1,000 Steps Beach

I decided to ditch work and head over to 1,000 Steps Beach in South Laguna Beach yesterday.

The head of the stairs down to the beach is at the end of 9th Ave.

The stairs were closed for repairs at the end of last year, and reopened for traffic in December.

There are actually only 217 steps (or 218 depending on how you count) down to the beach. The staircase is lined with ivy covered trees that form a natural canopy overhead.

Some people turn back at the top because they realize they need to climb back up after descending the stairs. Others go down and regret it on the way back as their quads burn with fatigue on the climb back up.

View from the top.

View from the bottom.

Atop the sandstone cliffs by the shore are multi-million dollar homes, with stairs and even small railways leading down to the beach.

Heading south along the beach, you will reach the Thousand Steps Sea Cave.

North end of the cave.

I arrived during low tide, and I believe that entry is not recommend when it is closer to high tide (the tide charts can be found at surf-forecast.com).

On the other side of the cave is a rocky outcrop with many tide pools. I met some fellow Anteaters there, who were surveying the area as part of a study on predatory marine snails.

South end of the cave.

I belive that parts of the beach further south are considered private property, though there seemed to be many beachgoers who went over to explore that area.

Remains of a no trespassing sign.