Laguna Beach--Wood's Cove beach seen in photos offers rocky
formations offshore, close shore breaks, a sandy cove and cliffs
topped with expensive houses that enjoy stunning ocean views in
some of the prettiest colored-water in all of Orange County
beaches.
Wood's Cove Beach has one of the
nicest entry points of any Laguna Beach,
as seen in the
Wood's Cove
video. As you enter from the street at
Ocean Way (next to the former home of famed actress Bette Davis), there's a
cement bench to sit and meditate or talk with friends. Beyond that entry is
a circular cement walk around with plants in the middle. Then comes the set
of stairs that descend to this beach where the waves crash close to the base
of the entry point.
The
entry stairs provide easy access to both Wood's Cove and Lovers' Cove.
Popular activities here are diving, body surfing, fishing, and exploring the
tide pools. The crowd is largely local families that live near this cove.
The beach can become very crowded on summer weekends. This marine protected
area features beautiful blue waters, and some rocky formations
near shore. The cove can be quite limited at high tides. Lovely
to look at, flaming red bougainvillea and green ice plant hug
the hills that seem to crumble and erode, then drop into the
ocean. 50 to 150 people can comfortably fit on this beach, where
locals come to sunbathe, socialize or read a book. Dotted
with colorful umbrellas, beach towels and beach sand chairs,
this little piece of paradise is wrapped in color and is a
treasure.
This is one of the most active beaches in Laguna. It is fairly small in
size, but there are hazards due to the rocks and rip currents present. This
area can be extremely dangerous if visitors are unaware of tide and surf
conditions. Please check with lifeguard before exploring the northern rocks
as they can be extremely dangerous during surf and high tides. There is no
diving or jumping off any of the rocks.
Getting there: To find
Wood's Cove, turn from South Coast Highway to Diamond Street.
Limited parking may require finding a spot across the busy Coast
Highway, then walking across at a stoplight a block or two to
the beach.
