If you’re looking for a hidden gem along California’s central coast, then you’re in luck as visiting the Avila Sea Caves is the perfect slightly-secret and cool place to visit while near San Luis Obispo.
These fun hidden gems including Smugglers Cave, a rock arch, and a hidden beach definitely make the list of the most amazing things to do in Avila Beach, so if you’re curious about how to see this amazing area then this post will help you learn everything you need to know before you go!
Getting to the Cave Landing Area Near Avila Beach
The first step in your adventure is finding the large dirt parking lot where all the trails diverge on the path to Smugglers Cave, the rock arch, and the hidden Cave Landing beach. If you’re driving, you can find the Google Maps address here to get you to the parking lot.
This dirt parking lot is quite uneven and there are lots of cracks and large ditches in some places across it, so I recommend being careful as you drive into it…especially if you have a car that is closer to the ground. It can be a good idea to park close to the outside of the parking lot if this is the case for you, as you don’t want to damage your car!
Alternatively, if you prefer to enjoy a slightly longer hike than simply walking the trails to the cave, arch, and beach then you can start your walk along the Shell Beach Bluff Trail from the parking lot here in Pismo Beach. This trail is a little under a mile from this starting point to the Cave Landing parking lot, and it’s a beautiful trail that you can easily walk one way in about 20-30 minutes.
How to Get to Smugglers Cave
Once you’ve arrived at the Cave Landing parking lot by walking or driving, it’s time to start out on the first part of your adventure! Smugglers Cave is the most popular part of this hidden area, so you are likely to encounter other people along the trail.
If you orient yourself with the ocean on your right side, then the trail to Smugglers Cave is the large-ish dirt trail on the left of the parking lot. The trail looks like this:
You will follow this trail down toward the ocean, and eventually you will find a sign that directs you to the left for Pirate’s Cove Beach and to the right to continue to Smugglers Cave. Do note that Pirate’s Cove is a clothing optional beach (aka nude beach), so make your own decision as to whether you want to go there or not. You can access the cave without going to the beach, and the cave side of the trail is not clothing optional. The sign will look like this:
Soon after you turn to the right to follow the cave trail, you will come to the cave itself. Sadly, the cave isn’t really a cave…it’s actually a tunnel. But it is still really cool. Even sadder, though, is the fact that people have defaced the cave with lots of graffiti. There are also a lot of shards of broken glass on the ground, so wear proper footwear at all times to avoid being cut. And if you come here, please do your best to take care of the cave and leave it better than you found it instead of leaving trash or glass behind!
But despite its few flaws, this is still a really fun place to visit! Take the time to enjoy the view from inside the cave (you may even see some cool sea life like otters or seals!). Some people also enjoy climbing up a trail on top of the cave, but if you do this then make sure you be careful so you don’t slip and fall. It’s a truly beautiful area and is worth the short walk out to see it!
How to Get to the Rock Arch
Next up is visiting one of my favorite views in all of Avila Beach: the rock arch! After you’ve finished visiting Smugglers Cave, return back to the parking lot where you started. This time you will be taking the trail on the right side of the parking lot (when the ocean is on your right). This trail is a little thinner and less taken care of, and will look like this:
As you walk along this trail, your goal is to get out toward the ocean side as this is obviously where the sea arch will be. So you will keep taking the paths that branch off to the right side. As you do this, you will see a white rock in the ocean that is often covered with birds. Your goal is to try to keep this rock to the front of you as much as possible as you walk.
Unlike the Smugglers Cave/Pirate’s Cove trail, this trail is much less taken care of and used so there are tall weeds that can be quite prickly and in parts they take over some of the trail and there is just enough room to squeeze through. There is also one part you need to be careful of where there is a sudden step down/drop in the trail where it becomes quite uneven. This part will look like this:
Because of the unevenness of the terrain, I recommend wearing a good pair of shoes (not sandals) so that you can keep your balance and not cut up your feet on the prickly weeds. It’s not that bad of a trail if you come prepared with good footwear!
And it’s all worth it in the end when you come to one of my favorite views in San Luis Obispo County! The trail will simply come to an end at the edge of a cliff and you are treated to an extraordinary sight.
How to Access the Hidden Cave Landing Beach
From the rock arch, accessing the hidden Cave Landing Beach doesn’t require anymore hiking…but it does require some athletic ability. At the edge of the cliff where you find yourself admiring the rock arch, you will see some slightly sad and sketchy looking ropes.
The first time I visited this area in college, I thought those ropes must have been left behind by a random hiker and I didn’t trust them at all! I’m still not sure how much I trust them, but if you want to make it down to the hidden beach you’re going to have to use them.
The ropes simply drop over the edge of the cliff and you’ll have to rappel your way down and then use them to climb back up too. So before you go trying to make your way down here, you’re going to want to consider a few things. First, are you physically able to climb down and back up? Second, do you have someone else with you? And third, what’s happening with the tide?
You really don’t want to get stuck at the bottom here, so you’ll need to be honest with yourself about whether it’s something you can do. And you’ll want someone else with you in case something goes wrong for either of you on the way up or down! And of course, you especially don’t want to get trapped here at high tide. The beach pretty much disappears as the tide gets high (especially if it’s a particularly high high tide) so you will need to be careful.
But if you can answer all these questions and still find it worth it to go down, you’ll be in for a treat! At many times you’ll have the beach to yourself, and you’ll even be able to get a closer look at the beautiful rock arch and the caves below. It is certainly worth it if you are physically able to see it and enjoy the beach below!
And if you’re wondering, yes this is the beach that you’re able to see when you look off to the right from inside Smuggler’s Cave. Isn’t it gorgeous?! So now just go and enjoy these hidden areas of Cave Landing in Avila Beach—it’s sure to be a memorable adventure!
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