Thousand Steps Sea Cave
Laguna Beach (Orange County) · near Laguna Beach · Los Angeles / SoCal
Caving
At a glance
- Depth
- 0
- Season
- Year-round · ONLY safe at low tide (check tide charts — this is essential)
- Cost
- FREE · Public beach access (steep stairway down)
- Difficulty
- Moderate — a long staircase down to the beach, then a low-tide scramble to the sea cave with a natural tunnel. Tide-dependent.
Permits and booking
- Permit
- No permit — public beach. The steep 'thousand steps' stairway is the access. CRITICAL: the cave is only safely reachable at low tide; incoming tides can trap visitors. Always check tide charts and give yourself a wide safety margin.
Worth knowing
- Good for a first timer
- Yes
- Gear
- Tide chart (mandatory — check before going) · Water shoes / grippy sandals · Swimwear · Sun protection · Waterproof camera
Caving detail
- Nickname
- Laguna's Hidden Tunnel
- Cave type
- sea-cave
- Tour length
- 1–2 hours (including the stair descent/ascent)
- Formations
- Natural sea-cave tunnel · Tide pools · Hidden cove beach · Dramatic Laguna cliffs
- Featured caves
- The sea cave & tunnel
- Intl tip
- Laguna Beach is Orange County's art-and-coast gem — combine the sea cave with the town's tide pools, galleries, and the coastal Crystal Cove trails (MTB and hiking guides) just north. Low tide during daylight is the window; plan around it.
The guide
Thousand Steps Sea Cave is one of Laguna Beach's beloved hidden gems — a sea cave with a natural tunnel at the south end of Tho…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Thousand Steps Sea Cave — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 33.488, -117.742