Point Dume State Beach(Big Dume Beach, Dume Cove)

Located below oceanfront bluffs in Malibu, Point Dume State Beach – also called Point Dume Beach, Big Dume Beach, and Dume Cove Beach – is a crescent-shaped, extremely popular state-managed beach with light brown sand.  Lonely Planet magazine listed it as one of the best beaches in Malibu, and Conde Nast Traveller magazine also listed it as one of the best beaches in Los Angeles.  It is also a favorite of Randall Kaplan, the world’s foremost beach expert who is known as Mr. Beach.  The beach is open between sunrise and sunset.

Point Dume State Beach has lifeguards during daylight hours.  In addition to lifeguards, this beach has many other amenities including restrooms, showers, nearby observation areas, and a hiking trail – please note that most of the amenities here can be found in the western part of the beach.  Dogs are not allowed here.

Point Dume State Beach offers many fun activities including sunbathing, beachcombing, picnicking, tidepooling, swimming, surfing, kitesurfing, windsurfing, boogie boarding, bodysurfing, boating, fishing, jet-skiing, water-skiing, snorkeling, scuba diving, parasailing, wakeboarding, kayaking, canoeing, surf-skiing, and wildlife watching.

This beach is popular with scuba divers who visit here to explore its vibrant marine biodiversity.  In addition, surfers also sometimes visit this beach because it offers fun surfing waves.  If you are planning to swim, kayak, canoe, snorkel, or surf here, we recommend being careful because the clear water here can have unpredictable rip currents and dangerous waves. 

If you like tidepooling, you can explore many interesting tidepools near the eastern side of the beach during low tide.  This beach is ideal for visitors looking for a quieter beach experience because it usually sees fewer visitors as compared to other nearby beaches.  If you like taking pictures with beautiful views, this beach offers amazing Instagram-worthy views of Santa Monica Bay and Catalina Island. There is a hiking trail near the beach – this trail leads to an interesting coastal sand dune and it offers a fun oceanfront Point Dume hike. 

A large and famous promontory named  Point Dume is located adjacent to the beach – the area around it has a diverse coastal biodiversity and you can see many kinds of plants and animals while visiting here.  There is also a seasonal Point Dume State Beach superbloom here – this superbloom occurs when many beautiful wildflowers bloom on Point Dume, usually in winter and spring.  Point Dume also offers a fun Point Dume rock-climbing experience. 

Although Point Dume State Beach does not offer wheelchair access to visitors with disabilities, it offers reserved parking spaces for disabled visitors along Cliffside Drive.

Getting to Point Dume State Beach is easy and Point Dume State Beach directions are simple to follow – there are multiple ways to access this beach.  Multiple rugged access trails to this beach are located near 29245 Cliffside Drive and multiple free street parking spaces are also available nearby.  If you want to access the western part of the beach, you can drive to 7103 Westward Beach Road and park at the multiple free street parking spaces and the paid parking lots here – the paid parking lots here $3 on weekdays, $8 on summer weekends, and $14 on winter weekends.  Once you park your car here you can walk west along the shoreline to reach Point Dume State Beach.  This beach is easily accessible from United States Highway 101 and Pacific Coast Highway.

We recommend visiting this beach early during summer weekends because it can sometimes get crowded during this time.

The beach’s name – Point Dume – is actually a misspelling of the Spanish surname “Dumetz” – this beach is apparently named after Franciscan friar Francisco Dumetz, who lived in the nearby Mission San Buenaventura.  In addition, British explorer George Vancouver gave the name of this beach and the nearby promontory of Point Dume in 1793.  In addition, the area around this beach has been featured in many movies including the 1968 film Planet of the Apes, the famous Robert Downey Jr. film Iron Man, and The Big Lebowski.

