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Grandview Beach

4.4 (47 reviews)

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Happy Monday and happy January!
Ania K.

Love this secluded beach! Tucked away in a residential neighborhood most won't know this is even here but it is popular with local surfers. I stumbled upon the entrance by accident years ago and I've been coming back ever since. There is a dedicated parking lot and if it's full you may park on the street. Both are free. Next you'll need to walk down a good amount of steps to get down to the beach. This is by far the best way to keep a tight ass. No restrooms here but if you walk about half a mile to South Ponto Beach you'll find them. In the opposite direction you can walk for miles to Leucadia and even Beacon's beaches. The sand is firm making it perfect for strolling or running. Stairs are lit at night so feel free to visit at any hour. There's also an outdoor shower towards the bottom so you may rinse your feet. Great spot for skinny dipping in the middle of the night because there's usually nobody around.

Pretty
Elisa G.

Beautiful beach in Encinitas/Leucadia and there's a long staircase down so be careful! Tons of cute surfers to watch in their wetsuits! Gorgeous sunset too!! A++

Lotta S.

Unless you're an avid surfer this beach might not be as appealing since the beach area is pretty narrow, tons of rocks and big waves. There is one lifeguard and a porta potty at nearby parking lot. Huge wooden staircase leading to and from the beach-one better be in some okay shape to manage to navigate. Parking lot is pretty small but street parking is available. Cliffs are unstable so DO NOT sit too close to the "wall".

Addy W.

I love stopping at this beach when doing my morning or evening walks with the doggy. It's really peaceful and relaxing to watch the waves. This is definitely a spot where a lot of surfers surf, and not so much a lay out and tan as there's not much land to do so. Also can be a great workout as there are a lot of stairs to take to get down to the beach. Overall, I also enjoy the views.

Leucadians are grieving over the loss of the lives of 3 locals in one family. A good Samaritan cleaned up the plastic flower packaging.
Vicki C.

Everyone knows that Leucadian's love the beach. We are spoiled hippies who get to surf, walk or enjoy fabulous sunsets year round. This special beach boasts a private, free parking lot and steps all the way to the sand. Surfers, walkers, fishermen, divers, bird watchers, and sunbathers converge to enjoy the large sandy beach. There are no restroom facilities and it takes a few minutes to walk in, this means less crowds. Just to the north is Ponto, a state beach which is uber popular and in the summer cars wait in line for hours just to park there. Grandview is protected from some of the tourist infestation up the coast. My family gave it the name "neckcrackers" back in 2015. My friend broke his neck surfing here when the swell was up. Yes the surf can get big here, but he still comes back. In 2013 Leucadia got a large infusion of sand which was dredged up from outside of Cardiff reef. The sand quickly disappeared because the ocean hits the bluffs in this location causing erosion as you can see from my video here. https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/grandview-beach-encinitas?select_video=0Y7XVuuaDHZdsWuOkfvyoA The coastal comission and The Surfrider Foundation have been fighting to prevent seawalls to allow natural erosion for years, however wealthy homeowners have prevailed which creates a dangerous situation on the beach. I posted this photo in 2015 warning of the dangerous unstable cliffs. https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/grandview-beach-encinitas?select=A_79N_2qZMbQSEpoMfBHsg Unfortunately there was an even bigger landslide this week that devastated a fabulous family at this beach. Please stay at least 25 feet away from the bluffs at Grandview when you hit the beach, Leucadia style.

Vladmir T.

Quiet Little Rocky Beach This is a nice little out of the main way of things, quiet, little, rocky beach. Not so many people so it's a bit more peaceful than some others. You journey down some nice stairs to the beach area. Backed by cliffs at water level. My son loved playing with the rocks!

Miriam E.

What a lovely spot! Stopped by with my husband and his daughter to watch the sunset and it was so beautiful! I definitely recommend this place. It's a pretty rad little spot!

8/23/15 Nice water temp.
Jack M.

This a great little stretch of beach. Just far enough away from the hustle and bustle of the city of Encinitas, but still close enough that you just have to find your way down a cliff on a well maintained wooden staircase. The life guard tower is right on the beach when you reach the bottom of the staircase, which is a good place to start to get information regarding the water conditions. I tool the liberty to chat with the young lady life guard, who gave me some great information. I did not know that they count sting ray incidents daily. The beach us mostly consist of soft sand with a few large prominently smooth rocks. The tops of the cliffs are line with residential housing and vegetation so I would not consider it a secluded beach by no means. There are a few places near the base of the cliffs were the sand is black caused by run off, but other than that, the beach is quite nice. I happen to come here on a Sunday afternoon. The beach was more crowded near the life towers and stairs that lead up to the neighborhoods. However, as I walked between Grandview and Beacons Beach, it started to think out, and that's were I parked my butt.

Sunset

Gorgeous sunset but there's a lot of big rocks. U can't really sit there and chill. U just post up on a wooden stairway & chill with random ppl ‍ maybe it's cuz I went too late

Jose G.

Wow, just wow. This beach has it all, great laid back attitude with a vow. My kids loved walking down the giant staircase, enjoying the view of the sunset and throwing stones into the surf (when no one was nearby of course). Plenty of great shopping and eating nearby. Will most definitely be back in the near future.

Vincent C.

