Leo Carrillo State Park - Staircase Beach

Located in west side of the city of Malibu, Leo Carrillo State Park - Staircase Beach is one of the three beaches that are part of Leo Carrillo State Park. Leo Carrillo State Park - Staircase Beach is situated at the north end of the Leo Carrillo State Park – and is a narrow, rarely crowded, and rocky beach. Leo Carrillo State Park is 2,513 acres in size and named after Leo Carrillo, an actor and preservationist who served on the California Beach and Parks Commission for 18 years. Many prominent actors including Elvis Presley, Jerry Lewis, Nancy Sinatra, and Dick Clark have been featured in films shot at this park. Leo Carrillo State Park - Staircase Beach is also known as Heavens and is on the north side of Leo Carrillo State Park - North Beach and Leo Carrillo State Park - South Beach. Leo Carrillo State Park - Staircase Beach welcomes dogs if and only if they are on leash.

There are a few fun activities here including fishing, camping, and beach walking – the beach is a popular surfing destination.

Getting to Leo Carrillo State Park - Staircase Beach is very easy – it’s paid parking lot is situated next to the state park manager’s residence at 40000 Pacific Coast Highway. Despite its name, there are no staircase at the beach, but there is a winding trail that provides access from the parking lot to the beach. You can also reach here by walking towards north from Leo Carrillo State Park - North Beach.

If you are looking for nearby attractions, there are many within a 15-minute drive of Leo Carrillo State Park - Staircase Beach. Point Dume is a promontory that projects into the Pacific Ocean and forms the northern end of Santa Monica Bay – it offers an incredible view and is a fantastic place to Instagram-worthy pictures, and is also a perfect spot for hiking, especially for beginners because of its natural climbing wall with moderate single-pitch rock climbing routes. Spread across 1,000 acres on the Saddleback Ranch, Malibu Wine Safaris features wine tastings, a visit to the ancient Chumash cave paintings, and safari trips to see zebras, camels, alpacas, bison, and a giraffe named Stanley. Heal the Bay Aquarium, also known as the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium, offers educational programs, and events to spread awareness for marine conservation, pollution prevention, and environmental education to over 100,000 visitors every year. Another attraction near Leo Carrillo State Park - Staircase Beach is Paramount Ranch, a national park with several hiking trails through chaparral, riparian, and valley oak savannah plant communities, multi-use trails for mountain bikers, and wildlife sightings including red-tailed hawks, acorn woodpeckers, blue heron, and deer. It has been featured as an old western town in many famed Hollywood movies and television series, most notably Caught in the Draft, The Lake House, and Westworld. 

If you get hungry, there are many options within a 15-minute drive from Leo Carrillo State Park - Staircase Beach. Neptune’s Net is a biker-bar-cum-restaurant that has been featured in films, television series, and games, including Iron Man 3, The Fast and the Furious, Gossip Girl, and GTA 5. If you love Italian food, Spruzzo Restaurant & Bar offers pizza, pasta, sandwiches, cocktails, drinks, and desserts. The upscale restaurant Geoffrey’s was mentioned in "The 100 Most Scenic Restaurants in the US" by Business Insider. 

If you are looking for a place to stay, you can drive 14-minutes to the upscale Jet Luxury Resorts Malibu Estate that sits on an acre of oceanfront land and has many amenities including a pool, spa with waterfalls, tennis court, basketball court, and wine cellar.  Malibu Beach Inn is a 4-Star hotel with a bar, spa, and restaurant that is located on Carbon Beach, which has been nicknamed Billionaires’ Beach due to the many ultrawealthy homeowners and incredibly expensive homes there. (In 2018, one home sold for $110 million!) As other affordable options, the pet-friendly Malibu Country Inn has a pool and an outdoor fireplace, and the 2-Star hotel The M Malibu has a pool and wine tasting sessions.