13 Best Sea Caves To Visit In California

1. Thousand Steps Sea Cave In Laguna Beach

1000 Steps Beach is one of my favorite beaches to visit in Southern California. With white sand and pristine water, this little beach is a true California paradise! At the end of the sandy shoreline, you can explore tide pools and a scenic ocean cave.

To reach the cave, take the visitor’s stairs down to the beach that are located at the intersection of Pacific Coast Highway and 9^th Avenue. There are over 200 stairs, but it might feel like a 1000 steps coming back up, earning its fitting name.

Once you reach the shoreline, go to the left until you reach the cave entrance. The Thousand Steps Sea Cave can only be entered during low tide, so it’s best to check the tide charts before heading out there. This cave is flooded with water during high tide, leading to strong currents and dangerous conditions.

I’ve been to this cave many times during low tide, and it’s always such a treat! Be sure to bring your camera and capture some gorgeous photos, especially during sunset.

Pssst! I use the Sony a7c camera for my travel photos. This is the smallest and lightest full-frame camera available on the market – perfect for traveling, hiking, and road trips!

2. The Cave At Treasure Island Beach

The Cave At Treasure Island Beach is another gorgeous location to visit in Laguna Beach. This sea cave is located right behind the Montage Laguna Beach Hotel and is open to visitors.

There is a small paid parking garage next to Treasure Island Park and a paved walkway with stairs that leads down to the beach. Along the way, you can stop and enjoy views of the manicured gardens and turquoise water.

The cave itself is shaped like a rock arch and is perched along sandstone cliffs. I visited this location during sunrise when there was nobody else on the beach. Otherwise, it can get quite busy, especially on the weekends.

During low tide, you can explore beautiful tide pools home to purple sea urchins, sea anemones, hermit crabs, and various small fish.

3. Sunny Jim’s Sea Cave

San Diego is one of the best regions in California to discover sea caves. And by far the easiest one to access is the Sunny Jim’s Sea Cave in La Jolla!

Sunny Jim’s Sea Cave is a popular local attraction that is open daily from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm. To reach the sea cave you will need to go down into a manmade tunnel along 145 narrow wooden steps. This is the only sea cave in California that is accessible through a man-made tunnel.

This tunnel was carved out in 1902 and has been open to visitors since 1905. During prohibition, the tunnel was even used to smuggle alcohol into San Diego!

The entrance to the tunnel is located at The Cave Store. This is a small shop selling beach-themed souvenirs, seashells, jewelry made by local artists, postcards, and other little trinkets.

The entrance fee to visit Sunny Jim’s Sea Cave is $10 for adults and $6 for children (ages 3-17). Advanced reservations are not required, and you can pay this fee at the entrance.

It takes about 15-20 minutes to walk down the tunnel stairs and to visit the cave itself. There is a viewing platform at the bottom of the stairs where you can enjoy views of the Pacific Ocean from the cave opening.

4. La Jolla Sea Caves

Including Sunny Jim’s Sea Cave, La Jolla is home to 7 stunning sea caves. However, to reach the other six caves, you will need to rent a kayak or go on a guided kayaking tour.

If you don’t have previous kayaking experience, going on a guided tour is highly recommended instead of taking on the open ocean on your own. This La Jolla Sea Caves Kayak Tour is 1.5 hours long and offers a close-up look at the La Jolla coastline and sea caves with an experienced guide.

During this tour, you’ll paddle through kelp beds within La Jolla Ecological Reserve and observe a variety of wildlife, including birds, dolphins, sea lions, and leopard sharks. If the weather conditions permit, you’ll be able to kayak inside the caves as well.

Book La Jolla Sea Caves Kayak Tour For Two Here!

5. El Matador State Beach In Malibu

Located just an hour’s drive west of Los Angeles in Malibu, El Matador State Beach is a popular destination for nature lovers and photography enthusiasts. The best time to visit this beach is during sunrise and sunset, when you can capture amazing photos of the dramatic cliffs and sea caves that dot the shoreline.

One of the biggest challenges of visiting El Matador State Beach is the limited parking. There is a small paid lot off Pacific Coast Highway, but it fills up quickly, especially on the weekends. I recommend arriving early to secure a parking spot.

After parking, follow the short trail that leads down to a set of steep stairs. These stairs will lead you directly onto the beach where you can walk around and explore massive rock formations, coves, arches, and sea caves.

During low tide, you can walk inside the sea caves. Be sure to check the tide chart before heading out there.

6. Leo Carrillo State Beach In Malibu

Leo Carrillo State Beach is another excellent place to explore sea caves in Malibu. Here you can walk through passageways, tunnels, and sea caves that can be visited during low tide.

During high tide, the caves here can get flooded. It’s best to check the tide chart beforehand so you don’t get trapped by rising water and crashing waves.

The entrance to visit Leo Carrillo State Beach costs $12 per day, or you can pay $3 per hour. Parking is located north of the Pacific Coast Highway. There is a tunnel and a trail that you can take down to the beach.

7. Smugglers Cave In Avila Beach

Smugglers Cave is a fun little adventure in San Luis Obispo County near Avila Beach. This cave is perched on top of scenic coastal bluffs that open up to stunning ocean views.

I stopped by Smugglers Cave after hiking the 3-mile-long Ontario Ridge To Shell Beach Bluff Trail. However, you don’t need to hike the trail to visit the cave. Smugglers Cave is located just a short walk from the visitor parking lot at the end of Cave Landing Road.

