rocks and no animals from the pools. California Fish and Wildlife lists surfing, paddle boarding, kayaking, snorkeling, scuba diving and freediving among the popular activities. The marine reserves page has the full rules.

A short way south of Table Rock the rules change. The Dana Point State Marine Conservation Area allows some recreational fishing, but it prohibits take of living marine resources from tide pools. A neighboring cove can sit in a different protected area, so read the signs as you move along the coast.

Dogs and hours

The city code requires a leash no longer than 6 feet on public property. From June 15 to September 10 leashed dogs may be on the beach only before 9 a.m. and after 6 p.m.; the rest of the year the city allows them at any time of day. The Coastal Commission has no dog information for several of these coves, so read the signs at the top of the stairs. The city says beaches north of Aliso Creek close between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m., and beaches south of it between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.

Private beaches and a cove without access

Three beaches with their own pages on this site are private, and land access is for residents and their guests: Emerald Bay, Irvine Cove and Three Arch Bay. The Coastal Commission’s access list has no public entry for Emerald Bay or Irvine Cove, and a 2002 staff report describes Irvine Cove as a private, locked-gate community and says it is one of five such communities in the city whose coastal program certification was deferred over public access. Totuava has no public access point of its own, and the Totuava page explains the tide risk on the route used to reach it.