1
Carlsbad City Beach
Public beach
👍👍 This has always been my favorite beach whenever we visit So California. It is an excellent location with several different places to eat for lunch/dinner/snacks. There Always seems to be parking if you’re willing to drive around a little to find it. Access to the beach is direct and easy, with a few...
4.90 (232 reviews)
2
Carlsbad State Beach
State park
👍👍 Loved this wide pale sand beach, with rolling waves that occasionally connect for long stretches. It's like dancing waters, when shore breakers are sizable. The foam jumps & dances, before plummeting back down.
Surfing this beach, looked challenging...at least it did for the guy we watched. The...
4.90 (62 reviews)
3
Carlsbad State Beach Jetty
Public beach
👍 It's a good beach, has lots of sand crabs, parking is usually easy but it does cost 15 on weekdays and 20 on weekends. Always have lifeguards during the day!
4.80 (40 reviews)
4
North Ponto Beach
Public beach
Narrow sand-&-pebble beach backed by steep bluffs; a popular destination for surfing.
4.70 (990 reviews)
5
Terramar Point
Scenic spot
🫤 I went during low tide, but it still wasn't low enough. This is a tiny strip of beach that is limited accessible. Forget walking along the beach here!
Great for surfing
I couldn't walk along cliffs, got waves up to hip level.
I suggest going to beaches south of La Costa, Encinitas & Solana Beach,...
4.70 (696 reviews)
6
Terramar
Public beach
👍👍 Easy parking and easy access down the stairs. Very nice beach, nice tide pools to the north. Just go down the steps and walk up (north) the beach a bit at low tide. Tide pools often have hidden treasures, such as crabs, Sea Anemones and Sea Stars (starfish). Often there are a lot of surfers.
Ke...
4.70 (120 reviews)
7
South Carlsbad State Beach
Campground
200+ clifftop campsites with picnic tables & stairs to a beach park with 40+ acres for watersports.
4.60 (1.8K reviews)
8
Tower #30, Carlsbad, CA
Beach pavillion
👍 Nice beach for the kiddos, I noticed. Gentle waves were the norm, the day I visited. 1-2 foot ankle nibblers, with an occasional 3 footer, provided the challenge for beginning surfers, engaged in a Surf Lesson, I noticed, near Tower 30 & jetty next to it. This is the same area, where a lone, mass...
4.60 (175 reviews)