Black's Beach is a secluded section of beach beneath the bluffs of Torrey Pines on the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contin ...

La Jolla La Jolla ( , ) is a hilly, seaside neighborhood within the city of San Diego, California, United States, occupying of curving coastline along the Pacific Ocean. The population reported in the 2010 census was 46,781. La Jolla is surrounded on ...

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United State ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. It is officially part of

Torrey Pines State Beach Torrey Pines State Beach is a public beach located in the San Diego, California community of Torrey Pines, south of Del Mar and north of La Jolla. Coastal erosion from the adjacent Torrey Pines State Reserve makes for a picturesque landscape. I ...

. 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 San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

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 nude beach, sometimes called a clothing-optional or free beach, is a beach where users are at liberty to be nude. Nude beaches usually have mixed bathing. Such beaches are usually on public lands, and any member of the public is allowed to ...

, a practice that is now prohibited in the southern portion managed by the city of San Diego.Black's Beach - La Jolla, California - Clothing-Optional Beach near San Diego
/ref> 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 A funicular (, , ) is a type of cable railway system that connects points along a railway track laid on a steep slope. The system is characterized by two counterbalanced carriages (also called cars or trains) permanently attached to opposite e ...

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. Funicular from La Jolla Shores to Blacks Beach California

Funicular from La Jolla Shores to Blacks Beach California

submarine canyon A submarine canyon is a steep-sided valley cut into the seabed of the continental slope, sometimes extending well onto the continental shelf, having nearly vertical walls, and occasionally having canyon wall heights of up to 5 km, from c ...

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 The University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego or colloquially, UCSD) is a public land-grant research university in San Diego, California. Established in 1960 near the pre-existing Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego is t ...

. Stingrays can be found along the coastline when the water gets above 50 degrees.

Location

Black's Beach is about one mile north of the popular

La Jolla Shores La Jolla Shores, with its northern part Scripps Beach, is a beach and vacation/residential community of the same name in La Jolla, San Diego, California. The La Jolla Shores business district is a mixed-use village encircling Laureate Park on Ave ...

beach in

, below the bluffs of Torrey Pines, which extend up to above the sandy beach. On the bluffs above Black's Beach are the

Torrey Pines Gliderport The Torrey Pines Gliderport is a city-owned private-use glider airport located in the La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego, California, United States, 11 nautical miles (20 km) northwest of the city's central business district. It was first ...

Torrey Pines Municipal Golf Course Torrey Pines Golf Course is a 36-hole municipal golf facility on the west coast of the United States, owned by the city of San Diego, California. It sits on the coastal cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean in the community of La Jolla, just south ...

, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, and

Torrey Pines State Reserve Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve is of coastal state park located in the community of La Jolla, in San Diego, California, off North Torrey Pines Road. Although it is located within San Diego city limits, it remains one of the wildest stretche ...

. To the north of Black's Beach lies the rest of

, which altogether stretches from

Del Mar, California Del Mar (; Spanish for "Of the Sea") is a beach town in San Diego County, California, located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean. Established in 1885 as a seaside resort, the city incorporated in 1959. The Del Mar Horse Races are hosted on the ...

, past the

Los Peñasquitos Lagoon Los Peñasquitos Marsh Natural Preserve and Lagoon is a coastal marsh in San Diego County, California, United States situated at the northern edge of the City of San Diego, forming the natural border with Del Mar, California.Torrey Pines State Pr ...

toward

Scripps Beach Scripps may refer to: People * Edward W. Scripps (1854–1926), American publisher and media financier * Ellen Browning Scripps (1836–1932), American philanthropist, half-sister of Edward W. Scripps * James E. Scripps (1835–1906), American n ...

. To the east of Black's Beach is the campus of the

University of California, San Diego The University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego or colloquially, UCSD) is a public land-grant research university in San Diego, California. Established in 1960 near the pre-existing Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego is t ...

Nude beach

Flatrock Point Torrey Pines State Beach La Jolla, CA

Black's Beach in San Diego is one of the largest

nude beaches A nude beach, sometimes called a clothing-optional or free beach, is a beach where users are at liberty to be nude. Nude beaches usually have mixed bathing. Such beaches are usually on public lands, and any member of the public is allowed to ...

in the United States and is popular with Southern Californian

nudists Naturism is a lifestyle of practising non-sexual social nudity in private and in public; the word also refers to the cultural movement which advocates and defends that lifestyle. Both may alternatively be called nudism. Though the two terms ar ...

and

naturists Naturism is a lifestyle of practising non-sexual social nudity in private and in public; the word also refers to the cultural movement which advocates and defends that lifestyle. Both may alternatively be called nudism. Though the two terms a ...

