Deer Creek Beach — Local services in Rolling Oaks Ranch

Deer Creek Beach: Malibu’s Quiet Rebellion

Deer Creek Beach is easy to miss—and honestly, it kind of wants it that way. Tucked off a winding, blink-and-you’ll-pass-it stretch of Pacific Coast Highway just north of Zuma, this unmarked slice of sand feels like Malibu’s quiet rebellion against its own fame. No signs, no snack shacks, no staged perfection. Just surf, stone, and sky.

Reaching the beach takes a bit of commitment. You park along the highway, nervously check for “No Parking” signs, then slip down a steep, dusty trail flanked by brittle brush and stubborn wildflowers. It’s not exactly inviting—but that’s the point. What waits at the bottom feels like a secret.

The sand is coarse, the shore strewn with driftwood and smooth stones, and the cliffs rise behind you like nature’s forgotten amphitheater. You’re not going to find volleyball courts or rental umbrellas here. What you will find is solitude. The kind that settles into your bones. Most days, the only sounds are waves hammering the shore and the occasional seagull laughing at your snack choices.

Surfers love this spot when the swell is right—it’s one of those lesser-known breaks that locals don’t advertise. The waves crash hard and clean, framed by jagged rocks that make the place feel a bit like a lost set from some post-apocalyptic surf film.

This is a beach that doesn’t care if you’re impressed. It’s raw, exposed, sometimes even a little uncomfortable—but also, in its stubborn simplicity, deeply beautiful.

Rating: 8.7/10 — Deer Creek Beach is for those who like their nature unsupervised. No frills, no filters—just California at its most...

From a surfing point of view, unless you are Timmy Curran, you cannot make sense of this wave. Beyond fickle, but it can absorb little souths and be playful but if it is fun here, the rest of the coast from Mexico to Ventura is epic. If you want to surf glassy tiny waves by yourself, give it a shot. It is colder here than just about any place around but it's peacefulness makes it worth it just to paddle out. Wear booties, beware...

A wonderful relatively secluded beach. Absolutely no facilities, you have to park on PCH alongside cars whizzing by, and the concrete staircase down to the beach is in a terrible state of disrepair and marginally unsafe. But the beach is nice for a very short stroll at low tide. The kelp forests off shore to both the left and right of the stairs are very exposed to the swell, but have good structure for scuba...