Thousand Steps Beach

The name is hyperbole — there are roughly 220 steps from South Coast Highway down to the sand — but by the time you’re hauling a full beach bag back up the steep cliffside staircase in afternoon heat, two hundred feels about right. The stairs descend from a small pull-off near 9th Avenue in South Laguna, well south of the tourist density around Main Beach, and they deposit you onto a crescent of sand flanked by layered sandstone cliffs that shift from pale tan to deep ochre as the angle of the sun changes. In early morning, before anyone else has arrived, the cove can feel genuinely private.

The beach is narrow at high tide — sometimes only a few feet of dry sand between the water and the cliff base — so checking a tide chart before you go is more important here than at a wider beach. A low tide in the morning opens up substantially more real estate and exposes the rocky reef at the south end of the cove. That reef holds reasonable tide pool life: aggregating anemones, turban snails, limpets, hermit crabs, and the occasional bat star or purple urchin. The water clarity is typically better than at north county beaches because the cliffs funnel foot traffic and there are fewer storm drain outfalls in this stretch of South Laguna.

The reef break at the south end is workable for beginners and intermediate surfers on small south swells, and the cove’s enclosed geometry provides enough shelter that the shorebreak is gentler than at more exposed spots. On flat days the water is clear enough for snorkeling around the reef; visibility can be genuinely good on calm summer mornings. The lack of a lifeguard is worth noting if you’re bringing newer swimmers — the beach has no staffed safety presence.

Parking is the main logistical challenge, and it’s a real one on summer weekends. There is no dedicated lot; the only option is street parking along South Coast Highway, which fills completely by mid-morning on Saturdays and Sundays from June through September. Arriving before 9 a.m. is the most reliable strategy. Alternatively, park in the metered lots in downtown Laguna Beach (a 15- to 20-minute walk north on the sidewalk path above the cliff) and treat the walk as part of the outing. The Laguna Beach Transit trolley doesn’t serve this far south, so the walk is your main option once the street fills.

Facilities are minimal by design: a portable restroom at the top of the stairs, nothing else. No food, no shade on the beach itself (the cliffs provide some in early morning), no lifeguard. Bring water, sunscreen, and everything you need for the day. The exposed sandstone walls are beautiful but they also mean you’re in direct sun for most of the afternoon. This is the trade the beach asks you to make — a little effort and a little inconvenience in exchange for a cove that larger crowds can’t easily access.