Westward Beach
About
Westward Beach is a public ocean beach on the California coast within Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, about 3.5 miles from Malibu. Facilities include restrooms and accessible access, and there is no fee to visit. Spring is the most comfortable time to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station run highs of about 78°F in April with lows near 48°F, and rain is rare from May through October. Point Dume, a climbing area, lies less than a mile away. Hikers can head to the Zuma Ridge Trail, the Ridge-Canyon Access Trail or the Ocean View Trail, all within about 2 miles.
Beach Details
Parking
Available
Fee
Free
Restrooms
Yes
Accessible access
Yes
As published by the managing agency. Lifeguards, fees and dog rules are often seasonal, so check posted signs before you swim.
Location
Westward Beach
California
Data: California Coastal Commission, YourCoast public access data. Source metadata
Facts about this place
When to go
Best time to go: Oct–May. The mildest months here, with typical highs of 69–85°F and lows of 42–53°F.
Typical monthly averages (not a forecast) from the Woodland Hills Pierce College, CA weather station, 18 mi away. High / low in °F, and days with snow.
- Jan70° high43° low
- Feb70° high44° low
- Mar74° high46° low
- Apr78° high48° low
- May82° high53° low
- Jun89° high57° low
- Jul95° high61° low
- Aug97° high61° low
- Sep94° high59° low
- Oct85° high53° low
- Nov76° high46° low
- Dec69° high42° low
Where it is
- Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area · National Park Service
- Nearest town
- Malibu, California · 3.5 mi
Source: NPS Land Resources boundaries; USGS GNIS populated places
Nearby
Point DumeRock climbingPhoto: sergei.gussev, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)0.9 mi- Zuma Ridge TrailHiking1.5 mi
- Ridge-Canyon Access TrailHiking1.6 mi
Ocean View TrailHikingPhoto: Robert Ashworth from Bellingham, WA., USA, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)1.9 mi- The Captains BoulderRock climbing6.3 mi
- MinihollandRock climbing6.4 mi
Malibu CreekCanoeingPhoto: Tobin/tobo, Rochester, NY, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)7.3 mi- Circle X Ranch Group CampgroundCamping9.6 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
Is Westward Beach open right now?
No closures listed
The National Park Service lists no closures for Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.
As of · Source: NPS · Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
