Woods Cove Paints A Quintessential Picture Of Laguna Beach

LAGUNA BEACH, CA—Accessed where Diamond Street dead-ends just west of Coast Highway, Woods Cove is Laguna’s quintessential beach. As you descend the stairs, you’ll see views of the cove that the art colony's Plein-air painters have captured for more than a century. Rocks and outcroppings to the north and south bookend the classic curve of its shoreline. One-of-a-kind mansions overlook the sand from cliffs that teem with dangling flora.

During full- and new-moon low tides, tide pools appear among the rocks. Sea anemones, hermit crabs and maybe even an octopus are to be observed but never disturbed. Laguna Beach’s inter-tidal zones are protected, which means visitors to the beach cannot collect stones or shells.

Take nothing except photos, and leave only your footprints. Enjoy all the beauty, but have as low an impact as possible.

Just north of the stairs down to the beach hovers movie icon Bette Davis’ former beach house.

Built circa 1929, the mansion is a Registered Historical Structure of Laguna Beach, meaning owners receive a break in property taxes by pledging to keep up the home's original features. Whenever the house goes on the market, the asking price tops $20 million.

When selecting a spot to set up your umbrella and towels, know that the beach area south of the stairs is referred to as Lovers’ Cove. While it doesn’t offer much privacy, there is a deep indent into the cliff that promises but doesn’t deliver a cave. Be aware that summer weekends are so crowded finding a spot at all may be a challenge.

Though much is forbidden at Woods Cove—fishing, tide-pool collecting, and the dangerous act of diving or jumping from offshore rocks into the water—swimming and bodysurfing are encouraged. Just ask the lifeguard about conditions before you go in, as coves tend to produce rip currents. It’s a challenge to swim parallel to the shore to escape a rip when the channel for swimming is so narrow.

Dogs are allowed on Woods Cove, except during business hours in the summer.

On a recent May morning, a golden retriever romped off-leash as if this were its first time on the sand. The exuberant dog jumped onto a couple reclining under a blue umbrella and was ready for both a snuggle and a wrestle, until its mistress intervened. Eventually, the pup's adrenaline waned and the dog put all four paws into the water to become the picture of calm.

And that’s the point, isn’t it?