FIRST TIMERS: THIS ONES FOR YOU Parking was like $3 per hour. I got there around 10 on a Thursday morning. No one was there. After you park, you have to go towards the "no alcohol etc" sign to start getting down. I decided to take a short cut and slide through some dirt. There's quite a bit of bushes that get in the way, but still very beautiful. After a 5 minute walk, you get to the bottom of the "steps", where you are then met by a ladder. Great. I also decided to slide down dirt instead of using the ladder. The sand here is lightweight and brown, which caused the water to look brown. There's a loooot of little rocks. To the left is El Matador. To the right is a hidden stair case. It's locked at the top- it's for residents only. The bottom of the staircase is non existent. You have to walk through some slipper succulent looking plants (I slipped), then walk down the makeshift stair case built out of rocks. I usually spend hours at the beach but this was a no. If you love getting dirty then great, but if you're looking for somewhere effortlessly peaceful and scenic, I'd skip this beach. read more

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Underrated beach alert! El matador was packed and parking was over loaded so we ended up here. this beach is quiet and peaceful. The path to the beach is steep, which is what deters the lazy party crowd who aren't willing to work hard for serenity. Protip for the fearless explore- you can walk to El matador by walking towards the zen looking house with the zen tree, bouldering along the rocks on the side, climb through the little cave and walk through it and then walk through another little cave. Water is about knee to waist high tops through the caves. Water is cold but I welcome it during the hot summer. read more

You know the days in LA beaches. Starting with cloudy morning, and just when you think the sun will not come out today, it comes out. If it is winter, you are so happy it did. If Summer, after one hour you wish for it to go away again LOL The beach is gorgeous! I mean most beaches in Cali are. But as someone who grew in the East Coast, for me the West coast beaches are simply beautiful! O don't judge me if for you it nothing you haven't seen before LOL The view is amazing. The walk is also fun. And if you get to the places hidden from the world, it will be just you, the sand and the water. Who can say no to that? read more

La Piedra State Beach - Beaches Near Me - Malibu, California

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So beautiful and secluded, but the wind is so strong, sand whips in your face so fast it hurts. I've been a few times at different days, just be prepared to shield your face! It's also not safe to go into the water here. It would be fun with a tent, but you have to climb down the pathway using your hands, making more than a backpack too much. read more

Arrived around 11 am parking was full but 5 min later 2 cars left. I didn't smell anything bad but yes from 1-5 there's about a 2 1/2 of little flies. Took grandma and baby and yes the path can be a work out and could slip if your not careful but we made it. Slowly but we made it. Also, make sure you lock your cars really good because someone is going around and checking people's cars. I don't think my trunk closed all the way and took a couple of things. Received a fraud notification on 2 of my credit. Over all it's a cool little drive up there. I'll go back tho. Not with grandma tho. Oh yea and it's $3 parking. read more

If you are not a fan of crowded Zuma beach and can handle a quick hike, this might be the place for you. As all state beaches there is a parking fee of $9 for a couple of hours. But you can avoid that fee if you park on PCH and enjoy the extra walk. Pack light, as the trail to the water is fairly narrow in some places. The trail itself is small obstacle course: it's narrow, dirt can be slippery, overgrown bushes and at the bottom you need to climb down an installed ladder. Some steps the etched in the steeper sections. The beach is absolutely beautiful which makes the hike down and up totally worth it. It is partly rocky and depending on the time of year it can be very rocky or smooth sand all throughout. The house perched on a bluff edging into the ocean at then other end of the beach doesn't look real but makes for a great subject for your beach photos! read more

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Its summertime, the weathers getting hot...and unfortunately the tourists are all flocking into my neighborhood to go to the beach. This means I can no longer lay out in the sun without being squeezed in between a family with boatloads of children and a PDA-ing couple. Talk about first world problems. Fortunately I heard about this beach from Weekend Sherpa, and took the drive up north towards Malibu to find this little gem of a beach. Its a little hidden from sight: you have to climb down some moderately steep rocks to reach the beach. But once you do, this beautiful beach is all yours to share with the few of us know about this secret. I almost feel bad posting this on Yelp. A bit rocky, so not an ideal place for surfing. Parking is plentiful and easy: there is a small parking lot right above it, or you could park along the side of PCH like everyone else. You might almost miss it if you're not looking closely. Definitely worth the drive. Its beautiful, quiet, and idyllic and perfect respite from the summer crowds. Great place to take your kids and the family for some summer day fun. But also a perfect place for couples looking for a romantic location to lay out. read more

La Piedra State Beach - Beaches Near Me - Malibu, California

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I loved everything about this beach except the freakin' sand flies!! Granted, they aren't everywhere, only at certain spots you cross getting to the good parts of beach, like around the rocks and where there are clumps of kelp laying around. There were so many at one point I was half squealing and half crying in hopes of at least scaring them off. I was so afraid of them eating me alive that I took the longer, more dangerous route climbing the big boulders to avoid them. Back to the good. The beach is not crowded (in case you wanted to do some nude sunbathing) and there is even a cave within the rocks to explore. my favorite part though, was gawking at the huge private staircases that go along the cliffs to the private mansions above. They are ginormous! (They are all locked of course, to keep us riffraff out.) read more

