By Jimy Tallal / Malibu Times
Thanks to social media, there’s no longer any corner of Malibu that could still claim to be “hidden” or a “best-kept secret.” The caves at the top of Corral Canyon were recently closed to the public by California State Parks because of illegal campfires, extensive graffiti and vandalism. The Rindge Dam in Malibu Canyon was closed to visitors two years ago for the same reasons, plus numerous expensive rescues.
But the very latest hip place to go in Malibu — ranked the No. 2 thing to do in Malibu on travel website Trip Advisor — is El Matador State Beach. It is one of three so-called “pocket beaches” just north of Broad Beach that make up the Robert H. Meyer Memorial State Beach. All three beaches, including El Pescador and La Piedra, are small strips of sand with rock formations and coves that get even smaller during high tide.
Craig Sap, superintendent of the California State Parks Angeles District, acknowledges it’s been hard to keep up with the crowds.
“We’ve gone from three to six chemical toilets and from a few trashcans to a large dumpster that’s emptied every single day,” he said. In addition, the state parks’ “graffiti abatement team” is scheduled to come in shortly.
For some reason, El Matador is the only one of the three beaches that has become a “hit” on social media, even though the other two pocket beaches are similar. Its recent popularity means that its small 45-space parking lot is usually full by about 11:00 a.m., even on weekdays, with spillover parking up and down both sides of PCH….read more