Robert H. Meyer Memorial State Beach

Located below oceanfront bluffs near Malibu, Robert H. Meyer Memorial State Beach is a south-facing state-protected beach area that has light brown sand, many rocky parts, and multiple large rock formations. This beach is composed of three separate smaller beaches – El Matador Beach, El Pescador Beach, and La Piedra Beach. El Matador Beach is the easternmost beach here, La Piedra Beach is the central part of Robert H. Meyer Memorial State Beach, and El Pescador Beach is the westernmost part of Robert H. Meyer Memorial State Beach.  

This beach is open between 8 am and sunset.

Out of the three smaller beaches in Robert H. Meyer Memorial State Beach, only El Matador Beach has lifeguards occasionally during summer months, public holidays, and weekends. In addition to the lifeguards at El Matador Beach, there are picnic tables and restrooms on the blufftop area above all of the three beaches here. Dogs are not allowed at any of the three beaches here.

Robert H. Meyer Memorial State Beach offers many fun activities including sunbathing, beachcombing, fishing, tidepooling, picnicking, surfing, swimming, snorkeling, scuba diving, boating, windsurfing, kitesurfing, skimboarding, boogie boarding, bodysurfing, kayaking, canoeing, surf skiing, and wildlife watching.  

Surfing, skimboarding, bodysurfing, and boogie boarding are popular here – La Piedra Beach is popular with surfers. Another popular activity near Robert H. Meyer Memorial State Beach is scuba diving because the water here has kelp beds.

If you are planning to swim, surf, kayak, or scuba dive here, we recommend being careful because the water here is known to have frequent dangerous rip currents and strong waves – La Piedra Beach is particularly known to have slightly turbulent water conditions. In addition, El Matador Beach also occasionally has strong waves during summers and winters. 

El Matador Beach has a variety of interesting rock formations including sea stacks, arches, and caves – you can visit these interesting geological formations and explore them at low tide.  

If you like taking pictures with beautiful views, Robert H. Meyer Memorial State Beach and the blufftop area above it offer amazing views of the southern California shoreline and the Pacific Ocean, particularly at sunset. If you like tidepooling, you can explore interesting tidepools here at low tide. In addition, this beach is also popular with birdwatchers. 

El Pescador Beach is particularly popular with visitors looking for a quiet surfing experience because this beach does not have many visitors.

Robert H Meyer Memorial State Beach does not offer wheelchair access to visitors with disabilities.

Getting to the three beaches of Robert H. Meyer Memorial State Beach is easy – the paid parking lots for El Matador Beach, La Piedra Beach, and El Pescador Beach are located near 32200 Pacific Coast Highway, 32700 Pacific Coast Highway, and 32900 Pacific Coast Highway respectively. These paid lots usually charge $3 per hour, $8 per day on weekdays, and $15 per day on weekends and holidays. Once you park at the parking lots here, you need to walk on multiple steep and rocky trails that will lead you to the beaches.   

You can also park at the free street parking spaces along the Pacific Coast Highway and then walk to the access trails for these beaches. However, if you are planning to park along the Pacific Coast Highway and then walk to the beaches, we recommend being careful because crossing an active highway can be dangerous.  

We recommend visiting here early during the summer because it can get crowded. We also recommend visiting these beaches wearing appropriate footwear because the access trails here are slightly rocky.

Robert H. Meyer Memorial State Beach was named after Robert H. Meyer – Meyer was the former deputy director of the California Department of Parks and Recreation. In addition, El Matador Beach – which is a part of Robert H. Meyer Memorial State Beach – has been featured in many movies including the popular Ryan Gosling movie The Notebook and the 2020 movie Fatal Affair, and is the favorite beach in Malibu of Randall Kaplan, the world’s foremost beach expert who is known as Mr. Beach.

There are many attractions near Robert H. Meyer Memorial State Beach. Charmlee Wilderness Park is a 532-acre nature park that is set within the Santa Monica Mountains and it has many amenities including hiking trails and picnic areas – it also has a nature center (which is currently closed), along with a collection of native plants. 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, wildlife watching, and camping – this park has been featured in many television series and movies including Better Call Saul, the TV show Orange County, and The Usual Suspects.  

Point Dume Malibu California is a large and famous promontory – the area around it has a diverse coastal biodiversity and you can see many kinds of animals while visiting here. The top of the promontory offers amazing views of the southern California shoreline, the Pacific Ocean, and the Catalina Islands and it is also a popular rock-climbing site. 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. If you are looking for another attraction near the beach, Wishtoyo’s Chumash Village is a historic four acre site that has a reconstruction of a traditional Native American Chumash village – this site offers a unique insight into the history of Southern California and the local Native American population. 

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants near Robert H. Meyer Memorial State Beach. Sabor A Malibu is a food truck that serves excellent Mexican dishes including burritos, quesadillas, fries, burgers, tacos, fish and chips, and hot dogs. Nobu Malibu is an upscale waterfront restaurant that was founded by eminent chef Nobu Matsuhisa – this restaurant offers a variety of delicious Japanese and locally-inspired fusion dishes. 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. Neptune’s Net is an immensely popular restaurant that is known for serving outstanding seafood baskets and it also serves delicious burgers, sandwiches, and its famous clam chowder – it has also been featured in many movies and television shows including The Fast and the Furious, Point Break, and Gossip Girl. If you are looking for another good and affordable restaurant near the beach, 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 Robert H Meyer Memorial State Beach Malibu California, there are many great nearby options within a 20-minute-drive. 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.