Point Dume
Malibu (Point Dume State Beach) · near Malibu · Los Angeles / SoCal
Rock Climbing · Hiking
At a glance
- Skill level
- intermediate
- Grade range
- 5.7 to 5.12 · Top-rope only (anchors maintained; bolts on the face are unsafe)
- Best season
- Year-round · Check the parking lot closing time (they tow) · Mornings and sunset are magic
- Difficulty
- easy
- Route type
- out-and-back
- Distance
- 1.5 miles
- Elevation gain
- 200 ft
- Time needed
- day
- Best season
- Year-round (winter for whales)
Permits and booking
- Permit
- Point Dume State Beach parking fee. No climbing permit. TOP-ROPE ONLY (unsafe face bolts). Mind the parking-lot closing time — they tow after sunset. Set anchors carefully over the edge to avoid rope drag.
- Permit required
- No
- How the permit works
- No permit; paid parking lot or limited street parking. A short, scenic headland walk with big payoff — one of Malibu's best coastal viewpoints.
- How hard the permit is to get
- 1 of 5
What is here
- Features
- Malibu headland & bluff views · Winter whale watching · Pirate's Cove below · Sea lions on the rocks
Worth knowing
- Good for a first timer
- Yes
- Dogs
- Not permitted
Rock Climbing detail
- Nickname
- Top-Roping Above the Surf
- Climb types
- top-rope · bouldering
- Rock type
- Sandstone / volcanic headland
- Route count
- Dozens of top-rope lines on the 100-ft sea cliff, plus beach bouldering
- Signature routes
- The 100-ft headland face · Sunset sessions
- First timer note
- Point Dume is a gorgeous, accessible top-rope venue — climb a 100-foot cliff over the ocean with surfers below (it also starred in Planet of the Apes). Critical safety note: only the maintained top anchors are safe; never trust the corroded bolts on the face itself.
- Intl tip
- Point Dume is at the north end of Malibu near Zuma Beach (surfing guide) and the Point Dume Natural Preserve trail (whale watching in winter). Combine climbing with a beach day; the tide pools below the point are excellent at low tide.
Hiking detail
- Intl tip
- Come at the right time (roughly December–April) and bring binoculars for the gray whale migration — the point is a natural promontory that puts you close to their path. Parking is limited and fills fast on weekends; arrive early or come for sunset. The stairs down to Pirate's Cove reveal a quieter beach.
The guide
Point Dume, the dramatic headland at the north end of Malibu, offers one of Southern California's most scenic climbing experien…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Point Dume — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 34.0011, -118.806