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Wood's Cove

3.8 (74 reviews)
Open 6:00 am - 10:00 pm

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Mid afternoon at Woods,
 city had just emptied trash cans.
Mary H.

This beautiful cove went viral last year on social media and things have actually gotten worse. Once summer vacations started for 2024, this small beach has been jammed with visitors every day, the city has had to hire two lifeguards who are constantly preventing mishaps or saving people in the water. Because they don't have time to also enforce the city laws of no alcohol, no glass containers, no smoking (cigs, pot or vape), music must be kept at a whisper, and no tents over 6 feet, it's no longer a relaxing day at the beach but chaotic and stressful. Parents if you bring your children to this beach, keep an eye on them down by the water, adults will stand in the water get knocked down and are oblivious to the small children. It's very sad. We've been coming here for decades. We've tried coming down at the end of the day and the trash and plastic toys left behind is heartbreaking.

Riptide between the rocks
Adam D.

My son cut his foot on a submerged rock just under the sand. My daughter had to get rescued from the ripti Edit: Tried one last time to go to woods cove today. Couldn't even get from steps to the beach. Nothing but rocks.

Deepa N.

Absolutely loved this beach. It's secluded and has a small stairway to enter the beach. Get there early & grab a spot because it is a smaller beach & shore area is limited.

Emily C.

Wood's Cove is a small beach but great for relaxing. There are several entry ways from the street with staircases that lead down to the beach. Even the path of the stairs going down to the beach is cute! The sand is also soft and great for relaxing, while the waves are perfect to play in or to just enjoy the cool water on a hot day. There's some street parking but some of the meters are broken and ate my quarters so I'd recommend to just use a credit card.

Christopher L.

Wood's Cove is a lovely beach to lay out on the sand or dip your toes in the water. Getting to the beach is the trickiest part. There is public parking along PCH and Ocean Way, but on weekends and in summer snagging one of these requires eagle eyes, determination, resilience, and above-average parallel parking skills. Once you park, there are two steep staircases along Ocean Way leading down to the sand. The beach is about 100 yards long. High tide comes past the south steps and near the north steps but there's a sliver of beach left. The bluffs around the cove provide some shade in the morning, but as the day goes on the sun will find you. There are no public restroom facilities at Wood's Cove or neighboring Moss. The historic Bette Davis House overlooks the beach - you can identify it by the wrought iron "D" on the brick chimney. The Oscar-winning actor only lived there a few years (1947-1950), but the structure is on the National Register of Historic Places. It's on the market, and with a recent price reduction you can pick it up for a bargain at $17 million.

Emily T.

Such a beautiful beach!! I love that it's more of a secluded beach, making it less crowded and more quiet. It's dog friendly during certain months and hours as well which is a plus. There are rocks to climb on top of to see different views and the water is clean. Parking is not too terrible since not many people come here. There are metered parking on the streets nearby.

Kevin B.

Small beach area but it's beautiful and the water is so clear and clean. Get there early parking can be crazy

NiNa X.

One of my favorites beach on Laguna again! I find peace what I need, specially after sunset completely down, sky getting dark, people around less, I walk on the beach, close my eye, I feel alive . I smiling and dancing , I looked sky ,how beautiful you could be .

Zara A.

Woods Cove is a tiny (but very beautiful) little beach located on Ocean Way in between Pearl Street and Diamond Street. There are two entrances: - South Entrance: There is a garden that surrounds this entrance followed by series of stairs. - North Entrance: A set of stairs that leads straight down to the beach. It is slightly hidden but marked by a sign. Very limited street parking can be found on Ocean Way. If you cross Pacific Coast Highway, there's metered parking. This beach is located in a very quiet residential neighborhood.

Woods Cove from the street
Terri B.

Love to escape to this gem of a beach! High tide 8/25/19 Quaint little beach- two ways down from the street.

Salty scrubby paradise
Hema K.

Really very tiny space of crescent shaped beach area. Steps lead you to the waters. During end of summer the tide was high that the waves went upto the last few steps. Won't be accessible if the tides are high. Not wheel friendly. Life guard is available.

Odyssey being a doll

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Very narrow limited with limited places to sit. Bottom is very rocky which makes it difficult to walk into water.

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Ask the Community - Wood's Cove

Review Highlights - Wood's Cove

Woods Cove is a tiny (but very beautiful) little beach located on Ocean Way in between Pearl Street and Diamond Street.