. Originally including the current Torrey Pines State Beach, Black's Beach was the first and only public nude beach in the country for several years in the mid-1970s. Because Black's Beach was traditionally recognized as a clothing-optional beach, nudity is tolerated for the portion of the beach that is managed by the state park. Until 1977, the city portion of Black's Beach was posted as "swimsuit optional"; in that year, nudity was prohibited on that part of the beach. The clothing-optional portion of Black's Beach begins about south of the trail head leading to the

, and runs north for approximately to the beached steel buoy south of Flatrock Point.

Surfing

The southern portion of Black's Beach is known to

surfers Surfing is a surface water sport in which an individual, a surfer (or two in tandem surfing), uses a board to ride on the forward section, or face, of a moving wave of water, which usually carries the surfer towards the shore. Waves suitable ...

as one of the most powerful surf breaks in Southern California. The

waves Waves most often refers to: *Waves, oscillations accompanied by a transfer of energy that travel through space or mass. *Wind waves, surface waves that occur on the free surface of bodies of water. Waves may also refer to: Music *Waves (band) ...

gain their power due to the focusing effects of Scripps Canyon, an underwater canyon just offshore in the

San Diego-La Jolla Underwater Park The San Diego-La Jolla Underwater Park spans of ocean bottom and tidelands. The park'four distinct habitats(rocky reef, kelp bed, sand flats, and submarine canyon) make it a popular destination for snorkelers and scuba divers. The park was crea ...

. Because of the sometimes large surf, fast breaking waves, and aggressive crowds, Black's is a dangerous surfing location, advisable for advanced surfers only.

Access

Black's Beach can be difficult to access due to its location beneath the Torrey Pines bluffs. Landslides can occur, with tragic results. Beachgoers are warned to avoid setting up beach sites too close to the cliffs. There are four access routes to Black's Beach. Torrey Pines Gliderport Trail – the most popular route to Black's Beach is via the trail from the Gliderport, located between the

and the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. This steep rugged trail down the cliffs is usually well maintained by local nudists of the beach, but the city of San Diego posted a “Do Not Use” sign there, as the Torrey Pines cliffs are unstable. Visitors are advised to stay on the designated trails since many people have gotten stuck or even fallen to their deaths on the cliffs. Salk Canyon Road from UCSD – Students from the

have access to this steep, long, gated, paved road at the southern end of Black's Beach, which is popular with surfers. The clothing-optional portion of the beach begins north of this access point. Torrey Pines State Beach – A walk south from the parking lot at the base of Torrey Pines State Reserve, along the steep cliffs, and past Flatrock arrives at Black's Beach. La Jolla Shores – If the tide is low, a walk north from La Jolla Shores beach, past Scripps Pier and the rocky tidepools of Scripps Beach takes visitors to Black's Beach. The route is blocked at high tides. During low tide, it is also possible to walk from Torrey Pines State beach to Black's Beach. File:Blacks Beach.JPG, Black's Beach File:Black's beach.jpg, The cliffs at Black's Beach File:Blacks-Beach-View-South-La-Jolla.jpg, Black's Beach, view south toward La Jolla File:blacks surfer.jpg, A surfer at Black's, with cliffs in background File:Blacks-Beach-Trail-From-Torrey-Pines-Gliderport.jpg, Black's Beach Trail from Gliderport File:Blacks-Beach-Road-From-UCSD.jpg, Black's Beach access from Salk Canyon Road, UCSD File:Blacks-Beach-View-North-High-Tide.jpg, Black's Beach access from the North (Torrey Pines Beach) File:Blacks-Beach-South Access-From-Scripps-Beach.jpg, Black's Beach Access from South (Scripps Beach/La Jolla Shores)

References

External links

California State Parks: Torrey Pines State Beach webpage

City of San Diego - Black’s Beach page

Cover story
in the

San Diego Reader The ''San Diego Reader'' is an alternative press newspaper in the county of San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With ...