San Elijo State Beach is connected to several adjacent beaches nearby. The views of the water and coast are stunning, especially on a sunny day. There are a couple of dedicated parking lots (with a parking fee) along the South Coast Highway, restrooms, park grounds, picnic benches, and even a campground, all at street level along this brief stretch. Then there are several staircases leading down to the beach below. But there wasn't much "beach" when I visited this past Tuesday on a lovely winter afternoon, meaning if you're a surfer, you'd probably be in the water by the time you reach the bottom steps. Yes the water extended to the base of the cliffs, hitting mainly rocks (rather than sand) at the would-be shoreline. But I still had an awesome time. And I was able to enjoy lunch while sitting at one of the many benches on site while staring out into the ocean. And just across the highway is Cardiff-by-the-Sea, with plenty of shops and eateries to keep you busy or to grab a snack/drink while in the area. read more

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It was a very nice beach. We came here after dinner to watch the sunset. It wasn't busy at all. Beach was very clean. It was easy to find parking. They have restrooms as well as showers. read more

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Very nice beach in Cardiff by the sea...the area that we were in was on the smaller side but it was very nice...parking area is literally at the beach so you don't have to walk very far to get to your location on sand...there is a fee that varies hour by hour as this is a state beach, the price was well worth it though as the convenience of just being steps from your vehicle is worth the money...does get very busy, especially later in the afternoon. Will return in future...RECOMMEND read more

Day to remember 24th of December Christmas Eve morn around 7:48 AM white billowy billowing clouds puffed up below the perfect blue sky waves of surging rolling green below surf breaking crashing breaking wetsuits chasing paddling for the big Wave to ride while sitting gazing out my window 100 feet or more above bumper to the bluff remember these waves of sunshine knocking shining on my door portable Zamp greeting pointing to the sun the day beholding belonging to us twoairheads Here we come San Elijo! read more

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This was our first time visiting this beach. Parking was a little sketch if you park along the highway, especially if you park on the opposite side of the road. There is a stair access and a ramp access. The shoreline hugs the cliffs, so finding a spot can take a bit of maneuvering if you arrive during high tide. Overall a scenic beach with super soft sand that our toddler son had a blast playing in. read more

San Elijo State Beach - Beaches Near Me

This campsite is the unicorn of southern beach camping in terms of booking. Making reservations takes patience, determination, and/or pure luck. I had all of the above this time and was able to book a Friday - Monday trip, but get this. Not only did I book two adjacent sites, I did so in the most desirable section of all---the Southern Sites where you're able to walk directly to the beach without going up/down any stairs. It turns out, this last beach access feature was not available because of construction of the life guard headquarters. This could have been my bad for not reading every possible link related to this campground. Needless to say, I was surprised when we arrived to find out an entire area in the southern end of the campsite was closed. We had to go down a short flight of stairs to get to the beach, but it was a kind of a bummer. Plus, the construction noise during the daytime was not cool. Beach conditions: There was an algae bloom during our stay this past weekend, so the beach was pretty messy and a little stinky with wilting seaweed. So just a heads up if you're heading out there soon. Also, there is tar residue that can get into clothing and onto skin. I saw a spot where tar was seeping through the cracks--see my photo. Finally, beware of falling rocks if you hang out close to the sandy cliffs. A bunch of pebbles showered down on us and into our newly opened bag of chips. It was high tide, so we were closer to the cliffs than we would have liked. No Camp Store: On top of that, the camp store looked like it was permanently closed. So that was inconvenient for those of us needing to buy fresh ice everyday or firewood. Expensive Parking: Another point of annoyance is the parking situation. The second and third cars on a site have to pay $15 per night, which you have to pay in advance upon entering. I would recommend free street parking along PCH which runs right next to the campground. There are pedestrian entryways from PCH to the campground. You can request a temporary 20 minute parking pass to drive into the campground, drop off your stuff. Also available are the northern and southern end parking lots which are usually day-use lots, with the option of over night in case you have more cars than 3 per site. These lots do accept the California State Park Explorer Pass, so if you have one, good for you! Showers: My first shower in the campground was basically hot boiling water. The temperature knob wasn't working -- no matter which extreme I turned, the water stayed a constant 100+ F -- and I wasted a bunch of tokens trying to figure it out, gggrrrrrr!!! And just for the record, I'm not a wuss in hot tubs or hot places. In fact, I'm a regular at korean spas and I've lived in AZ. But this was way dangerous. I gave up and informed a park attendant, but she only said "oh really, ok let us check it out. Thanks." No apologies, no offer of extra tokens, no show of concern for all the shampoo still stuck in my hair. A plus side: the Cardiff Seaside Market is just across the train tracks on the other side of the campground. It has everything, including a nice bakery with cakes, pies, tarts, cookies, pastries, etc. You can easily walk to the market from the campground, no need to drive. Next time, I'll have to try the Cardiff Crack BBQ stand located just outside the market. I hear it's addictive, haha. Two more plus sides: The San Elijo Lagoon Nature Center is a neat little place to visit by car. Torrey Pines State Park is also just a few miles down the coast. Okay, that's my full report for now! Good luck booking Yelpers! read more

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San Elijo State Beach is actually a very nice spot and covers an extensive piece of the water front. This place is often under utilized and more quiet than a lot of the more popular beaches in north county such as Moonlight, Swamis etc... Just south of the campground and the lifeguard tower, the longest stretch of beach is actually dog friendly which gives your four legged pet more room to run around than the dog beach in Del Mar, not to mention that it is significantly less crowded. Overall, a great beach for someone looking to relax, bring a pet and/or catch some decent waves. Pros- Location Picturesque Decent waves Mostly pet friendly Less crowded than most beaches Decent restaurant selection Lots of sand Lagoon entry point Cons- Parking can be difficult High tide yields less beach read more

