Point Dume State Beach, Los Angeles: history, whales, how to get there and hours

Point Dume State Beach is a small state beach and headland in Malibu, at the northern edge of Santa Monica Bay, on Westward Beach Road. It sits about 18 miles west of Santa Monica on Pacific Coast Highway. People come for the view from the top of the point, the bluff trails, the tide pools and the gray whales that pass in winter and spring. Day-use parking is open sunrise to sunset, and the free spaces at the top are very few. A notice dated August 28, 2026 says the road to the lower lot is closed; details below.

Point Dume history

According to the California State Parks brochure, the Chumash lived on this coast for thousands of years and treated the point as a sacred space. In 1542 it was an important navigation marker for the Spanish explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo. It got its name only in 1793, when British captain George Vancouver named the headland after Father Francisco Dumetz of Mission San Buenaventura.

During World War II the U.S. Army used the site for anti-aircraft artillery training, and the brochure says the top of the headland is believed to have been flattened after the war for commercial construction. The State of California acquired Point Dume in 1979 and has been restoring it gradually since. In 1992 a 34-acre parcel became a State Natural Preserve, one of the highest levels of protection afforded by law.

Today the state beach covers 63 acres, which the park calls one of the last and finest examples of coastal bluff scrub in Southern California. The wide sandy beach below is run by LA County Beaches and Harbors as Point Dume Beach, with more than a mile of ocean frontage and 34 acres of sand.

What to see at Point Dume

• The top of the point. On a clear day, the park says, you can see Santa Monica Bay, the Malibu coast, the Santa Monica Mountains and Catalina Island.
• Preserve trails. About two miles of trails cross grassland, bluff scrub and the southern foredune. There is an ancient coastal bluff sand dune, and the park asks you to stay on the trail there.
• Plants. The preserve is the southern limit for the giant coreopsis, and also for dudleya and false heather.
• Wildlife. Coyotes, skunks, raccoons, ground squirrels and rabbits come out in daylight. The brochure counts over a hundred bird species, among them brown pelicans, plovers, wrens, roadrunners, burrowing owls, falcons and hawks.
• Tide pools. Sea stars, octopuses, anemones, sea urchins, mussels and crabs. The point is part of California's network of Marine Protected Areas.
• Marine mammals. Sea lions, harbor seals and dolphins, sometimes a few dozen feet from shore.

When to see whales

The park page calls Point Dume a good spot to see California gray whales during their yearly migration, December to mid-April. The brochure adds that it is one of the few dry-land sites where they pass this close, and that calves with their mothers come by from February into spring.

How to get to Point Dume

The county beach is at 7103 Westward Beach Road, Malibu, CA 90265. The park gives two driving routes, both ending on Westward Beach Road, which is now closed to vehicles from Birdview Avenue:

• From Santa Monica: Pacific Coast Highway about 18 miles west, then turn toward the ocean.
• From the 101 Freeway: Kanan Road south about 12 miles to Pacific Coast Highway, then turn right.
• By bus: Metro Line 134 (Downtown Santa Monica Station - Malibu via Pacific Coast Hwy) runs along PCH from Downtown Santa Monica Station on the E Line to Trancas Canyon in Malibu, and its route map marks Point Dume. The timetable effective June 7, 2026 has weekday and weekend service. Find the closest stop in the Metro trip planner before you go.

Free two-hour parking is at the top of the point, but spaces are very limited. Some disabled parking is along Cliffside Drive. The county lot at 7103 Westward Beach Road (373 spaces) is out of reach as of November 5, 2026: a park notice dated August 28, 2026 says Westward Beach Road is closed, and the county says the access road is closed to vehicles at all times from the intersection of Westward Beach Road and Birdview Avenue. The beach itself is open.

Hours, parking and fees

Hours and prices checked November 5, 2026 on parks.ca.gov and beaches.lacounty.gov.

The county says severe shoreline erosion has closed or restricted parts of Point Dume Beach. Construction usually runs 5 am to 3 pm, and pedestrians and cyclists may not enter active work areas. Neither the state nor the county gives an end date. All of this is as of November 5, 2026; before you go, check the current notices on the county beach page and the state park page. The park phone is (310) 457-8144.

Rules and tips

• No dogs on the beach or the trails. The brochure says even a dog's scent keeps migrating birds from nesting. County beach rules ban all animals on the sand.
• No drones: the park calls the point a NO DRONE ZONE.
• No fires at any time. County beaches also ban alcohol, smoking, glass containers, amplified music, tents and overnight sleeping.
• Tide pools: do not touch or remove anything, and do not turn over rocks.
• No restrooms in the preserve, per the brochure; the nearest are on the county beach, temporary for now.
• Water: before swimming, check the beach water grades on the LA County Department of Public Health site, which the park page links to.

For more places in the city see what to see in Los Angeles, and for neighborhoods and Russian-speaking life read the Los Angeles city guide.

Questions people ask

Can I bring my dog to Point Dume?

No. California State Parks says dogs are not allowed on the beach or the trails at Point Dume State Beach, and LA County beach rules ban all animals on the sand. The park brochure explains that even a dog's scent keeps migrating birds from nesting in the natural preserve.

Where do I park at Point Dume while the road is closed?

There is free two-hour parking at the top of the point, with very few spaces, and some disabled parking along Cliffside Drive. The county lot at 7103 Westward Beach Road cannot be reached, because as of November 5, 2026 the road is closed to vehicles from Birdview Avenue. The beach itself stays open. Changes are posted on the park page and the county beach page.

When can you see gray whales at Point Dume?

California State Parks says gray whales pass Point Dume during their yearly migration, from December to mid-April. The park brochure says calves with their mothers come by from February into spring. The top of the headland is the place to watch from, best on a clear day.

Is there a bus to Point Dume?

Metro Line 134 runs along Pacific Coast Highway from Downtown Santa Monica Station on the E Line to Trancas Canyon in Malibu, and its route map marks Point Dume. It runs on weekdays and weekends. Look up the exact stop near the point in the Metro trip planner before you go.