backOverview
Blacks Beach a sandy beach nestled between rows of 300 ft cliffs. The name comes from the unusual black sand found on the shorelines. It lies about 35 minutes from downtown San Diego. This place has the highest cliffs surrounding a beach area in San Diego.Best Time of Day
Between 1 hour before sunset and sunset is the best lighting conditions for photos. In the morning the shadows of the cliffs fall over the beach as a result of the sun rising from the east, which is behind the cliffs.Best Time of Year
Blacks Beach is a nude beach, the only one in Southern California. There will be lots of those people walking around the beach in the summer, but just about none in winter. So unless you would like to spend hours editing people out of your photos, winter is the best time to photograph, with exceptions to a few days in spring or fall when the temperature is in the 50s or below. One out of every three days in summer the beach will be covered in a marine layer, a layer of low clouds that hugs the coast.
Things to Photograph (Check out the photo page to see these places. They will also appear on the map page.)
Blacks Beach Coastline: The coastline of Blacks Beach stretches a total of 3 miles. The northern end of the beach starts at a very noticeable sandstone outcropping jutting out towards the ocean. On the other side of the outcropping is Torrey Pines State Park. About 0.4 miles south of the sandstone outcropping there is a very short section of beach covered with rocks, simply known as "North Rocky Point." This area is great for fishing. In low tide, the rocks closest to the direction of the water is exposed with moss. Photographing these rocks with the sun on your side gives them a green, glowing appearance. The southern end of the beach is marked by another rocky area, known as "South Rocky Point." Fishing is not allowed here. If you keep going south from there, you will hit the city of La Jolla and the very crowded La Jolla coastline.
Blacks Beach Bluffs: Because of the stunning appearance of this area, numerous movies and commercials have been filmed here. There is a paragliding port on the south side of the cliffs, and the area is also known as the Torrey Pines gliderport cliffs. You will be able to view of the beach from the vertical 300 ft cliffs. There is beach access on the north and south side of the cliffs. The north side of the cliffs has a small footpath created by surfers trying to get down to the beach quickly. The footpath is only 0.16 miles long, but is steep and may be uncomfortable for some who are afraid of heights. It is not advised that someone take this path in sandals. One slip on the loose soil will send you falling a long way down to the beach below. The beach access on the south side of the cliffs is a very easy 0.3 mile long trail that can sometimes be crowded.
Bird Haven: Recently, swarms of seagulls have been inhabiting parts of the beach. Their population has been steadily growing. You may see up to 5,000 seagulls in a section of beach less than a quarter mile long! Shortly after the birds inhabited the areas, locals begun referring to the area as "Bird Haven." The birds have been attracting photographers to the area. Be aware that the seagulls will only be there in the winter. In summer they are scared away by numerous crowds.
Location
There are 3 ways to access blacks beach:
From the north side: Park at Torrey Pines State Park and walk 1.3 miles south along the beach until you his a sandstone outcropping. The address for the parking lot is: 12600 North Torrey Pines Road, San Diego CA 92037.
From Blacks Beach Bluffs: You can park at the top of the bluffs and walk down to the beach. This is the most popular access point. You will arrive at the southern end of the cliffs at the Torrey Pines gliderport. The address for the gliderport is: 2800 Torrey Pines Scenic Dr, La Jolla, California.
From the south side: Park at La Jolla Shores and walk a little under a mile until you reach the rocks at the southern end of Blacks Beach. The address for La Jolla Shores is: 8200 Camino del Oro La Jolla, CA.
Maps and Photos
Blacks Beach Map
Blacks Beach Photos
Blacks Beach Bluffs Photos
More Information
Weather Forecast
LIVE webcam of Blacks Beach viewed from Mt. Soledad (located 3 miles south)
LIVE webcam of La Jolla Shores (less than a mile to the south)
Tide forecast
