Spots for shell hunting near San Diego/La Jolla/Torrey Pines beaches?

[jenhelgren]

We will be visiting in late October and I am guessing the water will be too cold for swimming but we are from the Midwest and my kids love to see any beach they can! Are there any good scenic/shell hunting beaches? We plan on sightseeing for the day and could use any advice we can get on the best beaches to visit and parking tips! Thanks in advance

 

[ImDMous]

La Jolla has some cool tidepools if you can line up low-tide with your visit that day. There are shells there, but it's a challenge to find complete ones, they get beat up by the tide.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attracti...Tide_Pools-La_Jolla_San_Diego_California.html

Southern Cal as a whole is not great for shell collecting, but I've heard Silver Strand is not bad.

http://www.sandiego.org/articles/beaches/silver-strand-state-beach.aspx

 

[Purrkins]

Silver Strand. Parking is easy.

For sand dollars, we've had good luck on Coronado (near Silver Strand)

Shell beach in La Jolla is fun, but sometimes the stairs get washed out.

Also worth tidepooling (just don't take anything) - check tide calendars for your trip. YMMV.

 

[jenhelgren]

Thank you!
Is parking at Silver Strand free right alongside the beach and do the spots get filled up early? This is our first trip to California and we will be visiting in late October so I am not sure what to expect at all! Any other beach advice is GREATLY appreciated! We do not have a hotel picked yet but want to be within a reasonable area of the Safari Zoo and SeaWorld. We want to spend a whole day exploring the coast and beaches!

 

[SMD]

Thank you!
Is parking at Silver Strand free right alongside the beach and do the spots get filled up early? This is our first trip to California and we will be visiting in late October so I am not sure what to expect at all! Any other beach advice is GREATLY appreciated! We do not have a hotel picked yet but want to be within a reasonable area of the Safari Zoo and SeaWorld. We want to spend a whole day exploring the coast and beaches!

You'll have to walk several miles if there is any free parking still available. If you want to go shell hunting I recommend being at the parking lot at 7am when it opens. Residents and hotel guests are often on the beach shortly after sunrise collecting shells. Once the tide starts to come in by 10am you won't find many shells. I'd also avoid taking anything out of tide pools, as collecting live shells and mollusks is illegal and that's where you'll tend to find live ones. But tide pools are still fun to explore. You might want to find a shell store in Coronado or Balboa Island to buy that one perfect shell or starfish as a souvenir, to supplement the shell pieces you'll collect.

 

[jenhelgren]

Is there paid parking closer to the beach or is all the parking that far of a hike?

 

[SMD]

There's basically like a 2 lane highway with water on either side. The part I'm thinking of there's a parking lot on the east side near a cove and there's a pedestrian tunnel to the west facing beach. There may be other parking lots, I don't know. Of course I'm going to say the best option is to just stay at the Del and walk on the beach there. South of the Del there are condos, I've stayed there too. Then the main part considered "Silver Strand" is south of that. I've really only ever driven down not much farther than the Loews without stopping, and even that was close to 10 years ago. If you're not staying in Coronado you can probably find some shells on any SD beach.

 

[Purrkins]

Thank you!
Is parking at Silver Strand free right alongside the beach and do the spots get filled up early? This is our first trip to California and we will be visiting in late October so I am not sure what to expect at all! Any other beach advice is GREATLY appreciated! We do not have a hotel picked yet but want to be within a reasonable area of the Safari Zoo and SeaWorld. We want to spend a whole day exploring the coast and beaches!

No, it's a bit of a walk, but level and pleasant. Also consider Imperial Beach which has plenty of parking, paid ($2) and free parking all close to the beach and by the pier. It's kind of a secret beach that is never really that crowded.

Close to Safari Zoo and SeaWorld - clarify please: the San Diego Zoo or San Diego Safari Park? - both are run by the Zoological Society - the zoo is located in Balboa Park and close to central San Diego and about 10 minutes from SeaWorld, the Safari Park is in North County and a 40 minute drive from San Diego proper. Both are great, but worth noting the distance between the two.

 

[jenhelgren]

Safari Park. I was looking into Homewood/Residence Inn type hotels to give us a little more space-around Del Mar or Carmel Mountain area? It looks reasonable on a map but I have no idea how traffic plays into drive time!
I know the kids want to see the seals at La Jolla beach and shell hunt for sure. The only beach they have found shells on was on our DCL cruise and you are not allowed to take the shell back on the ship

 

[Purrkins]

Safari Park. I was looking into Homewood/Residence Inn type hotels to give us a little more space-around Del Mar or Carmel Mountain area? It looks reasonable on a map but I have no idea how traffic plays into drive time!
I know the kids want to see the seals at La Jolla beach and shell hunt for sure. The only beach they have found shells on was on our DCL cruise and you are not allowed to take the shell back on the ship

Since the beach seems to be the priority - Residence Inn in La Jolla should work. Not near the beach (you'll need to drive) but close enough to La Jolla, easy freeway access to get to Seaworld and should knock about 15 minutes off the drive to Safari Park. Decent places to eat plus a Trader Joe's and Whole Foods close by if you want to do your own cooking. Also worth seeing Torrey Pines State Park (cool trees and cliffs over the ocean, kids might did the hanglider port) and Scripps Aquarium - both close by.

We have horrible traffic - I think worse than LA, our infrastructure is lacking- so plan driving around typical rush hour times - 8 AM to 9:30 AM, 4 PM - 6:30 PM. From La Jolla/Del Mar traffic will be heading both South and North during these periods.

A word about shells - finding complete intact shells is pretty rare here. You'll mostly find pieces or odd bits. Not sure why this is. But a day spent at the beach is never wasted. Pack a picnic and watch the sunsets. Some of the best in the world (its all the smog).

 

[jenhelgren]

Thank you for your great local advice! We live in rural IL and I hate traffic but I grew up in Chicago and still have family in the city so I was hoping San Diego would be better than LA!