A slender beach tucked between two coves in Southern California has an inaccurate name. “Thousand Steps” is a misnomer, but frankly, that’s a good thing. 

“It’s always been called ‘Thousand Steps,’” Eric Jessen, a retired chief planner for the Orange County parks department, told SFGATE. “Why? Because it’s a lot of steps — not a thousand, but a lot of steps.” 

More accurately, the secluded spot in Laguna Beach has 218 steps, and they have carried Californians to a pristine shore that locals have fought over for more than a century.

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Unlike other beaches in Orange County that are more accessible, such as Dana Point, Crystal Cove or Newport Beach, the entrance to Thousand Steps Beach appears so suddenly that if you blink while driving on Highway 1, you’ll miss it — like I did on a recent visit. Also called the Ninth Street Beach, its staircase entrance is marked with just a sign and encased in foliage. But anyone willing to venture down the 218 steps will find a quiet beach that locals once fought to keep secluded. Over 50 years ago, homeowners challenged the state over public access just as the California Coastal Commission was conceived to ensure the state’s beaches remained open to all.

FILE: Beachgoers pack Thousand Steps Beach in Laguna Beach, Calif., on Wednesday, March 29, 2017.  

The staircase has lived several lives over the years — losing some steps, being rebuilt and going through renovations along the way. But when a landslide threatened the beach in January, Thousand Steps Beach was forced to close temporarily. As is the case across the Orange County shore, its future is jeopardized by an unbeatable foe that’s underfoot and slowly clawing away at the California coastline.

Reaching Thousand Steps Beach is, at best, an inconvenience, and at worst, dangerous. The beach access point is unassuming, tucked beside gorgeous luxury homes with stunning ocean views.

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There is no designated parking. With luck, visitors find a spot on the north side of the street near Ninth Avenue. I was not lucky and had to park much farther away. There is no sidewalk or even a curb for the majority of the walk toward the beach on Highway 1. I was either walking in the bike lane or weaving in and out of the busy highway, especially in places where drivers illegally parked their cars.

A trip down to Thousand Steps Beach is made up of 218 stairs.

Once I arrived at the top of the staircase, I peered down the narrow void shrouded by foliage. As someone who’s a little clumsy, the steep staircase was a bit intimidating. But I rolled up my pants, held onto the railing and watched my step. The stairs may have been only a little........

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