A Coastal Walk in San Diego County

Ever since I enjoyed an inn-to-inn walk along the Dorset Coast in England, I’ve pondered how--and where--we coast walkers could enjoy a similar experience along the California coast. Sunny San Diego--in particular its North County shoreline--is one good place for a long walk.

Twenty-five miles of beach await the hiker. Stretching between Del Mar and Oceanside is a coastline of black- and white-sand beaches, backed by bluffs and dotted with lagoons.

The towns and beaches here are quiet and give the illusion of being off the beaten track. Until 1964, the coastline was busier because Pacific Coast Highway, then the main thoroughfare between Los Angeles and San Diego, sent motorists whizzing along the coast. However, when Interstate 5 routed travelers inland, the Coast Highway--and the small towns--were left to residents and beach-goers.

To some casual visitors, the towns of Del Mar, Solana Beach, Encinitas and Leucadia all look alike, though residents are quick to dispute this and point out the superiority of their town and beach. And in truth, when you walk (as opposed to drive) through these towns, you’ll find that each does indeed have a distinct personality.

Each beach seems to have its own character, too: from “best surfing” and “clearest water” to “most panoramic view” and “most bird life.” The air and water temperatures are Mediterranean-like, the place names Spanish. North San Diego County is quite a bit removed from the bustle of California’s second-largest city.

Amtrak stops at Del Mar and Oceanside, suggesting a European-style walking tour between the two beach towns. The walking distance from train station to train station is about 25 miles--a perfect two- or three-day weekend jaunt.

Feeling a bit leg-weary or want to bring along some pint-sized hikers? No problem. Hike until you’re tired, then hop on one of the many North San Diego County Transit District buses that run up and down the coast.

My recommendation is: 1) Take the train from Los Angeles to Del Mar; 2) beach-walk from Del Mar to Encinitas, Leucadia or even Carlsbad and spend the night; 3) walk to Oceanside, and 4) take the train from Oceanside back to Los Angeles. It all adds up to a terrific weekend adventure.

You’ll find camping at San Elijo State Beach and South Carlsbad State Beach, plus plenty of motels in all price ranges--from semi-seedy bungalows in Leucadia to Automobile Assn. of America-approved accommodations in Encinitas and Carlsbad.

Hikers certainly won’t go hungry en route. But if you’re not careful, you could get indigestion. In the beach towns, you can eat Italian, Hungarian, Armenian, Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese food. And just a few blocks inland from the beach trail are scores of coffeehouses, juice bars, malt shops and fish taco stands.

But there’s a more serious precaution to observe on this coastal hike: Consult a North San Diego County tide table or local newspaper and try to walk during the three hours before and after low tide; this is particularly important in winter, when the beach is narrow. During the summer, when the beach is wide, you can walk almost any time.

If waves are breaking uncomfortably close to the cliffs and there’s little room to walk, head inland and walk the bluffs and beach towns for a while until the tide goes down. (A particularly narrow stretch of beach, with housing and sea walls crowding the shore, is south Oceanside.) There are plenty of officially designated coastal accessways from which to reach--or retreat from--the beach.

Directions to trail head: Figure about a two-hour train ride from Los Angeles to Del Mar. Try to catch one of the earlier trains of the 10 or so on the San Diegan Route, so that you have plenty of time to enjoy your walk. Note that weekend and weekday schedules are a bit different. Southland residents who live far from the coast or Los Angeles Union Station can obtain a schedule of San Diegan Route Inland Bus Connections from Amtrak. For information or reservations, call Amtrak at (800) USA-RAIL.

For those who choose to leave their cars behind, the Oceanside Transit Center offers plenty of options. Along with the Amtrak station, the center is home to Trailways and Greyhound bus stations and serves as a major arrival/ departure point for San Diego’s North County Transit District buses. Route 301, with more than 30 buses a day, services the coastal towns between Del Mar and Oceanside. For route information, call (619) 722-NCTD.

The hike: From the train station, Coastal Trail travels south over Del Mar City Beach, “where the surf meets the turf,” as modern-day advertisements boast. The long beach’s northern end is directly opposite the Del Mar Race Track and County Fairgrounds. It’s legal to exercise horses here, north to Solana Beach. You can watch trainers gallop their thoroughbreds in case you forget your own. Swimming and surfing are also popular activities.

The beach trail passes beneath houses perched surrealistically atop the handsome but collapsing sandstone bluffs. If the tide is high, you may have to hike over rocks piled at the base of cliffs to slow erosion.

