I was raised in Southern California for 45 years and moved to Mesa Arizona 10 years ago. It's…read morealways nice to come home and spend some time at the beach and honestly it was an emotional trip home but worth every moment. We stayed here in Oceanside this time and we were within walking distance to the beach it was a beautiful trip this beach is rocky so I do recommend putting water shoes on if you have sensitive feet or small children. This is also not a dog friendly beach either so plan on keeping your four legged friend at home

Hike along coastal trail in Oceanside from buccaneer Beach…read morepark to Tyler beach park and the Oceanside Pier. Easy walk and lovely scenery and fun places to take Photos and eat!!! Easy parking in the winter. Great place for an outing!!! Go eat at the CUP!!

A beach is a beach is a beach, right? Not really! All along the Southern California coast, the…read morebeaches vary geographically. Some are more sandy and some are more rocky. I was looking for one that was relatively clean, with not a lot of people, and lots of sand with few rocks. Tamarack State Beach is that place! Tamarack is the kind of beach that would make a nice spot for a picnic or a place to watch the sun set. I did neither of those things -- just stayed for a while to let my children get into the ocean and bury themselves in the sand. But they loved this beach so much that we visited twice during our visit to Carlsbad. There was a lifeguard on duty, set up closer to the parking lot where the majority of the people were. If you walk a little ways away, though, there is no lifeguard and the people are fewer. The parking can be a little limited, and you have to pay to park. There is also some street parking, but that's even more limited. Your best best is to hit the parking lot first and maybe circle a couple of times.

Tamarack state beach is a nice beach but this time there were so many rocks along it. My grandkids…read morewere getting hit on the legs with the rocks once the water receded. The parking lot is really small, and we were able to find 3 spots after 10am but it's a hassle trying to get out! You get one car waiting for someone to pull out and it blocks and stops everyone else. My husband literally had to ask the guy to move over a bit because 8 cars were waiting in the line behind him to get out. There has to be a better set up to get out of there. All in all, everyone still had a good time, regardless of the rock situation.

I want to say I hate this place so it doesn't get packed…read more But, kinda love it here. Parking isn't horrible, but it's definitely a smaller beach and peaceful

This spot is located between North Ponto Beach and Carlsbad State Beach. It's a local hidden gem…read more Instead of finding hoards of tourists, you'll find a serene beach with cliffs, tidepools, and surfers. Park on the dirt road, find the secret staircase and head downstairs. Things to keep in mind...no bathrooms, no lifeguards.

Camping at Carlsbad State Beach is unmatched…read more This campsite offers the best of both worlds: city life + beach life. It sits right on the ocean bluff with two sides, bluff-side (oceanfront) and streetside. Obviously bluff-side is preferred, but staying on the streetside is still a treat. A few things I love about this camping experience: - They allow all forms of camping. Tent, RV, van, etc. - The site has clean bathrooms and warm showers. Just be sure to purchase tokens at the front for the shower. - Dog friendly! You can bring your pet along but they must be on leash and aren't allowed on the beach. - Carlsbad has the most captivating sunsets, and if you're lucky, you'll even see a few dolphins. Truly the most memorable 32nd birthday activity with all my favorite people.

Carlsbad is a beautiful city with a lot of nice restaurants and little shops so I opted to try the…read morebeach here today rather than Oceanside where I usually go. I lucked out and found a super close parking spot in the neighborhood across the street. The beach itself was VERY short compared to sand length at other beaches so people were almost on top of each other. There was a pretty intense drop off about half way down the sand so it limited space for people to put down their stuff and lay out. I'm not sure how normal it is at this spot but there was a TON of rocks. It was way too much to be able to enter the water without having them beating your feet and ankles. My friend was bleeding after trying to check out the water. The surf was also a little intense that day so I'm wondering if that had any effect on the rock situation? This was a very clean beach with restrooms at the bottom of the ramp from the street so it did have that going for it but we decided to leave and head for a beach where we could safely go into the water that day. I'll have to come back another time to get a better idea.

In the heart of Carlsbad Village, you will find Carlsbad City Beach. The beach is down below…read morestreet level, so you will need to take the path down below, best to take the paved path. This beach is well kept, and tends to be quite clean and safe. The sand is lush and soft on the feet. While visiting during the holidays- I saw dolphins! Keep your eyes open to spot wildlife! Parking can be found along the highway one or several of the public lots. During the height of the season, parking can be challenging. Enjoy and be safe!

I really like this city, and the beach is highly accessible. The townsfolk are nice and it just has…read morereally good Beach vibes. It makes me want to retire and live in San Diego.

Such a cute park. Parked on the street and walked on over. The beach is covered in pebbles. So…read morebeautiful. Saw a bunch of people surfing and boogie boarding. It's a perfect place to chill. Very peaceful. Very clean.

DOG FRIENDLY (5 stars)…read more On the beach but not on the beach... if you know what I mean. Don't care for sandy feet, this location is great for a post up. Unfortunately dogs are not allowed on the beach area until after a certain hour. We arrived to watch the Surfer Girl Competition and right next to the beach is this grassy park where we were able to post up and watch as if we were in the beach. Occasional weirdos coming by but that's expected... it's Oceanside.

Beautiful spot to take a break on the drive down to San Diego. Take a good look at the wildlife and…read moreview but watch out getting pooped on by birds! The entire floor is just bird poo... so don't stop unless you gotta if you hate bird poo. Don't let the seagulls see you with food cause they will crowd up your car even if you didn't feed them. lol As an animal person, I enjoyed being there to watch the wildlife. Just don't bring a super nice car there unless you don't care you are risking scratches and bird doo doo on your baby.

If you're scared of potentially damaging your car or getting bird turds on it, this isn't for you,…read moreor at least park at the periphery away from people who are clearly feeding the animals and not following the signs. Saw a guy feed the gulls and he was swarmed INSTANTLY. All over his car, perched on it, orbiting around it, flying towards him. For those who are scared of birds too, not a great place either lmao. But if you want to pull over and get a view of the beach and ocean, especially around sunset, it's quite a nice place. You can see the shrubbery and grasses growing along the water's edge too, along with the rocky denizens. Lots of ground squirrels. If they think you have food, they may hold your hand (at your own caution). There's also lots of little shrub birds living near the ground too and other song birds, mixed in with the large gulls. Also saw some gull variations I don't see usually either. Neat goth looking one with muddled gray feathers and a bright red beak. Cool.

I really enjoy this little harbor. There's so much going on. There are a bunch of restaurants, you…read morecan rent boats, kayaks and paddle boards and they host different events. It's a beautiful walk and you can walk as long or short distance as you desire. One direction leads to the beach the other leads to the Oceanside yacht club. People bring picnics or go to the nearby happy hours. Sunsets here are always lovely too!

The Oceanside Harbor is another place to check out if you are near the pier and in the area. There…read moreis a lot of paid parking if you want to park steps away, but if you are willing to walk 750 feet or so, there is also free parking. The harbor has a mix of shopping, dining, whale watching, and other assorted businesses to check out. There are restaurants, coffee shops, boat rentals, jet ski and kayak rentals, places to store your boat, souvenir shopping, etc. There is a lighthouse, and there are sidewalks so you can walk from one end all the way to the other end out by the ocean. And down by some of the boats are plenty of seals / sea lions to check out. They like to hang out on the dock sunbathing, fighting, frolicking, and general shenanigans. During the holidays they have boat parades, and it is fun to watch them cruise by all lit up. Pictures and videos attached.