San Elijo State Beach - Always nice here... - Beaches Near Me

There's a self pay day use parking lot at the cliff and wooden steps leading down to the beach. Tide was incoming so beach area was small and tide comes all the way up. Nice not crowded on an October weekday. read more

On the busiest of days, when it's 100+ degrees inland, you can probably still find a parking spot. You have to pay for it, but it's worth it. Bathrooms-typical disgusting beach bathrooms with trash and non bathroom items left behind. But in the off season they aren't bad. The beach here tends to get a pretty wicked undertow. There is a ton of sand, and a nice reef to check out at low tide. You can walk for miles in both directions but be prepared to get wet if the tide comes in and you're south of the coves. Tower 13 is right up the coast for a nice post beach meal. read more

This is a beautiful stretch of sand covering about a half mile of the coast. There are paid lots at either end; those tend to be the more crowded parts of the beach. In between there is street parking along 101 which tends to be open during the week and not nonexistent during summer weekends. This entire beach is open to beasts on a leash. My pup, the lovely and talented Wee Baby Ava, loves splashing along the edge of the water, sprinting along the sand, and digging holes big enough for adults to climb in. The other dog owners are cool and look after and pick up after their dogs. Adults like the nearby restaurants, and some of us heathens even enjoy the Kraken after some quality beach time. Overall, this is a wise and uncrowned alternative to Del Mar dog beach when it's time to be on a leash. read more

San Elijo State Beach - The Week of Ava continues! - Beaches Near Me

Clean, uncrowded, easy parking and a long stretch of coastline are some of the reasons this is one of my favorite beaches in SD. I always park along the highway and walk through the campgrounds. The campgrounds are equipped with clean restrooms, showers and rinsing stations. They even have a shop and food truck along one of the entry spots. Be aware that one of the many ways to get great exercise here are all the steps/stairs you need to climb to access the beach. And if that or the long stretch of beach is not enough exercise for a long run, I always find the ocean water is usually warmer here which is another opportunity for some good boogie boarding sessions. And if none of that sounds absolutely enticing, then you must stay for the lovely sunset & the many great eating places that surround the area. read more

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I love coming to this beach. It's usually fairly clean, never too many people that I can't find a spot to sit, and gorgeous views to the north and south. Close to food and drink if you get hungry, and bathrooms available just up the steps in the campground. I could see how parking might become an issue if you're trying to park on the 101, but if you're willing to walk a bit, the neighborhoods nearby usually have street parking during the day. Surfers beware, there is rock reef here, which you can see when the tide is very low. read more

San Elijo State Beach - Post-sunset - Beaches Near Me

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San Elijo is a beautiful state beach right off the 101. There is tons of roadside parking available, and also a large campground with easy beach access (I would guess it's 50 wooden steps down the cliffside). The sand here is nice, but much rockier than just down the coast at Moonlight State Beach where there is soft, smooth sand and hardly any shells. Walking into the water here is also very rocky, I would highly recommend water shoes if you are wading or swimming. The waves here also seemed quite a bit rougher, and as I'm not a surfer I did see many more surfers here than down at Moonlight State Beach around the same time of day (early morning, August). The cliff views are dramatic, and the beach itself was busy but not too busy. This is a nice place to walk on the beach and enjoy the breeze and views. read more

Great beach spot, never too crowded but equally family-friendly and relaxing. This is the spot where the majority of the campers come and hang out, but if you're a local, you know its a great spot. Surf is good, if its not too windy. There are bathrooms up the stairs in the campgrounds with showers that are available to the public... I think. It's easy to use and no one monitors them, so why not? My suggestion is to park across PCH. You won't find much street parking here, but there is parking near the 711, at the park, and on side streets. Highly recommended. The beach is just a short walk across the train tracks! read more

This is a nice little beach just north of Cardiff State beach below the bluffs of the San Elijo campground. It's not usually very crowded. Close walking distance to the restaurants in Cardiff. read more

San Elijo State Beach - Beaches Near Me

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Once you book a site and camp here - ITS AMAZING (100 stars) :) However, here's my grief! I have read and re-read the FAQ area of "San Elijo State Park Camping" which is a VERY HIGH DEMAND camping location. Every 1st of the month, you log in and try and try to book a site in 1 millisecond and then there all booked up. I have followed the instructions and have logged in 10 minutes prior, etc. Ive even had family members, up to 6 devices at one time trying to book a camping spot and there gone. I don't understand this! Some people say they get a spot every time. I don't understand what is going on. It would be better to be a lottery or something (Open to suggestions) on booking a high demand camping location. Someone with information that I am missing, please message me :). read more

Great quiet spot in North County. Only reason I didn't give it 5 stars was that the bathrooms are up top of the hill. For someone with any physical disabilities I would highly recommend nit making this your first choice. A bit of a hike up and unstable terrain at the bottom. read more

I love this state beach. It is never too crowded and the views are beautiful! For free parking, park along the 101 and walk over to one of the many large staircases taking you down to the beach. There are some popular breaks for surfing out here and you will see surfing, boogie boarding, paddle boarding, etc.! Lots of activity on the water. This is also a great beach for running along. It is also a great beach for sitting and reading or relaxing. read more

Peaceful and beautiful.. not much else there which is nice, but a little restaurant would also be nice... it really depends on the beach mood you are in. I will drive 45 min to go back there for sure. read more

Well, that sucked. We lasted one night! Instead of rolling waves and sounds of nature, we listened to nothing but traffic (coast highway) and deafening trains go by, ALL NIGHT!!! Heading home, once the sun comes up, and calling for some kind of refund. read more