Beyond Del Mar is Solana (Spanish for “sunny place”) Beach. Half a mile north of Solana, the trail traverses Tide Beach County Park, which soon widens into Cardiff State Beach. At the south end of Cardiff are tide pools to explore.

Developed in 1912, Cardiff by the Sea was no doubt named by an Anglophile who borrowed the name from a seaport in Wales. British place names are on most of the town’s streets. Originally, the township was named San Elijo after the nearby lagoon.

A bit beyond Cardiff is San Elijo State Beach, the southernmost beach campground in the state park system. The campground is located along the bluff top overlooking the beach. You’ll find a hike-bike campsite here, as well as regular campsites with tables, stoves, showers, the works. To reach the campground, take the stairway from the beach to the bluff top.

At San Elijo Lagoon, a long low point in the cliffs, the surf can be quite active. North of the lagoon, the bluffs rise higher and higher. Immediately south of the town of Encinitas, the beach trail reaches Sea Cliff County Park, a small bluff-top park with picnicking. The offshore reefs here contain a bounty of sea creatures, including kelp, bass, corbina, halibut and abalone. The diving and surf fishing are excellent.

Swami’s is a city park and beach named for the lotus-shaped Self-Realization Fellowship Ashram Center on the bluffs. Established in 1937, the center provides a retreat for members and a meditation area with panoramic coastal views.

Beyond Swami’s is the small town of Encinitas, “the place of little oaks.” Past here, the cliffs open up and fill with sand, forming the wide and sandy Moonlight State Beach. It’s a mile walk from Moonlight to sandy Leucadia State Beach.

On the bluffs above is the town of Leucadia, founded during the boom of the 1880s and named after a Greek island renowned for its beauty, fine wine and olives. If you walk around town, you’ll notice Greek and Roman street names--Hygeia, Eolus, Hermes, Vulcan. Leucadia and its streets were named by a group of British spiritualists with a penchant for classical culture who came to the United States seeking religious freedom. Leucadia Beach is wide and sandy, again the domain of the surfer.

Half a mile north is Batequitos Lagoon, a refuge for endangered aquatic birds. Another mile north brings you to South Carlsbad State Beach, which also has a hiker-biker campsite, as well as 222 vehicle campsites. THe campground can be reached via stairways from the beach.

Two miles north of South Carlsbad State Beach is Carlsbad State Beach. As you approach, you’ll spot what appears to be a giant lighthouse, but on closer inspection turns out to be the Encina Power Plant, located at Aqua Hedionda (Stinking Water) Lagoon. The no-longer-odiferous waters of the lagoon make it a popular spot for boating and bird-watching.

Coastal Trail pushes onward past the state beach over sandy and rocky shore lined with bluffs. You pass Carlsbad City Beach and the resort town of Carlsbad, which in the 19th Century attracted visitors to its healing sulfur springs. Today it’s the largest of the coastal towns lining old Coast Highway. Not only can you walk the beach here, but you can also promenade along two walkways--one by the beach, the other atop the bluffs.

At the north end of Carlsbad you’ll encounter yet another lagoon, Buena Vista, a natural preserve and bird sanctuary where fishing is permitted.

According to local tradition, Oceanside was a community that just named itself. Prior to 1884, it was the custom of many inland-dwelling families “to go oceanside” here on outings. Oceanside Beach, populated with Marines from nearby Camp Pendelton, features a municipal fishing pier.

As the Oceanside Pier and the mouth of Oceanside Harbor come into view, you’ll turn inland on Tyson Street and walk a couple of blocks to the Oceanside Transit Center and Amtrak Station.

Take a hike with John McKinney’s guidebook: “Walk Los Angeles: Adventures on the Urban Edge “ ($14.95). Send check or money order to Los Angeles Times Syndicate, Dept. 1, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles 90053.

San Diego Beachs / California Coastal Trail Where: North San Diego County. Distance: From Del Mar to Oceanside, 25 miles one way. Shorter trips, by bus, are possible. Terrain: White sand, black sand, cobble beaches. Highlights: Plenty of natural and man-made attractions. Great beach walking; funky beach towns with good food; panoramic views; plenty of campsites for hiking, biking and vehicles; good diving, boating and surf fishing; a natural preserve and bird sanctuary. Degree of difficulty: Easy. Precautions: At all times of the year, but particularly in winter, the going is easier at low tide. Pick up a local tide schedule, or consult a local newspaper. For more information: Contact the San Diego Convention and Visitors Bureau at (619)232-3101.