Escondido Beach(Escondido State Beach)

Escondido Beach has several activities including fishing, paddle-boarding, and scuba diving. 

Getting here is easy – it is situated near the intersection between Pacific Coast Highway and Escondido Beach Road near Malibu Cove Colony Drive where you will find a coastal access gate next to a bus stop. Visitors pull over this gate to unload beach equipment before parking along Pacific Coast Highway, but finding parking here is difficult. The better access is through a long public stairway situated west of Geoffrey’s which leads to the other end of Escondido Beach that is wider and rarely crowded. There are a few public parking spaces available here.   

If you are looking for nearby attractions, Escondido Falls, the tallest waterfalls in the Santa Monica Mountains which is 200 feet tall, is located five-minutes from Escondido Beach. You can reach them by following the popular Escondido Falls Hiking Trail which is four miles long. If you like hiking, Vanalden Cave is a sandstone formation that is about 25-feet tall, 25-feet wide, and 50-feet deep. The one-and-a-half mile long and 100-feet tall Vanalden trail leads to a vista point that provides an incredible view of the Santa Monica Mountains. Paddle Method - Stand Up Paddleboard Lessons & Rentals is a water sports equipment rental service that works on the beach – it provides paddle-boarding and surfing lessons by PSUPA-certified instructors. Paradise Cove Beach and the highly exclusive Little Dume Beach are situated on the west side of Escondido Beach and are filled with professional scuba divers and paddle-boarders. 

If you get hungry, you can drive five-minutes to Geoffrey’s, an upscale restaurant that serves special diets for vegans and was mentioned in "The 100 Most Scenic Restaurants in the US" by Business Insider.  The vegetarian-friendly Italian eatery Gravina Malibu offers pizza, colorful pasta plates, portobello mushroom dishes, and sandwiches in an intimate space. As another option, Paradise Cove Beach Café features seafood, burgers, tacos, tropical drinks, and special dishes for vegans. 

If you are looking for a place to stay, you can drive 15-minutes to the upscale hotel Calamigos Guest Ranch and Beach Club that provides one-, two-, and three-bedroom bungalows, estate rooms, and cottages – and features multiple pools, fitness centers, a spa, nature hikes, horseback riding sessions, and wine tasting tours. The 4-Star hotel Surfrider Hotel, Malibu offers many amenities including a lounge, rooftop bar, and restaurant.  If you are looking for other affordable options, the 3-Star pet-friendly hotel Malibu Country Inn has a pool and an outdoor fireplace, and The M Malibu offers a pool and wine tasting sessions.