5 beach walks worth doing in San Diego

These are five walks where the water is the point, spread from Coronado to Carlsbad. Two are paved and work at any tide. Three are on sand, and two of those run under bluffs, so the tide decides whether you get a wide firm beach or a scramble. Lengths are one way and come from city, state park and trail-guide maps, so treat them as approximate.

1. Coronado Central Beach to Dog Beach

Start in front of the Hotel del Coronado and walk north on the hard sand. Central Beach is about 1.5 miles of wide, flat shoreline, and Dog Beach sits at the far north end, where the Navy's North Island begins. Dogs can run off leash at Dog Beach. Parking is free along Ocean Boulevard, though it gets hard to find on summer weekends (see Where to park for Coronado Beach). This is the easiest sand walk on the list at any tide. The drawback: it is an out-and-back with no loop, and the beach is wide open with no shade.

2. Mission Beach to Pacific Beach boardwalk

The Ocean Front Walk runs about 3.2 paved miles from Mission Point at the south end of Mission Beach to Palisades Park at Crystal Drive in Pacific Beach. It passes Belmont Park and the Crystal Pier, and you can drop onto the sand whenever you want. The free lots on either side of Belmont Park are the easiest place to park, but they fill fast in summer. The honest drawback is traffic: bikes, skaters and skateboards share the path, and the city's posted limit is 8 mph. Go early in the morning for a quieter walk. Dogs are banned on the boardwalk and beach from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. November through March (9 a.m. to 6 p.m. April through October); see Dogs on the beach.

3. La Jolla Shores to Black's Beach

Walk north from Kellogg Park in La Jolla Shores, under Scripps Pier at about half a mile, and on to Black's Beach at about 1.5 miles, where the cliffs rise and the crowds thin out. Kellogg Park's lot is free and open 4 a.m. to 10 p.m., but it usually fills by 8 a.m. on summer weekends. The San Diego Reader's trail guide says this stretch is easiest when the tide is zero or lower at Scripps Pier. Drawbacks: north of the pier the beach narrows under the bluffs, and Black's is clothing-optional. Strong walkers can keep going to Torrey Pines, about 5 miles one way in total.

4. Torrey Pines State Beach to Del Mar

Park in the Torrey Pines State Beach South Beach lot ($15 to $20, demand-based) and walk north past Los Peñasquitos Lagoon to Seagrove Park in Del Mar, about 2.5 miles each way per the California Coastal Trail guide. The North Beach lot costs $10 to $25, and State Parks annual passes work at both. The Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve above the beach is closed until March 2027, including its trails and Beach Trail staircase, but the state beach and both beach lots stay open. Dogs are not allowed anywhere on Torrey Pines State Beach, even in your car. Drawbacks: parts of this route are impassable at higher tides, and State Parks warns that rockslides happen without notice, so stay at least 10 feet from the base of the cliffs.

5. Carlsbad Sea Wall

The City of Carlsbad's Sea Wall trail is about 1 paved mile along Carlsbad Boulevard between Pine Avenue and Tamarack Avenue, close to beach level but separated from the sand by the wall. Parking lines Carlsbad Boulevard, and the Tamarack State Beach lot charges a fee in peak season. ADA access is at the Tamarack end. It is the shortest walk here, so pair it with time on the sand or in Carlsbad Village. Drawback: dogs are not allowed on the lower Sea Wall, only on leash on the Carlsbad Boulevard sidewalk above it.

The same low tides that open up the La Jolla and Torrey Pines walks also expose tide pools. Our best tide pool days for winter 2026-27 list the dates. If you want to see the sunset from the sand, check sunset times this winter.