There are many attractions near Point Dume State Beach.  Escondido Canyon Park – also called Escondido Canyon Natural Area – is a recreational area that offers many fun activities including hiking, horse riding, biking, and wildlife watching – it has many habitats including riparian woodland, oak woodlands, and coastal sage scrub.  In addition, this natural area has an interesting multi-level waterfall named the Escondido Falls.  The Adamson House was built in 1929 and it has many interesting designs that are created from beautiful tiles – it was designed by architect Stiles O. Clements and it also has amazing gardens.  There is also a museum near this house named the Malibu Lagoon Museum – it offers a unique insight into the history of Malibu.  Malibu Pier is a beautiful historic pier that was built around 1905 and it offers amazing views of the Pacific Ocean and the southern California shoreline.  This pier is also popular with fishermen and many surfers also surf nearby – it also has restaurants and shopping stores.  

Malibu Bluffs Park is an oceanfront community park that offers many amenities including baseball/softball fields, wi-fi facilities, picnic areas, playgrounds, restrooms, soccer fields, tables, trails, a walking path, and drinking water facilities – the park also has observation areas and it also has a community center.  If you are looking for another attraction near the beach, Leo Carrillo State Park is a state park that was named after eminent actor and conservationist Leo Carrillo and it has multiple beaches including South Beach, North Beach, Staircase Beach, and County Line Beach.  This state park offers many fun activities including tidepooling, fishing, scuba diving, surfing, hiking, and wildlife watching – this park has been featured in many television series and movies including Better Call Saul, the TV show Orange County, and The Usual Suspects.  This state park also has a campground and it offers a fun nearby Point Dume State Beach camping experience.

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants near Point Dume State Beach.  The Sunset Restaurant has a relaxed ambiance and it offers many amazing dishes for lunch and dinner including seafood, chicken dishes, salads, tacos, pasta, and steaks.  Geoffrey's Malibu is an upscale waterfront restaurant that offers many amazing dishes for lunch and dinner including soups, salads, seafood, steak, and chicken dishes.  Spruzzo’s Restaurant & Bar offers excellent dishes for lunch and dinner including pastas, chicken marsala, pizzas, steaks, burgers, sandwiches, calzones, and seafood – this restaurant also serves dishes with Asian and Mexican culinary influences.  Paradise Cove Beach Cafe is a popular oceanfront restaurant that offers amazing dishes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner including eggs, pancakes, sandwiches, pastas, seafood, steaks, barbecued ribs, and soups – this restaurant is known for serving gigantic iced seafood towers.  If you are looking for another good and affordable nearby restaurant, Lily’s Malibu offers amazing Mexican dishes for breakfast and lunch including burritos, tamales, chilaquiles, tortas, huevos rancheros, and tostadas – it also serves delicious sandwiches, fries, and bagels.  

If you are looking for a hotel near Point Dume State Beach, there are many great nearby options.  Nobu Ryokan Malibu is an upscale adults-only hotel that has Japanese-inspired architecture and it has beautiful landscaping with local plants – it offers many amenities including a zen rock fountain, stone pathways, a spa, a nearby restaurant, a racquet club, a sundeck with ocean views, a fitness center, and in-room spa treatments.  The 4-Star Malibu Beach Inn is another upscale hotel that offers many amenities including a spa, a fitness center, a beach club, a gift shop, and a restaurant.  Another popular upscale hotel is the 4-Star Surfrider Hotel Malibu that has an interesting surf culture inspired-ambiance, and offers many amenities including a guests-only restaurant, watersporting equipment and beach equipment loaner facilities, surfboard and wetsuit storage facilities, and a shower – the hotel has amazing reviews and was also listed in Condé Nast Traveler’s “Gold List” of “Best Hotels In The World” in 2020 and 2021.  A more affordable  hotel is the 3-Star Malibu Country Inn that offers many amenities including a pool, an outdoor courtyard, and a restaurant.  If you are looking for another good and affordable nearby hotel, The M Malibu is a 2-Star hotel – this hotel was one of the first motels to be built in Malibu and it offers many amenities including a pool and a sundeck with lounge chairs.