Small, picturesque cove and beach that is surrounded by cliffs. The Cove is protected as part of a marine reserve; underwater it is very rich in marine life, and is popular with snorkelers, swimmers and scuba divers

Getting There

From San Diego (12mi) Get on I-5 N. Follow I-5 N to La Jolla Pkwy. Take exit 26A from I-5 N. Continue on La Jolla Pkwy. Take Torrey Pines Rd to Coast Blvd.

Overview

La Jolla Cove is a small, picturesque cove and beach that is surrounded by cliffs in La Jolla, San Diego, California. The Cove is protected as part of a marine reserve; underwater it is very rich in marine life, and is popular with snorkelers, swimmers and scuba divers.

The swells that often roll in from the open ocean here can be rather large and strong, and so being in the water at the Cove is not always suitable for people who do not have good water skills. The water temperature is also often a little colder than the average San Diego beach, and the beach has the disadvantage that the dry sand area is very small at high tide. In contrast, during very low tides, a lot of interesting tide pools are revealed at the Cove.

Bobak Ha'Eri, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Image Size Adjusted

California sea lions can be found in the waters of the Cove and hauling out, temporarily leaving the water to rest on its beaches, cliffs, and bluffs.

Free public parking is extremely limited and is all on-street; there are also paid parking garages in the area. From the park at the top of the Cove, there are a few steps down on each side to a "gallery" area with a lot of benches. This gallery includes the entrance to the lifeguard station, where the lifeguard's chalkboard shows useful information updated throughout the day. From the gallery level there are two steep sets of concrete steps that lead down to the beach itself, although visitors often have to step on rocks to get all the way down to the sand.

Description

The Cove is a very popular spot for swimming, snorkeling and scuba diving. During summer, there are two swim buoys placed at 1/4mile and 1/2 mile distances from the Cove. More adventurous swimmers will attempt to swim to Scripps Pier and back, totaling 3 miles round trip.

Because La Jolla Cove is within the San Diego-La Jolla Underwater Park (a marine refuge area), swimming devices such as surfboards, boogie boards, and even inflatable mattresses, are not permitted, and kayakers are not allowed into the Cove; these rules are carefully enforced by the lifeguards on duty. Also because the Cove is an ecological reserve, no fishing is allowed. In addition, no collecting of marine invertebrates, (even taking dead specimens or seashells) is allowed in this area. All sea animals in this area are protected by law, including the orange Garibaldi fish, which are unusually common in the Cove. There are hundreds of sea lions that call the La Jolla Cove home, sometimes being seen in the deeper-water parts of the Cove or basking on rocks.

Surrounding area

Up on the bluffs above the beach, and stretching south to other nearby beaches, including Shell Beach and Children's Pool Beach, is Scripps Park, a well-maintained grassy area with trees and other plantings. Scripps Park is used for picnicking and relaxing.

The La Jolla sea caves, or "The 7 caves of La Jolla", are just north of the cove. The best known of these is "Sunny Jim Cave", a short walking distance from the Cove and from the local businesses that are situated up above the shoreline. The cave is accessible through The Cave Store, which charges a nominal fee to go down a staircase leading to the cave itself.

Children's Pool Beach

Children's Pool Beach is a small sandy beach area located at 850 Coast Boulevard, at the end of Jenner Street, in San Diego. It is directly south of Lajolla Cove.

The Children's Pool earned its name after the construction of a concrete breakwater in 1931. The structure was gifted to the community of La Jolla by the local philanthropist Ellen Browning Scripps, who paid for the construction of a breakwater project in order to create a place where children could play and swim that would be protected from waves coming onshore and the beaches adjacent to this area. The gift was confirmed by an act of the Legislature, signed by the Gov. James Rolph Jr. in 1931. About 200 harbor seals were using the beach regularly. The seals have become a popular tourist attraction.

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "La Jolla Cove", and "Children's Pool Beach", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0