A Guide to SoCal’s Most-Coveted Coastal Stretch

What’s new, Malibu?

Malibu, the coastline city cradled by the Pacific and the Santa Monica Mountains, is one of Southern California’s most beautiful and most-frequented destinations. Just hit PCH on a sunny summer Saturday and you’ll witness the pull in the form of a slow-moving parking lot. Luckily there’s plenty to look at while wading through traffic. And since the fall and winter months tend to be more chill, here, you’re more likely to breeze your way up the coast with little incident. LA Magazine highlighted a few of the brighter spots along the way. Check out a few here:

Leo Carrillo Beach

“Where Mulholland Highway collides with PCH and leather-clad bikers roar up the coast to Neptune’s Net is one of California’s most welcoming stretches of sand. Bring the kids and make a weekend of it: Camp under the sycamores at Leo Carrillo State Park, and use the fire pits to get your clambake on. When the tide is low, follow the trail under the highway and cut west toward Sequit Point. As you scramble over mussel-encrusted boulders, you can scour tide pools for nudibranchs and anemones before pushing a little farther to explore sea caves.

Malibu Colony

“Don’t let the gate that blocks off Malibu Colony Road discourage you from exploring its beachfront, which you can enter from Malibu Lagoon to the east. As long as the sand beneath your feet is wet, you’re welcome to ramble along and ogle the 100 or so homes, many of them on stilts and owned by the likes of Tom Hanks and Rob Reiner. But first pick up some lunch from the Malibu Country Mart on the other side of PCH.”

Point Dume

“Favorable winds make Zuma Beach, just west of the Point, a primo surfing spot. Southeast of this famous destination is Westward Beach—the setting for the finale of 1968’s Planet of the Apes—where the water is exceptionally clean (beware the strong currents). The neighborhood on the cliff overhead leads to the Point Dume Natural Preserve, featuring twisting paths and a downhill jaunt to a secluded beach with its own danger (paparazzi).”

For the entire list, click here.