 | Point Dume Park Brochure |

Welcome
Natural Environment
Though small in size, Point Dume
State Beach at the northern edge of
Santa Monica Bay has many significant features including panoramic
views and opportunities to see
increasingly rare plants and animals.
Point Dume State Beach is 63 acres in size, and is one of the last and finest examples
of coastal bluff scrub in Southern California. In 1992, a 34-acre parcel of Point Dume
was designated a State Natural Preserve, one of the highest levels of protection
afforded by law.
Two miles of scenic trails through
grasslands, coastal bluff scrub, and
southern foredune areas allow
visitors to view an island of delicate
biological integrity.
Local History
The Native Californian Chumash tribe
inhabited this coastline for thousands of
years and used this area as a sacred
space.
In 1542, the point was an important
navigational marker for Spanish explorer
Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, but only received
its name in 1793 when British sea captain
George Vancouver named the craggy
headlands Point Dume after Father
Francisco Dumetz from the Mission San
Buenaventura.
The volcanic rock cliffs provide living areas for cliff-roosting birds, and the sparkling
tide pools provide habitat for rich intertidal and sub-tidal marine life including
protected sea stars, octopi, anemones, sea urchins, mussels and crabs.
The Natural Preserve is also the southern-most limit for the giant coreopsis (giant sea
dahlia, pictured here) and also dudleya, false heather, and quite possibly the
California spineflower.
Though small, the Preserve provides habitat
for a surprising amount of wildlife. A visitor
may encounter coyotes, skunks, raccoons,
ground squirrels and rabbits in broad
daylight. One may also find five species of
butterflies, six types of snakes, various
lizards including the silvery legless lizard,
and over one hundred types of birds including
brown pelicans, plovers, wrens, roadrunners,
burrowing owls, falcons, and hawks.
During World War II, the U.S. Army used
this site as an anti-aircraft artillery
training area. It is believed that the top of
the headlands was flattened after the war
for commercial construction purposes.
In 1979, Point Dume was acquired by the
State of California and is being carefully
and gradually restored to its pristine
state.
Important Information
© Kenneth & Gabriella Adelman
Help us protect and
maintain this beautiful place by
following these simple rules.
Always stay on fenced trails. Going
off the trails creates new paths
that erode the sandy cliffs and can
destroy potential wildlife habitat.
Dogs are strictly prohibited. Please
don’t bring your dogs to the
Preserve; even the scent of a dog
disrupts wildlife and prevents
migrating birds from nesting.
The incredible vistas here at the point
provide an opportunity to view sea
lions, harbor seals and dolphins in the
surf only a few dozen feet away. This
promontory also provides one of the
few dry-land viewing sites for migrating
gray whales that lets you get close
enough to count their barnacles! The
best viewing time for these majestic
creatures is November through April. To
see the newborn whale calves migrate,
be here from February on into the
spring.
Absolutely no fires are allowed at
any time.
Please do not touch or remove
anything from the tide pools.
Don’t turn over rocks, and walk
gently—these delicate homes are
very sensitive.
All natural and cultural
features are protected and
may not be collected,
moved or harmed.
Visitor Services
Point Dume State Beach and Natural Preserve
Additional parking is available on
Westward Beach Road. (Take Cliffside
Drive to Birdview Avenue, and park free
along Westward Beach Road, or pay a fee
at Westward Beach lot, and take a trail
to the Preserve.) FREE shuttles on
weekends, holidays and during the
summer months run every 20 minutes
between 10 am and 4 pm from Westward
Beach Road.
POINT DUME
STATE BEACH
AND
NATURAL PRESERVE
There are no public phones or restrooms
at the Preserve. Restrooms can be found
on Westward Beach Road. Park hours are
sunrise to sunset.
How You Can Help
If you would like to join the Volunteers
in Parks program at Point Dume and
help protect and maintain the
Preserve, please call (310)457-8144.
Not to scale
Trail accessibility changes seasonally, call ahead for conditions.
Dotted trails denote steps or steep inclines.
California State Parks supports equal access for individuals with disabilities.
Prior to arrival, visitors who would like assistance should call the park at (310)
454-8212. To receive this publication in an alternate format, contact the
Communications Office at the address below.
California State Parks
P.O. Box 942896
Sacramento, CA 94296-0001
For General Information:
(800) 777-0369
(916) 653-6995 Outside US
711, TTY Relay Service
We Would Like to Thank:
The California Coastal Commission for
a Whale Tail Grant, the California
Conservation Corps, Boy Scout Troup
#8, California State Parks, and the
Point Dume Volunteers.
For information about tours,
parking or accessibility,
please call
(310) 457-8144
or
visit our website at
http://www.parks.ca.gov