Torrey Pines State Beach

Phone Number

(858) 755-2063

Park Hours

Gates open at 7:15 am and close at Sunset.

Dogs Allowed?

No

Driving Directions to Torrey Pines SB

Torrey Pines State Beach is located between La Jolla and Del Mar, California, north of San Diego. There are two locations where you can park to enter the beach. From Hwy 5 going southbound, exit on Carmel Valley Road and drive west for about 1.5 miles until you reach McGonigle Road. Turn left on McGonigle Road to enter the parking lot where you can self-pay to park and walk to the beach. Or you can continue driving straight to North Torrey Pines Road. Turn left and proceed along the beach for about a mile. The park entrance is on your right just before the highway begins to climb the Torrey Pines grade, where you also pay to park.

From Hwy 5 northbound, exit Genesee Ave and turn left. Continue on Genesee Ave, veering to the right onto N. Torrey Pines Road for approximately 4.5 miles. Turn left when you reach the bottom of the grade to enter the park. To access the north end of Torrey Pines State Beach, continue northbound on N. Torrey Pines Road until you reach Carmel Valley Road. Turn right until you reach McGonigle Road then turn right into the parking lot.

Special Walks/Private Hikes
Any organized group of people who will be hiking or visiting the Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve are required to apply for a Special Event permit. If hiking, the group must also schedule a docent guided hike. You can arrange for a customized fee-based Docent-guided hike (Special Walk) for any size group (1 – 70 people). To arrange for a Special Walk or to schedule any other group event, please contact the State Parks Special Event Office at sd.specialevents@parks.ca.gov at least three weeks prior to your visit to make your reservation.

Upcoming Park Events

No events scheduled at this moment.

OVERNIGHT FACILITIES
RV Access
TRAIL USE
Bike Trails
DAY-USE ACTIVITIES & FACILITIES
Fishing
Scuba Diving/Snorkeling
Beach Area
Swimming
Nature & Wildlife Viewing
Windsurfing/Surfing
Geocaching
OTHER FACILITIES & VISITOR INFORMATION
Parking
Restrooms / Showers
Restrooms
Drinking Water Available
Wheelchair Accessible

Stay away from the bottom of the cliffs.

Rockslides and cliff collapses occur without notice. To increase safety, time your beach visit for low tide, when there is more sand available between the cliffs and the waves, which should help ensure you can keep a minimum distance of 10 feet from the bluffs.

Torrey Pines Cliff
View looking south towards Flat Rock and La Jolla.
Torrey Pines CliffView looking north back toward Del Mar and the South Beach parking lot.
Torrey Pines Cliff Torrey Pines Cliff Torrey Pines Cliff

General Information:

"Photo: View of the ocean through the pines at Torrey Pines State Beach"

State beaches are areas with frontage on the ocean, or bays designed to provide swimming, boating, fishing, and other beach-oriented recreational activities. This wide, sandy beach stretches 4 1/2 miles from Del Mar past Los Peñasquitos Lagoon to the base of sandstone cliffs at Torrey Pines Mesa. Swimming, surfing and fishing are popular. Red-hued bluffs and wet sand make strolling on the beach popular at low tide. A picnic area and parking lot are near the entrance on North Torrey Pines Road.

The beach can also be reached by trail from the Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve

Annual Passes are now sold at the entrance kiosk station operated by our concessionaire, LAZ Parking. The entrance kiosk station is open from 8:00am to approximately a 1/2 hour before sunset 365 days a year.  For more park information go to Torreypine.org/reserveinfo.

Torrey Pines prohibits dogs anywhere within the reserve and beach boundaries (even within a vehicle).

 Surfline(click here to view the web cam)

Additional Visitor Services

  • LAZ Parking California, LLC of San Diego (Parking Lot Management)
    Annual Passes are now sold at the entrance kiosk station operated by our concessionaire, LAZ Parking
  • Brats Berlin, Inc. (Mobile Food Truck)
  • The Pura Vida Project LLC dba Del Mar Surf Rentals (Beach Equipment Rental, Sale of Beach Items & Vending Machine)

Rattlesnake SignAre there any rattlesnake?   -    The answer is, "Yes!"

The 2 most common rattlesnakes you will see here are the Southern Pacific Rattlesnake and the Red Diamond Rattlesnake. The Southern Pacific Rattlesnake is the one you will most likely run into in the park. If you do see a rattlesnake while hiking, stop and wait until the snake leaves the area. It has mostly likely felt you coming from the vibrations you've made walking on the trail. If it doesn't leave, turn around and notify a park employee or volunteer. Snakes are more willing to leave you alone and find something more manageable to strike and eat (unless you try to take a selfie with it). On rare occasions, snakes do land on the beach having been pushed or fallen off the cliffs. Notify a park employee so that the snake can be returned to a more suitable location to live. Do not try to relocate or pickup the snake yourself.

Torrey Pines SNR Parking

Street view of flashing signal lightView of flashing signal light on kioskOne of the more common complaints in the summer time at Torrey Pines is the parking. When the South Beach lot fills up, we close the entrance and visitors need to head to North Beach for parking. There is now a flashing light on the top of the kiosk to alert visitors when the gate is closed. This early alert system will enable visitors to go directly to the North Beach parking lot and avoid having to make a u-turn at the closed entrance to the South Beach lot. Once you know exactly where to look, you can even see the light from the top of High Bridge or Carmel Valley Rd. See map below for some locations to look for the flashing light.

Arial view of parking

Please click HERE for Rules and Regulations of the Reserve

Rules of the Reserve:

  • NO DOGS IN THE RESERVE OR STATE BEACH
  • Stay on trail – Walking off trail causes erosion, tramples plants and frightens wildlife.
  • No pets – Dogs frighten wildlife and their waste causes nesting animals to abandon their young.
  • No food in the reserve – Help keep our animals wild and healthy by picnicking only at the beach.
  • No alcohol
  • No drones – To prevent possible resource damage from accidents and to avoid frightening animals.
  • No picking/collecting natural features – Pinecones and flowers must be left to produce seeds to grow new plants. It also allows fellow visitors to enjoy the fauna.
  • No smoking/open flames – Torrey Pines has a high fire danger. The plants found here are dry and flammable.
  • No amplified music – Respect your fellow hikers and enjoy the sounds of nature while in the reserve.

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