La Jolla Coast Walk Trail: Shores to the Cove to Windansea

The La Jolla Coast Walk Trail is a short historic dirt path on the bluffs above La Jolla’s sea caves, between Prospect Street and the Cave Store. Most visitors turn it into a longer coastal walk: start at La Jolla Shores, climb past the caves to La Jolla Cove, then follow Coast Boulevard past the Children’s Pool and on to Windansea. It is free, mostly easy, and best timed with a low tide.

The route at a glance

The full shoreline from La Jolla Shores to Windansea is part of the California Coastal Trail, which rates it easy with about 200 feet of elevation change. Here is how it breaks down, using that route description’s approximate mileages.

Segment	Approx. distance from the Shores	What you see
La Jolla Shores beach to Spindrift Drive	3/8 mile	Sandy beach, kayakers, Scripps Pier behind you
Torrey Pines Road to Coast Walk	3/4 mile	Quiet residential lane leading to the bluff
Coast Walk Trail to Goldfish Point	1 1/4 miles	Sea caves, cliffs, seabirds, Cave Store
La Jolla Cove and Scripps Park	about 1 5/8 miles	Sea lions, swimmers, grassy park
Children’s Pool to Coast Boulevard Park	about 2 1/8 miles	Harbor seals, Shell Beach, rocky coves
Windansea Beach	about 3 1/4 miles (low-tide shoreline route)	Reef surf break, the Surf Shack

A popular shorter outing is a round trip from Point La Jolla (the Cove area) to Windansea and back, about 4 miles.

Section 1: La Jolla Shores to the Coast Walk

La Jolla Shores is the gentle end of the walk. Kellogg Park, the grassy strip behind the beach, has restrooms with showers and a playground near the boardwalk. The park is open 4 a.m. to 10 p.m., and its lot on Camino del Oro fills quickly on summer weekends.

The Shores also has the only beachfront boat launch within San Diego city limits, at the foot of Avenida de la Playa. This is where kayak and paddleboard tours to the sea caves set out, so expect a crowd of rental gear on busy mornings. If you are searching for a “La Jolla kayak launch,” this is it.

From the south end of the beach, a narrow walkway climbs to Spindrift Drive. Walk two blocks along Torrey Pines Road, then turn onto the street called Coast Walk and follow it to its end, where the trail begins.

Section 2: The historic Coast Walk Trail and the sea caves

This is the part people mean when they search “La Jolla trail” or “La Jolla hike.” The dirt path runs about 0.6 miles along sandstone bluffs that rise from roughly 16 feet at Goldfish Point to well over 100 feet. Pelicans and cormorants nest on the ledges, and on clear days you can see across La Jolla Shores to the Scripps Pier and sometimes downtown San Diego.

The trail has deep history. The Kumeyaay called this stretch “place of many caves.” It was promoted to tourists in the 1890s, named Coast Walk by the city in 1963, designated a San Diego Historical Landmark in 1990, and listed in 2024 as part of a National Register historic district. Volunteer group Friends of Coast Walk helps the city maintain it.

Know before you go:

• Parking is tight. The small cul-de-sac at the Prospect Street end holds only about ten cars.
• Footing is dirt and uneven. Sneakers are fine; there are short slopes and steps.
• The caves themselves are below you. The seven La Jolla sea caves are only reachable by water, with one exception.

Sunny Jim Cave

The exception is Sunny Jim Cave, reached through a hand-dug tunnel inside the Cave Store at 1325 Coast Blvd, right at the trail’s south end. Admission is $13 for adults and $7 for ages 3 to 17, sold at the door only, with tours from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Expect about 145 steps down and the same back up. The cave holds 15 to 20 people at a time on a first-come basis, so there can be a short wait. It is the only way to “hike” into a La Jolla sea cave without a kayak.

