Little Dume Beach

Located on the western part of Malibu, Little Dume Beach is a small beige sand beach that is tucked between Point Dume State Beach and Paradise Cove Beach, and positioned below a bluff on the eastern side ofa large and iconic promontory called Point Dume.  Little Dume Beach is part of the Point Dume Nature Preserve and has a beautiful background of headlands, cliffs, rocky coves, and many opulent villas, which together provide Instagram-worthy views of the Santa Monica Mountains, Catalina Island, and the vast Pacific Ocean, especially at sunset.   As describe in more detail below, getting to Little Dume is extremely difficult unless you’re a local resident because you can only access the beach through a locked gate.

Other than two white chairs Little Dume Beach does not have lifeguards or any other amenities, so plan your trip accordingly.

Little Dume Beach is very popular for surfers and also offers many other fun activities, including hiking, paddle-boarding, scuba diving snorkeling, swimming, and tidepooling.  If you are planning to go into the water near the beach, we recommend being careful, as the water here is known to have strong waves and unpredictable rip currents.  If you enjoy tidepooling, you may spot an array of marine life, including anemones, crabs, starfish, and octopus, making it a fascinating spot for nature enthusiasts.  Hikers can enjoy the nearby hiking trails, which offer unique insights into the local biodiversity.  Depending on the time of year, visitors may spot harbor seals, sea lions, dolphins, humpbacks, and gray whales.  Dogs are welcome on the beach, and the beach is open from sunrise until sunset.

Little Dume Beach does not offer an access path for people with disabilities

Driving to Little Dume Beach is easy – the beach has a few street parking spots located at 29208 Cliffside Drive and the surrounding houses.  However, accessing Little Dume is extremely difficult.  There is a private locked gate on Whitesands Place Road, and only local residents from that neighborhood have keys to get inside.  If you’re lucky enough to have a key (which you can also get if you rent a local house, which is extremely costly and can run upwards of $1,000 per night), once you pass through the gate, you will have a 10-minute beautiful walk or hike on a path that goes through and is covered by trees.  Once you arrive, you will be on a large flat rock with two white chairs on top that overlook the beach, and from there it’s an easy and short climb down to the sand. 

There are two other alternatives to getting to Little Dume Beach if you don’t have a key.  The first option is for visitors to walk there from Paradise Cove Beach.  To get to Paradise Cove Beach, you have two choices for where to park – along the busy Pacific Coast Highway, which is free (carefully look at where you can park because there are many No Parking signs, which can be confusing), and at the Paradise Cove Cafe, which is directly on the beach and can cost $40 if you don’t eat there (and less if you do.).  Getting to Paradise Cove from PCH is a 15-minute walk (downhill and all uphill on the way back).  Once you get to Paradise Cove Beach, you will need to walk 15-20 minutes to get to Little Dume Beach. 

Another option to get to Little Dume Beach is to access it from Big Dume Beach.  To get to Big Dume Beach, you can drive to 29245 Cliffside Drive, where there are only 12 free parking spots (so get there early or wait a very long time for somebody to leave).  Once you park, you’ll have a 15-minute hike down a narrow and winding dirt path to Big Dume Beach.  Once you arrive at Big Dume Beach, you’ll need to carefully walk over many small rocks and walk 15-20 minutes to the end of the beach, and from there, walk around a large bluff to get to Little Dume Beach. 

Please note that access to Little Dume Beach through Paradise Cove Beach and Big Dume Beach is only possible during low tide because it is too dangerous to swim around the bluffs.

Little Dume Beach has been featured in numerous movies, TV shows, commercials, and music video sequences, including the films "Iron Man" and "Planet of the Apes" and the television series "The Rockford Files.”

There are many attractions near Little Dume Beach. Malibu Pier is famous for its iconic dual white towers, rough-hewn planks, two restaurants, stores, and an observation deck where you can fish and look for dolphins. Malibu Lagoon Museum showcases history from the days of the California Indian "Chumash" tribe, gentlemen ranchers, and the birth of the surfing era. Adamson House Museum, which is also known as the "Taj Mahal of Tile," explores the history of Malibu.  Spread across six acres, Malibu Bluffs Park is a community park consisting of two baseball diamonds, a soccer field, a playground, a skate park, picnic tables, and a whale watching station.  It also hosts many events and sports leagues for children, youths, and adults.  Point Dume is a promontory that projects into the Pacific Ocean and forms the northern end of Santa Monica Bay.  It is a perfect spot for hiking, especially for beginners, because of its natural climbing wall and moderate single-pitch rock climbing routes.  If you are looking for another nearby attraction, Escondido Falls are the tallest waterfalls in the Santa Monica Mountains.  They are 200 feet tall and can be reached by following the popular Escondido Falls Hiking Trail, which is four miles long.

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants within a six-minute drive of Little Dume Beach.  Paradise Cove Beach Cafe is located directly on Paradise Cove Beach and offers outdoor seating areas and amazing dishes including eggs, pancakes, French toast, burritos, rancheros, soups, salads, burgers, sandwiches, tacos, shrimp, barbecued ribs, seafood, beef, pork, meat, and poultry dishes.  Geoffrey's is an upscale restaurant that serves soups, salads, steaks, lobster, swordfish, seafood, meat, pork, beef, and poultry dishes.  Nobu Malibu is an upscale, renowned Japanese restaurant that features Nobu Matsuhisa's signature dishes, including tiradito, yellowtail sashimi with jalapeno, and black cod with miso.  In addition, the restaurant is also mentioned in "Explore the Best Celebrity Hangouts in Los Angeles" by Fodor’s Travel.  Spruzzo Restaurant & Bar serves incredible Italian cuisine, including burrata, bruschetta, sandwiches, steaks, burgers, pasta, pizzas, salads, soups, seafood, beef, meat, poultry dishes, and desserts.  If you are looking for another good and affordable nearby restaurant, Gravina Malibu serves delicious Italian cuisine, including pizzas, pasta, beef, meat, and poultry dishes.

If you are looking for a hotel near Little Dume Beach, there are many great options nearby.  If you are looking for an upscale oceanfront hotel, the 5-Star Nobu Ryokan Malibu is 14 minutes away by car and offers many amenities including an outdoor pool, a fitness center, a spa, a deck, and an upscale restaurant operated by Chef Nobu.  Another upscale beachfront is the 5-Star Malibu Beach Inn, which has many amenities including a bar, spa, and restaurant.  A more affordable hotel is the 4-Star The Surfrider Hotel, Malibu, which offers many amenities including a rooftop bar, a restaurant, a terrace with seating areas, and a fire pit.  Another moderately priced option is the 4-star Fairmont Miramar - Hotel & Bungalows, which offers many amenities, including a spa, a heated outdoor pool, hot tubs, and a fitness center.  If you are looking for another good hotel near Surfrider Beach, the 4-Star Oceana Santa Monica, LXR Hotels & Resorts has many amenities including a spa, an outdoor pool, fireplaces, a fitness center, a bike rental facility, and freebies including complimentary yoga classes and weekend surfing lessons.