Sycamore Cove Beach

While Sycamore Canyon Campground and the trails into the Santa Monica mountains steal the show, Sycamore Cove Beach boasts a day use area and relaxing sandy shores and rolling waves that are ideal for swimming, body surfing, and surf fishing. Sycamore Cove Beach is part of Point Mugu State Park and its 5 miles of coastline and two canyon watersheds that empty into the Pacific. Picnic tables and barbecues are available along the shore—as are the seagulls, of course. The beach is also patrolled by lifeguards.

Be sure to take advantage of the Sycamore Canyon Nature Center nearby to learn about the area’s native flora and fauna. Permanent populations of harbor seals, California sea lions, and dolphins may be spotted offshore in addition to migrating California gray whales. Those who use the beach as a hub for day hikes into Boney Mountain State Wilderness Area may be treated to monarch butterflies, which rest on the trees at Sycamore Canyon Campground, Nutgall’s woodpeckers, California thrashers, and more. Wildlife in the mountains includes mule deer, gray foxes, and mountain lions.