A nice small beach where a lot of surfers come to catch some waves. This beach is not crazy packed like Moonlight or even Swami's. This is a real mellow beach and what helps that is the parking lot is pretty small. You have to know where you're going to find Grandview which is tucked in a corner of residential streets. Also if you're not in the best of shape the stairs to get to the beach can be a little brutal.

Grandview Leucadia Beach in San Diego County
Stephen I.

If you like to surf then this is your beach. If you like to get a sun tan and play in the sand then this is NOT your beach! One of the best & most active surf spots in San Diego county. This hidden gem of a beach is fequented by the die hard surfers who live by the tidal clock. This beach is in Leucadia tucked away on a residential street. Decent size parking lot and a grand stair case leads you down the steep cliff to the sliver of pebbles and sand that make up this beach. From the city of Encinitas web site: Beach Parking: 5am - 10pm Beach Use: 4am - 2am No dogs, alcohol, or glass allowed Lifeguard Towers Open: 10am - 6pm during the Summer Season (late June to Labor Day) *All beaches and viewpoints are available on a first come, first served basis. Special Event and Special Ceremony Permits are available for select locations. For more information, please call (760)633-2740.

What's better than friends and fish tacos on the beach?

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We stopped off for a surf lesson and loved it! Nice long clean beaches, great weather and this was Dec! Bliss!!

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Review Highlights - Grandview Beach

Located in the Leucadia part of Encinitas, this local beach is perfect for catching waves, grabbing a great sunset or just taking in the picturesque surroundings.

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Pipes Beach - Low Tide reveals an ancient fossilized reef  - Happy New Years Day at Pipes 2025

Pipes Beach

(6 reviews)

Gorgeous beach! So many good surfers to watch and it's kept clean. An amazing local find.0read more

"Out of water, I am nothing..." - Duke Kahanamoku…read more Duke's quote also explains why, at any given time, there are so many people in the awesome line-up at Pipes Beach. Whether you surf, run, bike, or just want a chillaxin stroll or picnic along the sand, this place ROCKS and was one of the first places I began surfing regularly since moving to N. County from UTC almost a decade ago. Before moving, I asked a few of my bros where to surf up there and they were all like, "Pipes, Pipes, Pipes..." and I was all like "Bong?" j/k The bluff above the beach sports a paved trail along Hwy 101 where you can run or walk from Encinitas to Cardiff and back. There's also a bike lane too! One funny thing about weekend warrior surfers is that many don't want to walk very far to catch a wave. With Pipes all you have to do is park on the spaces to the west side of 101 or along the dirt road to the east of it (make sure you don't block the white lines marking the bike lanes and BE CAREFUL opening you car doors!!!). The beach is about a hundred feet down the steep paved main entry path or you can access it via the wooden steps leading from the San Elijo campgrounds. If you like a reef break, head south along the beach towards Cardiff while north you'll find solid beach and combo breaks. There's tons of fun-in-the-sun stuff to do on the beach but be careful about leaving your unattended picnic baskets out, otherwise the squirrels and seagulls will go to town! I once had a squirrel chew through my entire backpack looking for the bag of peanuts I left inside! The only restrooms to be had are also on top of the hill and they keep the showers very well maintained. When the surf cooks the line-up here gets packed but you can almost always find a pocket somewhere to catch a wave. Just don't turn all aggro on your fellow surfers since no one owns the ocean, okay? Just think about what Duke would do!!!

South Carlsbad State Beach - Ice cream from our fellow campers.  Perfect for the hot weather we've been experiencing!

South Carlsbad State Beach

(379 reviews)

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.

Such a cool spot to beach camp. Also, live music, a store, a pizza and wing spot, and decent shower…read moreand bathroom for a state beach. It's a great place to catch the sunset on a Friday evening. We were lucky to book a bon fire pit near the music and lots of bench seating for the show. It does get crowded so glad we had our own space. The camp sites are pretty big also, fitting large RV's, two cars, and comes with an outdoor table. If parking off-site (like we did since we were just there for the evening), be sure to walk back to the main entrance to exit if later at night as the side entrances are locked at sunset. Great selection of beers, wines, pizzas, wings, and even some Mac & cheese bites.

Beacon's Beach - Sunset

Beacon's Beach

(44 reviews)

When I'm dog sitting I like to walk to this beach as the views are beautiful... especially during…read morethe sunset. The doggy enjoys this walk as well. The top area was a bit of a hazard, as they had a few sinkhole issues. From recent visit I see they have improved the area and it looks really nice, and much safer. I have walked all the way down to the beach a few times, but the long trail down can be exhausting especially when carrying all your beach necessities. Overall, love the views and will continues to enjoy the walks.

Nice little secluded beach. Mostly locals with some vacationers staying in nearby airbnbs. It seems…read moreto be very popular with surfers and some boogie boarders. It's not crowded because the parking lot is quite small and situated in a residential area. It has a better vibe than the very popular Moonlight Beach (about a mile away). There isn't much sand during high tide but when the tide is low, it's perfect for sun bathing, boogie boarding, surfing, and splashing around. There was quite a bit of kelp the days we went but it didn't really bother us since we stayed relatively shallow being with our kids. There are a series of sandy switchbacks to the beach, so it is a little bit of a walk with a nice reward (going up is another story) but doable with small children. The beach was sandy with some rocks, relatively flat, didn't spot much seashells. Overall, I'd return again. Parking is a bit of a challenge though.

Grandview Beach - beaches - Updated May 2026

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