Nicholas Canyon Beach
Best for. Surfers and travellers who want a handsome, less crowded western beach with real facilities, home to one of the few good left point breaks in Los Angeles County.
Best spot. The boulder strewn point below the lot, where the left peels for the surfers, watched from the grassy bluff above with a coffee while the morning works.
Know this. This is first a surfer's beach with rock at the point, so for an easy guarded family swim Zuma a short drive east is the gentler choice, while the swimming here sits along the open sand.
Nicholas Canyon is the western beach the surfers quietly keep for themselves, known to them as Point Zero or simply Zeros for the left that peels over the rock below the lot. It is a handsome open stretch under a grassy bluff, and its real pleasure for the traveller who is not paddling out is the watching, a coffee on the bluff while the morning light catches the point and a clean left does its work. There is an unhurried, local feel here that the famous coves to the south have lost, and the rare comfort of proper facilities at a beach this far west.
Set your expectations to match the place. This is first and foremost a surf beach, and the point itself is rock, so it is no one's idea of a gentle family swimming spot. The clearer sand for swimming and strolling runs along the rest of the beach away from the point, and for an easy guarded paddle with children the wide groomed sand at Zuma a short drive east is the kinder answer. There is no club on this sand and there does not need to be, the appeal is the surf, the space and the calm.
The honest caveats are the rock and the parking. The point is boulder strewn and the break is for those who know what they are doing, so swimmers should stay along the open sand and mind their feet, and the upper and lower lots, generous though they are, fill on warm summer weekends. Come early for the cleanest surf and the easiest parking, keep clear of the point if you are not surfing, and Nicholas Canyon gives you the best of the working western coast, a genuine surf beach with the comforts most of them lack.
Where to eat near Nicholas Canyon
Nicholas Canyon has no club on the sand, in keeping with its working surf character. The nearest polished tables are a drive east into central Malibu, on or near the water. Hours, access and any minimum spend are set by each venue and to be confirmed.
Photo: Nobu Malibu via GoogleNobu Malibu
The celebrated oceanfront dinner of the coast, a Japanese room on a deck over Carbon Beach a good drive east of here. It is a destination evening rather than a beach club, the natural reward after a quiet day at the far western beaches. Reserve well ahead, as the best terrace tables go first.
Photo: Carbon Beach Club Restaurant | Malibu Beach Inn via GoogleCarbon Beach Club
The oceanfront restaurant of the Malibu Beach Inn on Carbon Beach, a refined terrace over the sand for lunch, dinner or a sunset drink. It is the closest the coast comes to a polished beach club setting, attached to a hotel rather than to open sand. Treat it as a graceful close to the day on the drive home.
Bring a flask and a picnic for the bluff and save the table for the drive home. The full directory gathers the oceanfront venues across the coast, each confirming its own hours, dress and minimum spend when you enquire.
West Malibu, on the coast highway
Nicholas Canyon sits in the west of Malibu, signed off the Pacific Coast Highway about an hour and a quarter from central Los Angeles depending on the traffic. A car is the practical way to arrive, as public transport along this coast is very limited.
Upper and lower lots charge a modest fee that varies by season, with a short access road down from the highway. The lots fill on warm summer weekends, so come early both for the cleanest surf and to be sure of a space, and the grassy bluff above makes an easy spot to watch the point.
Photo: Naby via GoogleBook a beach club
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Common questions about Nicholas Canyon Beach
Why do surfers call Nicholas Canyon Point Zero?
Surfers know the beach as Point Zero, or Zeros, for the left point break that peels over the boulders below the parking lot where the canyon meets the shore. It is one of the few good left point breaks in Los Angeles County, which is much of the beach's quiet local fame.
Is Nicholas Canyon good for swimming?
For confident swimmers along the open sand, yes, but the point itself is rock and a surf break, so it is not a gentle family swimming spot. Swim away from the point near a lifeguard tower in summer, and for an easy guarded paddle with children Zuma a short drive east is kinder.
Does Nicholas Canyon have parking and facilities?
Yes, and unusually good ones for this coast. There are upper and lower lots, restrooms and freshwater showers, with a modest fee that varies by season. The lots fill on warm summer weekends, so arrive early.
Is there a lifeguard at Nicholas Canyon?
Lifeguards staff the beach through the summer months. The point is rock and the water is the open Pacific, so swim along the open sand near a tower, mind the rocks and the current, and treat conditions as typical rather than guaranteed.
Is Nicholas Canyon worth the drive?
For surfers and for travellers who want a handsome, less crowded beach with real facilities, yes. It has the local surf character the famous coves have lost, room to spread out, and the comforts of lots and showers that most western beaches lack.
