Beaches and Outdoors in San Diego

Surf spots by skill level, sunset cliffs on Point Loma, and tide pools all winter.

Getting Outside

The Coast and the Trails

San Diego has a wave for most abilities, but the gap between the beginner breaks and the serious ones is wider here than visitors expect. The surf section below is sorted by skill for that reason. Coastal trails and beach walks work in any month. Inland and mountain trails get dangerously hot from late spring through early fall, so save those for October through April and start early either way. Tide pooling is a winter activity here. The lowest daytime tides fall between December and March, which is also when the gray whales pass Point Loma.

Surfing

Surf by Skill Level

Beginner

Tourmaline Surfing Park

At the north end of Pacific Beach, a designated board surfing zone with slow rolling waves, a lot at the top of the stairs and restrooms. Swimming belongs further south, toward the lifeguarded stretch by Crystal Pier.

Beginner

Cardiff Reef

The classic learn-to-surf spot, at Cardiff State Beach in Encinitas. Mellow, forgiving waves and a lineup that tolerates a slow start. The lot sits right on Coast Highway 101.

Advanced Only

Black's Beach

The most powerful break in the county, below three hundred foot cliffs at Torrey Pines. There is no permanent lifeguard under the bluffs, the currents are strong, and the City has posted the Gliderport trail as unsafe because the cliffs are unstable.

Sunsets

Where to Watch the Sunset

Sunset Cliffs

Sandstone cliffs and sea caves along the west edge of Point Loma, facing straight into the Pacific. The most photographed sunset in the city and the one worth arriving early for.

Flat, free coastal walk along the clifftop
Edges are unfenced and actively eroding, so stay on the marked paths
Best light in the last half hour before the sun drops

Coronado Beach

Wide flat sand with the Hotel del behind you and enough mica in the sand to make it glitter in low light. The gentlest water of the three and the easiest with children.

Fire pits along the beach
Calm surf and seasonal lifeguards
Reachable by ferry from downtown, no bridge traffic

Windansea

Sandstone outcrops and reef breaks in La Jolla, with the palm thatched surf shack on the sand. A place to sit and watch rather than swim.

Rock ledges that work as seating at golden hour
Shore break comes down hard, so take care entering the water
Quieter than the Cove or La Jolla Shores in the evening

On Foot

Trails and Tide Pools

Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve
Sandstone bluffs, the rarest pine in the country, and a Beach Trail that drops to the sand. Gates open at 7:15am and close at sunset, and dogs are not allowed anywhere in the reserve.
Sunset Cliffs Coastal Walk
Flat, free and open all day. The easiest good walk in the city, and it takes about an hour end to end at a slow pace.
Cowles Mountain
The highest point in the City of San Diego at 1,591 feet. From the Golfcrest trailhead it is about a mile and a half up with 950 feet of climb, and there is no shade on any of it.
Tide Pool Spots
Cabrillo National Monument, the La Jolla coast from Dike Rock down to Windansea, Sunset Cliffs, and the rocks north of Tourmaline.
Winter Low Tides
December through March. Look for a predicted tide of 0.7 feet or lower and arrive an hour or two before the low, then work the water back out.
Shoes and Signal
Closed toe shoes with grip. Wet rock and algae end flip flop days fast, and there is no phone signal down at the Cabrillo tide pools.