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Beautiful and mostly secluded beach. However, it's a lot of work to get to it. The parking lot is small, but the $8 for all day price is decent. The hike down to the beach starts slightly upward from the lot and takes you down a path where stairs have either worn away, are in the process of wearing away, or are completely absent. This is definitely a sneaker/hiking boot walk. Be prepared to get dirty, and pack light for an easier climb back up. Due to the current, the waves are great and the water is cloudy. Lots of crab remains on the beach and in the water. When the tide is in, there is little beach, a strong odor, and a lot of sand flies. read more

La Piedra State Beach - From one of the lookout points along the hiking trail down to the beach. - Beaches Near Me - Malibu, California

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Firstly. This is a gorgeous State beach. Natural, exotic, mostly untouched by man. It's a decent, slightly treacherous hike down to the water. I say this because the dirt trail is wildly overgrown with plant life. I came alone but I had almost come with a family member with not so great knees and hip/back pain. There's no way I'd felt comfortable trying to help anyone down this trail for fear they'd snag their feet and trip/tumble or hurt themselves. If you're a beach bum like myself, you're accustomed to PCH beaches and hiking to enjoy the water. I'm just saying that as a State owned park, it was litter free, but the brush was very unkempt. And also, the makeshift ladder that you must climb down which isn't tethered tightly, is a major safety hazard. The beach itself is gorgeous. The parking lot was tiny, maybe 18 spots. I parked on PCH. The water is great and u get a good amount of beach to lounge on even during high tide. As with most State beaches, it is very Rocky and I recommend water shoes. I saw too many ppl unable to enjoy half the beach because of the Rocky terrain in the shallows. Cool tide pools throughout. I went July 9th and it was very crowded considering so many say that it's a secluded area. It's fun to watch the line of ppl get backed up while most are trying to figure out how to get their loads of gear up and down the ladder. I found a good spot in the shallows, perching on a rock and allowing the waves to lap up to me. Beautiful views and terrain. Just be prepared and pack less. read more

La Piedra State Beach - This is how you get down from the trail to the beach. Fun to watch unsuspecting beachgoers figure out how to get their bulky items down. - Beaches Near Me - Malibu, California

I love this beach because of the beautiful caves and how it's away from the majority of the crowds. Only downfall is it's a bit tricky to get to and when it's high tide your day is over because the beach will be gone. If you're looking for a place with awesome photo ops like I always am, then this is your place to go. I also parked on the street so it was free parking which is always a bonus! read more

La Piedra State Beach - Beaches Near Me - Malibu, California

On a mission to find a nude beach (which don't really exist), I found some tips on the sheltered coves around Malibu. Initially I wanted to check out El Matador, but it was heavily populated, even on a weekday. There was absolutely no parking so we hopped back in the car and drove down the PCH where we came across this lovely spot. Getting down the hill to the actual beach is difficult, considering we took the wrong trail at first. The trail starts right by the restrooms. Make sure you bring some shoes, since there's no actual staircase, you have hike over rocks so it gets a bit slippery. The beach itself is pretty secluded, the water is beautiful, and you can get away with some nude tanning :) Being nude is just so liberating! My favorite part was to walk along the beach and find all these beautiful shells and sea critters. Overall, this is just a great place to relax and not have to be disturbed by rowdy beach-goers. Also, expect to pay for parking. read more

La Piedra is a great lookout, beach is great too only if you are in for a hike! A steep adventure, not a place for the light adventurous type read more

If you come before 12 there is plenty of room for parking. It's a very clean and quiet beach. So beautiful!

It was a beautiful day to drive up the coast and my friends and I thought we'd do a pit stop at El Matador to check out the scenic views but missed our stop and ended here instead. It's about one turn North of El Matador and beautiful in a underpopulated way. We couldn't find the trail to get to the bottom but we did take a few minutes to digest the panoramic views. There are a few picnic tables on the bluffs where you could make this a romantic moment of wine and cheese for your lover. Be prepared to pay for parking at this stop. They conveniently have a machine to swipe your debit card. read more

I recently came to this beach around a week ago and it's the worst beach I've ever been to !! It's filthy, smelly and the trail to get down is quite a mission. Neve coming back ! El matador beach is amazing ! Your looking for a good beach? Go to el matador ! read more

Not too easy to get to (I think of that as a plus, as it typically means the beach is seldom packed), nice sand, private and relatively secluded, great waves, etc. read more

We went on a cloudy overcast day and it was perfect! We loved the hike down to the beach and exploring the views and rocks. We weren't expecting to lay out on the beach or anything - this wouldn't be the best beach for that. We loved the adventure of this beach and trail. read more