Torrey Pines State Beach runs for three miles between Carmel Valley Road and the Glider Ports at Torrey Pines Scenic Drive. The north section where the highway runs adjacent to the beach is the choice for swimming and other traditional activities, while non-traditionalists who prefer to dress down for the beach (nudists), will find the southern section more to their liking. The beach here is well covered by sand, with few exposed rocks, readily passable at all but the highest tides. There is also access from above via two challenging hiking trails - one in the State Park and another beginning at the Glider Port.  Torrey Pines State Park is a 1750 acre reserve dedicated to preserving its namesake, the Torrey Pine tree (which grows only here) and other indigenous wildlife in its native environment. It's not your typical beach outing, but certainly a memorable one. 

     Waves ranging from the low 3-footer's to the high 6-8 footer's can be found on the north side of Torrey Pines State Beach. The Northern side of the beach has a Surfer/Surfing side while the Southern side hosts swimming, body boarding, etc. There is a red/yellow flag on the north part of the beach showing the boundary between the surfing side and body boarding side. A good rule of thumb is to occasionally check where the flag is as it moves from time to time during the day.

The beach is usually not very crowded in the early hours of the day where mostly only surfers and body boarders are present. During that time, the boundary of the surfing and body boarding areas aren't as strictly enforced, as long as common courtesy applies to both sides.

     Torrey Pines State Park and Beach are both administrated by the park system. Bathroom facilities and lifeguard headquarters are found at the north end of the beach near the Penasquitos Lagoon. There are additional facilities at the park entrance and headquarters, with additional lifeguard supervision along the beach in the summer. Guided nature tours are offered in the park on Saturdays and Sundays. For info call: 858-755-2063.

Directions

From the 5 FWY exit Carmel Valley Road west to Torrey Pines Road south (aka Pacific Coast Highway). There are four parking options. The first is the large-capacity lot on the left side of Carmel Valley just before reaching the coast. Option two is the roadside parking along the southbound shoulder of PCH. Options three and four are both within the State Park at the south end of the beach. An entrance fee ($6.00 per vehicle) is collected at the gate which is open from 8am until sunset daily. The lower, beach level lot is directly beyond the gate, with additional parking around the park headquarters and trailheads at the top end of the road.

 

Visit Torrey Pines State Reserve here