Kirsten Anderberg's URBAN ADVENTURES:
Staircase Beach in Malibu

"The Staircase Beach" in Malibu, CA is a secluded public beach that gets its name from the steep and winding path one takes from PCH down to the beach. (Photo: K. Anderberg, March 8, 2010)

The Pacific Coast Highway ("PCH") has been long noted for its beauty as it passes through Malibu. Malibu is composed of beautiful, relatively undeveloped canyons throughout the Santa Monica Mountain range to the east, and has gorgeous cliffs and beaches to the west facing the Pacific Ocean. Malibu can be rather confusing for someone attempting to just visit a Malibu beach. There are many public beaches throughout Malibu, and each has its own flavor. "The Staircase" is a surfers' favorite, and when I have been there I have seen people windsurfing and also surfing there. The beach is very rocky and the tide can come in close to the rock cliff, so be careful of the tides! You can easily miss Staircase Beach since it has no markings whatsoever. There is a black mailbox with white numbers "40000" on it, by a driveway on the west side of PCH, just past the Ventura County line sign (heading north on PCH, towards Ventura) - you pull into that driveway and there is a hidden parking lot and Staircase Beach below.

The Staircase beach, notice the path on the lower left (Photo: K. Anderberg, March 8, 2010)

The Staircase in bloom with coreopsis flowers... (Photo: K. Anderberg, March 8, 2010)

The Staircase beach (Photo: K. Anderberg, March 8, 2010)

The Staircase path to beach (Photo: K. Anderberg, March 8, 2010)

The Staircase beach is rocky (Photo: K. Anderberg, March 8, 2010)

Pelicans on the ocean at Staircase beach (Photo: K. Anderberg, Aug. 2009)