Unfortunately, the cave walls over the years have been tagged with graffiti. From the other side of the cave, you can still enjoy views of rugged ocean cliffs and various birds residing on them.

After visiting the cave, you can also walk down to the Pirates Cove Beach. Note that this beach is clothing optional, and there are signs indicating so before you reach the beach. 

8. Dana Point Caves

Dana Point Caves is a great place to visit for the adventurous ones. These Southern California sea caves are only accessible during low tide by following the 1.2-mile-long Dana Point Beach Trail on the AllTrails hiking app. During high tide, these caves are submerged underwater, making it dangerous to reach them.

Although the walk to the caves is short, it can be quite difficult due to rocks, tide pools, and rough terrain. I recommend wearing water shoes so your ankles don’t roll on slippery rocks.

The trail starts by the Ocean Institute in Dana Point and travels through a Marine protected area. Along the way, you’ll be able to see tide pools with abalone, starfish, anemones, and other sea life. Do keep in mind that it is illegal to remove anything from this protected area.

9. Painted Cave On Santa Cruz Island

Painted Cave is one of the most magnificent caves in California, but also one of the hardest to reach. This cave is located on the northern shore of Santa Cruz Island within Channel Islands National Park.

The best way to visit this cave is by going on a Painted Cave & Prisoner’s Harbor Tour with Island Packers. There is no landing at this location, but the tour enters the first chamber of the cave, where you can marvel at the various colors that paint the cave walls.

Painted Cave is the largest sea cave in California and one of the largest in the world by length. This cave is 1227 feet long and 100 feet wide. It is truly one of the best-hidden gems in California!

10. Scorpion Anchorage Caves On Santa Cruz Island

Santa Cruz Island has one of the highest concentrations of sea caves in California. While Painted Cave is the biggest one, there are plenty of other sea caves to explore on this island near Scorpion Anchorage.

The best way to explore these sea caves is by kayaking. You can either rent the kayaks on your own or join a guided tour.

I visited Santa Cruz Island with my friends a few years back, and we rented the kayaks ourselves through Channel Islands Kayak Center. Advanced reservations are required, and you will need to coordinate bringing the kayaks to the island with Island Packers. Kayak rentals are not available on the island itself and must be arranged beforehand.

A self-guided kayaking tour is a great option if you want to go at your own pace. Some people in our group didn’t have much kayaking experience, and we managed to do well.

After departing Scorpion Anchorage, we paddled through stunning sea caves, kelp forests, and hidden coves. We were able to enter a few of the caves and explore unique rock formations along the shoreline.

11. Sea Caves In Pismo Beach

The northern shore of Pismo Beach is dotted with gorgeous caves. One of the best places to see sea caves in Pismo Beach is at Dinosaur Caves Park and Shell Beach.

At Dinosaur Caves Park, you can go for a walk on top of the cliffs that overlook unique rock formations and sea caves. You can also book a guided kayak tour for a more adventurous way to explore this beautiful coastline. 

The tours can be booked through Pismo Beach Surf Shop, the oldest Surf Shop on the Central California Coast, operating since 1962. During the tour, you’ll get to paddle through open sea waters and explore sandstone caves, sea arches, and tide pools. You might also spot sea otters, harbor seals, dolphins, and various birds.

12. Little Corona del Mar Beach

Little Corona del Mar is a gorgeous beach just south of Newport Beach in Southern California. This small but scenic beach is a great spot for exploring tide pools and cliff caves that can be accessed during low tide.

The caves are located at the south end of the beach. Be sure to wear water shoes or good walking shoes as this area is very rocky.

After exploring the caves, stop by the nearby Inspiration Point to enjoy panoramic views of the coastline. This is also a great place for photography, so I recommend bringing your camera along!

13. Terranea Beach Cave In Rancho Palos Verdes

Hidden in a small cove behind the Terranea Resort, this sea cave is one of the best-hidden gems in Southern California, as long as you don’t mind the drive out there.

There are no major highways nearby, preventing most people from exploring the Rancho Palos Verdes area. If you can set aside a couple of hours for this sea adventure on a weekend morning, it’s well worth the effort!

To visit Terranea Beach Cave, you can park at the Trail Parking lot next to the Terranea Resort. From there, follow the short trail that leads down to the coastal bluffs.

It’s best to visit this cave during low tide when you can enter the cave and explore the various tide pools around it. This cave gained a bit of fame after being featured as an entrance to a vampire’s underground lair in the 1987 film ‘The Lost Boys’. Hence, on Google Maps, the cave name is marked as ‘Hudson’s Bluff Sea Cave/The Lost Boys Lair’.

After the beach adventure, I recommend enjoying lunch at the resort’s Nelson’s Restaurant, which has an outdoor patio overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Plus, they serve the best lobster roll that I’ve ever had!

No matter which of these California sea caves you choose to visit, you’ll be rewarded with gorgeous scenery and plenty of photo opportunities.

Have you been to any of these sea caves? Let us know in the comments below!

Looking for more California travel inspiration? Here are a few other popular posts that you may like:

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This post is written by Laura. Hi, I’m a California local and the founder of the California Wanderland travel blog. I currently live in Ventura County and help 50,000 readers a month discover things to do in Central California! Read more about me here.

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