Point Dume State Beach Trip

We moved (back) to SoCal 5 years ago.  Since then, I'm embarrassed to admit it, we have only been to the beach a handful of times.  It is my opinion that the beach is an integral part of southern California culture and I want my kids to experience the sun, sand and surf regularly.  I declared my cultural commitment to the beach on Labor Day weekend (brilliant!).

Our last two beach trips were to Huntington Beach and Newport Beach in the OC and we didn't want to do that again.  Nor did we want to brave the crowds and limited parking of Santa Monica and the beaches south of there.  The only local beaches left were in Malibu.  I choose our destination beach randomly.

Our plan was to go to Zuma Beach for the morning, play in the sand and surf, picnic, play some more (until the kids were completely worn out) and then pack up the car and go home.  We gathered up all our beach gear, piled into the station wagon and headed for the beach -- the 210 to the 134 to the 101 to Malibu Canyon to PCH.

As we approached Zuma, Altadena Dad put more faith in the GPS than in the street signs and turned too soon, landing us at Point Dume State Beach instead.  The line of cars to get into the parking lot ($7 fee) was long and I was worried the beach would be too crowded for us to enjoy ourselves. But, to our surprise, parking was plentiful and the beach was nearly empty...on Labor Day weekend!

We had a great day.  It was warm, but not too hot.  There was a slight breeze.  The kids had a blast.  No one got sunburned.  And, everyone was worn out by the time we left at 2 PM.

Point Dume is a great beach for families.  Parking is plentiful as are restrooms.  The distance from the parking lot to the water is less than 100 meters.  The waves are relatively small, 3-5 feet.  Lifegaurds are posted at every tower and patrol on foot and ATV.  Beach-goers were few.  The drive is scenic and on less congested freeways.  The only aspect of this beach I didn't like was the drop-off to the water.  It was short, maybe 2 or 3 feet from the beach down to the waves, but I prefer a gradual slope into the water.  This is just a preference, though, and not a requirement.

We'll be exploring more beaches in Malibu throughout the fall and winter and we're looking forward to it.