Section 3: La Jolla Cove, Shell Beach and the Children’s Pool

Past the Cave Store, the path joins Coast Boulevard at Goldfish Point and opens onto La Jolla Cove and Ellen Browning Scripps Park. Our La Jolla Cove guide covers the Cove itself, from swimming and snorkeling to the sea lions and their smell. For the walk, the key points are:

• Stairs near Goldfish Point lead down to tide pools.
• Coast Boulevard continues past Boomer Beach and Shell Beach to the Children’s Pool.
• The Village is one block uphill if you want coffee or lunch; see our downtown La Jolla guide.

The Children’s Pool is a small beach behind a breakwater funded by Ellen Browning Scripps as a safe spot for kids. Harbor seals took it over starting in the 1990s. The beach is closed to people from December 15 to May 15 for pupping season, under a city agreement with the California Coastal Commission that runs to 2029. During the closure you can usually still walk the sidewalk and seawall when conditions allow. Keep your distance from seals on any beach.

Low tide and tide pools

La Jolla’s tide pools stretch from Dike Rock near Scripps Pier south to Windansea. At low tide you can find anemones, crabs, sea stars, sea hares and sometimes an octopus. The coastline is an ecological reserve, so nothing can be removed, living or dead.

For “low tide La Jolla Cove” searches, the practical advice is simple:

• Check NOAA tide predictions for La Jolla and aim for a low or minus tide.
• Wear closed-toe shoes with grip. Wet algae on rock is slick, and flip-flops are a bad idea.
• Watch the incoming tide. Shoreline sections below the bluffs can be cut off when the water rises.

Section 4: Coast Boulevard to Windansea

From Coast Boulevard Park you have two choices:

• Low-tide shoreline route. Scramble over rocks past Nicholson Point and Marine Street Beach to Windansea. It is the most scenic option and the reason this walk is popular at low tide, but it is not for small children or anyone unsteady on wet rock.
• High-tide street route. Follow Pearl Street, Marine Street, Vista del Mar, Fern Glen and Neptune Place. It is quieter residential walking with ocean glimpses between houses.

Windansea Beach and the Surf Shack

Windansea is one of Southern California’s best-known surf spots. It is a reef break with waves that hit harder and faster than at the Shores, and the local lineup expects good etiquette. If you are looking for Windansea beach surfing as a beginner, watch from the sand and book a lesson at La Jolla Shores instead.

The palm-thatched Windansea Surf Shack on the sand was built in 1947 by local surfers and was designated a San Diego historical landmark in 1998. It is a favorite photo stop, especially at sunset.

Practical notes: the small parking lot is on Neptune Place between Nautilus and Bonair streets, and street parking nearby is usually easier to find than at the Cove. There are no public restrooms, showers or drinking fountains at Windansea, so plan stops at the Cove or the Shores.

Parking and getting there

• La Jolla Shores: Kellogg Park lot off Camino del Oro, plus nearby street parking. Arrive early on weekends.
• Coast Walk: A handful of spaces at the Prospect Street cul-de-sac; otherwise park in the Village.
• The Cove and Village: Mostly time-limited street parking plus private paid garages. Read posted signs carefully, as limits vary by block.
• Windansea: Neptune Place lot and side streets.

A one-way walk with a rideshare back saves you retracing your steps and moving the car.

Who this walk suits and how to plan it

• Families with young kids: Do the Shores section and the Coast Walk Trail, then the Cove and Sunny Jim Cave. Skip the rock scramble.
• Photographers: Morning light on the Coast Walk bluffs and sunset at the Windansea Surf Shack.
• Tide-poolers: Time the Cove-to-Windansea stretch for a minus tide.
• Fitter walkers: Go the full shoreline from the Shores to Windansea and continue south toward Bird Rock and Pacific Beach.

Bring water, sun protection and a layer. Mornings on the coast are often cool and gray before the sun burns through.

Nearby pairings

If you start at the Shores, Birch Aquarium is up the hill on the Scripps campus and makes a good add-on before or after. For a longer and steeper coastal hike, Torrey Pines is a short drive north; check its current trail status in our Torrey Pines guide before you go.