TripAdvisor called this San Diego cove the No. 1 beach in the U.S. and it costs nothing

San Diego’s wildest stretch of coast

La Jolla Cove sits in a shallow cut of sandstone along the San Diego coast, and it’s the kind of place that doesn’t announce itself until you’re already standing at the edge.

TripAdvisor ranked it the top beach in the United States in 2026, and seventh in the world. It’s free, open year-round, and packed with marine life you can see without a boat.

The name La Jolla loosely translates to “The Jewel” in Spanish. Once you’ve seen what’s in the water, that makes sense.

From speculators’ lots to a protected ocean park

La Jolla’s coast started as a real estate project. In 1886, speculators bought 400 acres and carved it into a seaside village called La Jolla Park.

A decade later, philanthropist Ellen Browning Scripps arrived and spent the next several decades funding the landmarks that still define the area today.

By 1970, the City of San Diego created the San Diego-La Jolla Underwater Park to protect the ocean floor below.

The park covers 6,000 acres and includes a strictly protected Ecological Reserve where fishing is illegal and removing any marine life carries serious penalties.

Four habitats packed into one small bay

Below the surface, the cove holds four distinct ecosystems side by side: rocky reef, kelp forest, sand flats, and submarine canyon. Giant kelp grows up to 100 feet tall in the deeper water.

The submarine canyon nearby pulls cold, nutrient-rich water toward the surface, which feeds the whole system.

That combination explains why this small stretch of California coastline carries one of the highest concentrations of sea life on the coast. Only about two percent of the world’s ocean water has any legal protection.

La Jolla is one of the rare places where you can actually see what that protection does.

Snorkel with leopard sharks and California’s state fish

La Jolla Cove is the top snorkeling spot in San Diego, and the visibility backs that up. On clear summer days, you can see up to 30 feet down.

Garibaldi, the bright orange fish that serves as California’s state fish, is common near the rocks. You’ll also spot leopard sharks, kelp bass, sea stars, guitarfish, and sea anemones if you look closely.

A popular dive site nicknamed Turtle Town sits nearby, where green sea turtles feed on red kelp. Guided tours with gear and instruction are available if you’d rather have someone lead the way.

Seven caves carved into the cliffs by the sea

Between La Jolla Cove and La Jolla Shores, waves have been eating through the sandstone cliffs for thousands of years.

The result is seven sea caves with names like Sunny Jim’s Cave, Clam’s Cave, Arch Cave, Sea Surprise, Shopping Cart, Little Sister, and White Lady. Six of the seven are only reachable from the water.

Guided kayak tours launch from La Jolla Shores, run about 90 minutes to two hours, and don’t require any prior paddling experience. Sea lions, Garibaldi, leopard sharks, and sometimes dolphins show up along the route.

The one cave you can reach without getting wet

Sunny Jim is the only sea cave in California with a land entrance.

In 1902, a German engineer named Gustav Schultz hired two workers to hand-dig a tunnel through the sandstone cliff using picks and shovels. It took more than a year.

Early visitors went down by rope. Now there are 145 steps leading from The Cave Store on Coast Boulevard to a viewing platform where the echo of crashing waves fills the chamber.

The cave got its name from L. Frank Baum, who thought the cave opening looked like the profile of Sunny Jim, a cartoon character on a British cereal box.

Some locals claim the tunnel was used to move contraband during Prohibition, but nobody has proved it.

Sea lions bark from the bluffs at Point La Jolla

You’ll hear the sea lions before you see them. California sea lions gather along the rocky bluffs and at Point La Jolla, and their barking carries up to the park above.

Harbor seals prefer the beach at the Children’s Pool, where they haul out to rest and raise pups. The two species are easy to tell apart.

Sea lions have visible ear flaps and walk on strong front flippers. Harbor seals have no visible ears, tiny flippers, and wiggle on their bellies to move.

Cormorants, pelicans, and gulls nest along the bluffs year-round. Federal law protects all of them, so keep your distance.

The Children’s Pool seawall and its seal colony

About a 10-minute walk south of the cove along Coast Boulevard, you’ll reach the Children’s Pool. Ellen Browning Scripps paid for a concrete breakwater seawall, finished in 1931, to give children a calm place to swim.

By the mid-1990s, harbor seals had found the spot, and the first seal pups were born there in 1999. The beach is closed to the public every year from Dec. 15 through May 15 during pupping season.

Outside that window, you can walk the seawall and look down at seals resting on the sand a few feet below.

Picnic above the Pacific at Scripps Park

Scripps Park sits directly above La Jolla Cove, a 5.6-acre stretch of green with Monterey cypress trees, picnic tables, paved paths, and sheltered gazebos called belvederes.

The land was set aside as public space back in 1887 and renamed in 1927 to honor Ellen Browning Scripps on her 91st birthday.

A blufftop path runs from the cove all the way to the Children’s Pool with open ocean views the entire way.

The park draws crowds for sunsets and community events, including the annual La Jolla Concours d’Elegance classic car show.

Wade into the tide pools at low tide

When the tide drops, the rocky coastline around La Jolla Cove turns into something else entirely.

Sea anemones, hermit crabs, sea stars, limpets, snails, sea hares, and occasionally an octopus appear in shallow pools between the rocks.

Dike Rock, just north of Scripps Pier, is one of the best spots, and Birch Aquarium leads guided tide pool tours there. Wear shoes with grip.

The rocks are covered in algae and they’re slippery. The rule is simple: look, but put everything back exactly where you found it.

Birch Aquarium brings the ocean floor to dry land

If you want to go deeper without getting wet, Birch Aquarium sits on a hilltop overlooking La Jolla Shores, about 10 minutes from the cove by car.

The aquarium is the public face of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, with roots going back to 1903. Today, it houses more than 9,000 animals from over 400 species.

The giant kelp forest tank is the centerpiece, but the seadragon and seahorse exhibit ranks among the largest in the world. Outside, the Tide Pool Plaza lets you touch sea creatures while looking out over the ocean.

Walk the Coast Boulevard trail from cove to seal beach

One of the best ways to take in the whole coastline is to walk Coast Boulevard from La Jolla Cove south to the Children’s Pool. The path is paved, mostly flat, and takes about 15 to 20 minutes at a relaxed pace.

Along the way, you’ll pass Boomer Beach, Shell Beach, and several ocean-view belvederes where you can stop and watch the waves. Sea lion calls carry up from the rocks below.

The path goes right by The Cave Store, so you can add a descent into Sunny Jim Cave without breaking the route.

Visit La Jolla Cove in San Diego

La Jolla Cove sits at 1100 Coast Blvd., La Jolla, CA 92037, and getting in costs nothing.

The cove is open year-round, and lifeguards are on duty starting at 9 a.m. at the cove, the Children’s Pool, and La Jolla Shores. Restrooms and showers are available in Scripps Park near the water.

Street parking runs along Coast Boulevard and fills fast on weekends and summer days, so arrive early or plan to walk a few blocks. Everything you’d want to see is within a short walk of the cove itself.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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