Malibu in Your Pocket

Malibu's "Secret" La Piedra State Beach

La Piedra, one of Malibu’s “pocket beaches,” is the perfect sanctuary for beachgoers who don’t care to rub beach blankets with the crowds at Zuma or Paradise Cove. It’s less than 10 minutes up the coast from Zuma, but a world away from the all the frenzy. Sure, it can get busy, but in fall this beach tends to get fewer visitors.

From the parking area, a slender path leads down the coastal bluffs to the untouched sand. The decline is steep. If you’re wearing bad footwear, you might find yourself down on all fours at first! The rest of the way is a breeze—packed dirt and occasional stairs. Partway down, your jaw drops as you spy the beautiful waves crashing along the shore. Then it’s a ladder-climb down to the bottom, where you can massage your feet in the warm sand of this lovely, secluded, protected strand. The nearby luxury estates don’t have it any better than you do.

La Piedra boasts both soft sand and large rocks to suit your mood—splash or stroll. Even if you have company, there’s plenty of room—nearly a mile—for privacy. If you prefer sandless sandwiches, or if the tide is coming in, you can climb back up to the blufftop picnic tables and enjoy the view from up high.

Tip: Swing by Malibu Seafood, just 15 minutes down the highway, to enjoy scrumptious fish-and-chips with a view!

La Piedra State Beach is on Pacific Coast Hwy. 5.6 miles west (upcoast) from Kanan-Dume Rd. It lies in between two other pocket beaches, El Matador and El Pescador. There is an hourly parking fee. No dogs.

Trending Stories NorCal

View all Stories
  1. Serene Las Gallinas

    A serene stroll alongside marshland, passing ponds and grasses frilled in seasonal wildflowers, with Mount Tam a beacon in the background … how nice. As part of the esteemed Bay Trail, San Rafael’s Las Gallinas Valley Birding Loop and Wildlife Ponds comprises about 3.5 miles of wide-open trail.

    View
  2. Paint Brushy

    This time of year you’ll have good reason to head for the hills—the electric-green rolling hills of Brushy Peak Regional Preserve in Livermore. This 4.5-mile loop hike is like stepping into a plein air painting.

    View
  3. Sponsored

    2025 POST Wildflower Walks

    Get flower empowered! POST’s complimentary 2025 Wildflower Walks guide blooms with the best places to see a variety of florals across the Peninsula and South Bay this spring.

    View
  4. All right, Almaden!

    Take a trip through time on this 5-mile loop in Almaden Quicksilver County Park. Explore the ruins of an old cinnabar mine and enjoy the first hints of wildflower season.

    View

Trending Stories SoCal

View all Stories
  1. Sponsored

    Weekend in Reno Tahoe

    Weekend plans? Reno Tahoe! Just a few hours by car or a short flight away, Reno Tahoe springs to the moment with great ways to combine adventure and relaxation in its beautiful mountains-meets-desert setting.

    View
  2. Hiker walking along the North Bluff Trail on Santa Cruz Island, Channel Islands National Park

    Purely Wild

    Channel Islands National Park lives up to its nickname as “North America’s Galapagos.” This less-traveled national park is an undeveloped and isolated series of five dramatic and distinct islands reached by boat. Hike the largest of the islands, Santa Cruz.

    View
  3. Woman hiking the South Kaibab Trail in the Grand Canyon

    Truly Grand Day Hike

    One of the best spring day hikes in the Grand Canyon? See layer upon layer of the park’s grandeur—including the river—on this 3-mile (one-way) journey to Skeleton Point via the South Kaibab Trail.

    View
  4. A woman stands amid an array of yellow and purple flowers at Descanso Gardens in Los Angeles

    Petal Paradise

    Tulips, lilacs, and daffodils—flower power is in full bloom at Descanso Gardens in La Cañada Flintridge. Sprawling across 150 acres surrounded by mountains, the gardens are putting on their best show right now.

    View