Travel
to California Beaches
If your next family vacation
leads you to the beaches,
Malibu
Beach is still the beach you must see when your travels take you to
California. Family vacations in California tend to excite everyone, except
Californians maybe!
A family vacation at the beach is the perfect
choice for everyone: fun sports, water-parks, beautiful weather and tons of
entertaining activities. The best family beach vacation resorts will involve
your kids into plenty of exciting activities, keeping them busy and giving you
the needed time to unwind. At the same time, a family vacation at the beach is
a great opportunity to share some unique moments with your loved ones in a
beautiful setting. |
Visiting Malibu And Its Many Beaches by Laura
Eggers Underhill
Malibu isn't just a beach; it's practically a whole
coastline. Stretching for roughly 27 miles, Malibu comprises about a dozen
beaches from Decker Rd. (Hwy. 23) in the west, to Topanga Canyon Blvd. in the
east. At this part of the California coast, the beaches face mostly rather than
west, except for Westward Beach near Pt. Dume.
The Malibu beaches lie along the base of the Santa Monica
Mountains, which are so often subjected to the vicious circle of fires, floods
and mudslides. The Pacific Coast Highway, or PCH, is squeezed between the beach
and the cliffs much of the way. The ocean side is lined with highway hugging
houses of the mostly rich and/or famous.
The beaches themselves range from wide and sandy to so
narrow that the waterline comes up directly under someone's deck. Rocky coves
and tide pools are also plentiful.
Malibu itself does not have a cohesive downtown section.
Restaurants are spread out, as are a few shopping centers sprinkled with chain
stores mixed with specialty shops. Residential sections vary from small,
crowded beachfront houses to mountaintop mansions.
GETTING TO MALIBU BEACH CALIFORNIA
You can take the I-10 west through Santa Monica, then veer
north onto PCH (Hwy 1) as it hits the coast. Keep driving, and you'll soon be
in Malibu.
Alternatively, from Highway 101 in the San Fernando
Valley, you can take a 15-20 minute winding drive through the Santa Monica
Mountains along Topanga Canyon Blvd., Malibu Canyon Rd. (Los Virgenes exit),
Kanan Dume Rd., or Decker Road. All of these drop down into some part of the
Malibu coast, with Malibu Canyon Road taking you the closest to the pier,
lagoon, Surfrider Beach and shopping areas.
THE MALIBU BEACHES
Starting at the Ventura County line and heading east
towards Santa Monica, there's Leo Carrillo State Beach, which has camping, tide
pools, trails and interesting rock formations. Then comes Nicholas Canyon
County Beach, where you park on the bluff and hike down to surf or dive.
The next three beaches are scenic coves with more unusual
rock formations. El Pescador State Beach at the end of Decker Rd. has a narrow
sandy beach and picnic tables on the bluff above. La Piedra State Beach is
similar, only further east.
El Matador State Beach is larger, with a larger pay
parking lot and a trail and stairway down to the beach. It also has stunning
sea stacks, which attract cormorants and other sea birds.
Broad Beach Road goes through a residential neighborhood
between Pacific Coast Highway and the beach. there are a couple of beach access
points that go between the houses. You can enjoy the beach at the end of the
path or steps, but be careful not to trespass onto private property.
In marked contrast, Zuma Beach County Park is a wide sandy
beach with lots of facilities, including restrooms, showers, dressing rooms,
snack stands, volleyball, swings and a large pay parking lot.
Point Dume State Beach is next to the Point Dume
Headlands, which has some trails. The beach has tide pools and sandstone
cliffs. Westward Beach is the section towards the Point, which faces west.
Paradise Cove is a small but lovely beach with expensive
parking. No surfing is allowed. Escondido Beach can be found near Malibu Cove
Colony Drive. The access point is next to a blue and white trash can. This is a
diving spot. Corral State Beach/Solstice Beach is a narrow sandy beach with
street parking.
Where Malibu Road veers off PCH through another
neighborhood, there are several public stairways next to telltale blue and
white trash cans. These paths or stairways go between private homes, so take
care not to disturb the residents or trespass. Once on the beach, you must stay
a certain distance away from the rear of the houses; below the high tide line
should be safe enough.
Malibu Bluffs County Park is off of Pacific Coast Highway,
at the end of Malibu Canyon Road, across from Pepperdine University. While not
a beach itself, you can park there, use the restrooms and hike down a one and a
half mile trail down through the bluffs with magnificent views to Malibu Road
and the beach access points mentioned previously. Exhilarating! (But don't
forget you have to hike back up later.)
Malibu Lagoon State Beach bears an estuary, the Malibu
Lagoon, the historic Adamson House and museum, the Malibu Pier, and popular
Surfrider Beach which has great waves for surfing.
East of the pier along PCH, are more public stairways to
the beach between houses, marked by the blue and white trash cans. Las Tunas
State Beach is narrow, sandy and rocky in places. Be careful of rusted metal
groins under the water if you swim there.
Topanga State Beach lies at the end of Topanga Canyon
Boulevard. It is a narrow sandy beach with rocky parts. There is a pay parking
lot, but people also park up along Topanga Canyon Boulevard.
Malibu is a beautiful place to visit and is sure to have a
beach to suit just about everyone.
Laura Eggers is a beach lover with a website.
http://www.southern-california-beaches-vacation-guide.com
offers visitors a plethora of information about the different beach areas to
help with planning their beach vacation in sunny Southern California.
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Laura_Eggers_Underhill
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