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La Vida Laguna - Seal resting in kelp bed

La Vida Laguna

4.8(145 reviews)
0.6 mi

Jake was a fantastic instructor, gave great surfing instruction and tips. My son felt very…read moreconfident after the lesson with Jake.

What a fun experience! We came out on a Friday morning and it was just us and another group going…read moreout into the water. They had a kayak that could hold 2 adults and a kid in the middle, along with life jackets. We filled out the waiver online, so it was pretty quick to go out once we got there. We parked a little farther up at the paid spots. We launched from Fisherman's Cove. Before this, we had only been kayaking in calm waters in Newport Back Bay. The open waters is a totally different beast. Not gonna lie - I was a little nervous during launch because the waters were definitely rougher than the bay, and I can't swim. But I always felt safe. We went out to a few kelp beds and just chilled there for a bit, chatting with each other, learning about the area and each other. Living in Orange County, I was surprised at how much I didn't know about Laguna Beach and I learned a lot just chatting out in the water. The effect was surprisingly calming as the waves moved underneath us. The kelp beds definitely help break the waves a bit. Although we did pick up some kelp while paddling, it wasn't too bad. There were a few waves that were a little bigger, and our poor kid started to get a bit seasick about halfway through the tour. The way back was pretty straight forward, and we landed right where we launched. Everything was done with such ease - we all really enjoyed it! Even our kid was talking about it once we landed. We were able to wear basic beach footwear on the kayak, but were encouraged to leave everything in the car since there could be a tipping event - luckily we didn't experience one! But they took some photos for us and texted them over. While we didn't see any marine mammals, we did see several types of birds. The experience of being out in the kelp beds alone was pretty cool - I can imagine how magical it is to see some dolphin or a whale out in the water!

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La Vida Laguna
La Vida Laguna - We had a blast !! Ty

We had a blast !! Ty

La Vida Laguna - Kayaking

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Kayaking

Thousand Steps Beach - 8/13/22 - Can you spot baby fishies? There were some in here.

Thousand Steps Beach

4.5(807 reviews)
2.6 mi

Thousand Steps Beach is gorgeous and the cave makes it totally worth all of the steps down to it…read more There are only about 219 steps (not a thousand). The steps are no joke though. They are pretty steep and concrete. I wouldn't recommend them for little kids. Make sure you go at low tide. They close the cave area when the tide comes in. The cave is on the far left side of the beach. You have to go over rocks to get there. It can be slippery. There were lifeguards on duty. It's so fun to explore inside the cave. We parked on PCH. There is no parking lot. I definitely recommend going in the morning. It's hard to find parking if you try to go in the afternoon/evening on a weekend/holiday. There is a crosswalk and stoplight at 9th Ave. to cross PCH and then the entrance is right there. There is a bathroom, but it is the typical beach bathroom--not very clean. There's a volleyball net on the left side of the beach. There are no restaurants/cafes. Bring whatever you want with you.

1000 Steps Beach in Laguna Beach (off PCH and 9th) is absolutely worth the visit! First off, don't…read morelet the name intimidate you, the stairs are not literally 1000 steps one way or even round trip... unless you decide to go up and down a few times, then yeah, you'll definitely hit that number!! We went on a Monday and it was pretty busy lots of college-aged people, maybe even some high schoolers, but the beach itself still felt pretty secluded, and there were hardly any kids around maybe like a handful of them. It was overcast when we went, which actually made it perfect, not too hot and super comfortable. Parking is street parking only, just make sure to read the signs carefully. Once you head down, you'll find restrooms and showers right at the bottom of the stairs, which is super convenient. The restroom is clean earlier in the day (before noon), but like most beach spots, it gets a bit wet as the day goes on. There's plenty of space to set up and relax. One thing to watch out for--seagulls! They will go after your food, so definitely cover it with towels if you're hopping in the water. The stairs themselves are pretty narrow, and people usually stick to one side going down and the other going up, so just be mindful and take your time, they tend to also get wet as the day goes on so it's a little slippery.

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Thousand Steps Beach - Steps Down

Steps Down

Thousand Steps Beach
Thousand Steps Beach - 1000 steps lifeguard at top of the steps on PCH

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1000 steps lifeguard at top of the steps on PCH

Wood's Cove - beaches - Updated May 2026

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