The tower rises from the sand like a misplaced chess piece—built in 1926 as a private stairway to the beach, now a Laguna landmark that photographers frame against every angle of Pacific light. You reach Victoria Beach through a residential neighborhood where multimillion-dollar homes lean over the bluff, then navigate 104 steps to the sand. The cove itself curves gently, hemmed by sandstone cliffs that glow amber in afternoon sun.
“The 1926 pirate tower stands as the only privately built seaside turret on the California coast.”
Credit: UnsplashCrystal lagoon with rocky outcrop
Low tide is your invitation to explore. Tide pools cluster near the tower's base, where anemones pulse and hermit crabs skitter across volcanic rock. The beach narrows considerably at high tide—sometimes disappearing altogether—so time your visit with the tidal calendar. Locals arrive early, claiming spots on the northern end where the sand widens and the cliffs provide windbreak.
The tower itself is private property, though visitors photograph it endlessly from the sand. Sunset turns the structure into a silhouette, the kind of image that defines coastal California without the crowds of Main Beach two miles north. Pack light—the stairs are steep on the return—and bring reef-safe sunscreen; the cove's relative shelter makes the water warm enough for long swims between May and October.
