Black's Beach, San Diego

4.5

Beach · Nature / Park

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Black's Beach is a secluded section of beach beneath the bluffs of Torrey Pines on the Pacific Ocean in La Jolla, San Diego, California, United States. It is officially part of Torrey Pines State Beach. The northern portion of Black's Beach is owned and managed by the California Department of Parks and Recreation, while the southern portion of the beach, officially known as Torrey Pines City Beach, is jointly owned by the city of San Diego and the state park, but is managed by the city of San Diego. This distinction is important as Black's Beach is most known as a nude beach, a practice that is now prohibited in the southern portion managed by the city of San Diego.
Black's Beach was named for the Black family who had a horse ranch overlooking the beach. They sold the land, and then it was subdivided into La Jolla Farms lots. The Farms' residents retained the Black family's private road to the beach. Many mansions can be seen in the southern portion of the beach, including the Salk Mansion. There is a funicular that goes all the way down from a mansion on the cliff to the beach into a structure known by locals as the mushroom house.

A submarine canyon funnels swells into Black's Beach, making it appealing to surfers but dangerous for inexperienced swimmers.

Usually, lifeguards are at the beach until 6:00 p.m., year round.

Due to budget cuts, lifeguard patrols were limited but have increased because of funding by UC San Diego. Stingrays can be found along the coastline when the water gets above 50 degrees.

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Black's Beach reviews

TripAdvisor traveler rating

357 reviews

Google

4.7

By H6927GF

Good beach but mainly men nude. About 20 percent females nude, but many females in swimsuits. About 10 percent of the men seem to walk around erect looking for attention. I've not seem so many...

Good beach but mainly men nude. About 20 percent females nude, but many females in swimsuits. About 10 percent of the men seem to walk around erect looking for attention. I've not seem so many... more »
By ricard071

grate place to bewith people of my type. Would go in heart beat again and for a swell time to boot . Go

grate place to bewith people of my type. Would go in heart beat again and for a swell time to boot . Go more »
By apple-pear-joy

Crazy naked man gyrating and cursing at me on the trail. I was not hanging out on the beach, just getting exercise on the steep trail, but he was unfortunately part of my hiking experience. I think...

Crazy naked man gyrating and cursing at me on the trail. I was not hanging out on the beach, just getting exercise on the steep trail, but he was unfortunately part of my hiking experience. I think... more »

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Google

By Adam Bou Hamdan

The hike down is exhausting, and the hike back up is even more exhausting, but this beach is worth it. It really is one of the most beautiful beaches I’ve seen in my life. I stayed for the sunset and I wasn’t disappointed. If it weren’t for the hike that you need to do to get to the bottom, I’d be there every single weekend.

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By Rohini M

Good for hikes and a perfect place to watch sunset. Hikes can be exhausting but it's a nice experience and definitely not a kid friendly beach ;)

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By Thad Ferguson

What a great beach - and everyone is naked and enjoying them selfs in the sun - I personally do not know how they do it is chilly and windy and slippery and the path goes right down and you could go right with it ... I feel like this place might be a great place to see because when you look at it you think - ONE GOOD EATHQUAKE - really that is all it wil ltake... But for now its so amazing and what a great view ... from the top ... but as you stroll down the narrow and rocky path it might be a bit dangerous .. we went and we the slippery people only almost fell off the side a few time and we made it out just fine ... I would say as a handicapped person it is not so accessible - But if you can almost walk and have plenty of time then maybe but would be careful .. I am not to sure a service dog would work here maybe but my Service dog would likely not save my life as he would likely go off the cliff with me in tow - So would not say this is a good beach for any dog ... but because of its hike ... they say there is other trails that might make it easier but ... I think the one time I went was enough but .. for all you trail blazers this might be the place for you ... So pretty!!! Thanks mother nature for making this spot - BTW the sunsets in the parking lot are great... seen some RV life people there as well as VAN people - but would keep it to a minimum as the Police patrol this space ... and if it gets nuts I am sure they will cut it out right away!!!

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By Travel RN

Beautiful and peaceful. It’s a bit of a shocker at first but if you are free spirited and open minded you quickly let loose. The hike down wasn’t bad and please BRING SNEAKERS and LIGHT tote unless you want to struggle down that hike. AGAIN bring a good pair of shoes because you will slip and get hurt if you are not careful. If you are not used to hiking or have cardiac issues I would not recommend this hike. This is my FAVORITE beach. I love the free spirited people that attend here.

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By Alex Melendez

This is a great beach, if you wanna see the beautiful cliffs, and avoid the crowds of other beaches. It is a nude beach, but there are a few nude people. Most people are clothed and you wouldn’t know it’s a nude beach. The stairs down and up or not that bad. An out of shape person can do it pretty fine. large free dirt parking lot

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