Escondido Beach Homes for Sale in Malibu
The Shoreline Between Point Dume and Latigo Point
- Where: central Malibu, downcoast of Paradise Cove and seaward of the Escondido Falls trailhead.
- Water: south-facing, calm and sheltered. Snorkeling and paddling, not a surf break.
- Shoreline: remnant sand dunes along bluffs that stay largely natural, because the houses above them sit well back from the edge.
- View: west to the curving bluffs of Point Dume.
Few stretches of the Malibu coast stay this quiet. The houses above the sand were set well back from the bluff edge, which is why the bluffs still read as natural, and public entry is concentrated at a handful of recorded accessways rather than spread along the beach.
Real Estate in Escondido Beach
- Beach level: tiny lots. Two parcels merged in a 2006 Coastal Commission appeal came to just 0.15 of an acre. Houses sit on caissons.
- Blufftop, west end: one parcel can run from the highway to the tide line, bluff and sand included.
- Multiple Home Types: Escondido also has two condominiums. One is 10 apartments, the other is four.
- Escondido Beach Road is a private street.
Three rules shape what you can build. The first is the stringline: you cannot build any closer to the ocean than the houses on either side of you. The second is that you cannot split a beachfront or blufftop property into new lots unless each new lot could hold a house without a seawall. The third is that everything between the highway and the water sits in the Coastal Commission's appeal zone, so even after the City approves a permit, it can still be appealed.
Two costs to plan for: a wave uprush study, where an engineer works out how far storm surf reaches, and a septic system, because there is no sewer on this stretch.
Living in Escondido Beach
- Escondido Canyon Park: The Edward Albert Trail runs 4.2 miles through oak and riparian woodland.
- Escondido Falls: multi-tiered, 150 feet, the highest in the Santa Monica Mountains. The upper falls are closed to the public.
- Geoffrey's Malibu: Resturaunt since 1983, delicious breakfast, amazing for lunch and dinner too, unblocked views of the pacific ocean and large outdoor seating.
- Dan Blocker Beach: locally Corral Beach. 15.2 acres with over a mile of ocean frontage.
Escondido Creek reaches the ocean at the downcoast end, where access is always subject to tidal action. Schools are currently in the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, which is separating into two.
Surrounding Neighborhoods: Malibu Cove Colony, Paradise Cove and Latigo Beach
- Malibu Cove Colony: a private road just downcoast. The City's Land Use Plan pairs it with Escondido Beach as one shoreline segment.
- Paradise Cove: upcoast. A private mobile home park with its own cafe and pier, and a separate shoreline segment.
- Latigo Beach: downcoast, with Latigo Point at its western end.
Public entry along Escondido Beach is concentrated at three points: beside Geoffrey's, at the Cliffside easements, and at the creek mouth. That is why the two ends of this beach feel so different from each other.
Common Questions About Escondido Beach
What is the difference between a beach-level and a blufftop property here?
Beach-level lots are small and heavily engineered, with caissons, bulkheads, and a stringline capping how far seaward anything can go. Blufftop homes at the west end run from the highway to the tide line, carrying frontage, bluff and sand in one parcel.
Is the beach public?
The sand is. The Coastal Commission holds lateral easements across most of the beach above the high tide line. Getting down to it is the harder part, because public entry is concentrated at a few recorded accessways rather than spread along the stretch.
Is Escondido Beach Road a public street?
No, it is private. Public access runs through recorded easements, not through the road.
Is there sewer service?
No. Properties use on-site wastewater treatment systems. Malibu's only sewer service area is around the Civic Center.
Where do people park for the falls?
The Winding Way lot, at the entrance to Escondido Canyon Park. It is the only public lot on this stretch and it reaches capacity.
Buying on Escondido Beach with a Malibu Real Estate Agent
There are two kinds of property here: small lots down on the sand, and bigger parcels on the bluff that run from the highway all the way down to the water. Each one comes with different rules about what you can build and different lifestyles.
Thinking about buying or selling on Escondido Beach? Get in touch with Shen Schulz.