The Coast Walk Trail

The Coast Walk Trail is a short dirt path along the bluff directly above La Jolla’s seven sea caves, between The Cave Store on Coast Boulevard and Torrey Pines Road. It is free, takes about twenty minutes end to end, and gives you the best land view of the cave cliff, Goldfish Point and the kayak groups below. Walk it as the first leg of a longer morning on foot: Sunny Jim’s Sea Cave, La Jolla Cove, the sea lions at Point La Jolla and the seals at Children’s Pool all sit within a short walk to the west and south.

Stay on the path. The bluff edge is unfenced in places and the sandstone crumbles, so keep children close and never step over a railing for a better photo.

The Coast Walk Trail at a glance

What the Coast Walk Trail is

The Coast Walk is an old pedestrian path along one of La Jolla’s best stretches of coast. It runs along the bluff from the Goldfish Point end, beside The Cave Store, to the Coast Walk street and Torrey Pines Road, with open views over the ocean and the cliff for its whole length. The route is short and simple; you come for what you see over the railing.

Is it a proper hiking trail?

No. Think of it as a city coastal path: houses, streets and the Village sit a few steps behind you while you look out over a rough sandstone coast. If you want an actual hike, Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve is a short drive north. The Coast Walk suits a short walk between the sea caves, the Cove and lunch.

Is it the same as the walk from La Jolla Shores to the Cove?

Not quite. You can walk the mile from La Jolla Shores to La Jolla Cove, but most of that route follows streets and sidewalks. The Coast Walk Trail is only the clifftop section near Goldfish Point and The Cave Store, and you join it at the Torrey Pines Road end if you come from the Shores.

Where the trail starts

You can start from either end.

The eastern end, at Torrey Pines Road

Start where the Coast Walk street meets Torrey Pines Road and walk west toward the cliffs and The Cave Store. This end suits you if you are walking over from La Jolla Shores.

The western end, at The Cave Store

Start beside The Cave Store at 1325 Coast Boulevard, above Goldfish Point. This end is a few minutes’ walk from La Jolla Cove and the Village, which is why it works best on a first visit: you can walk the trail out and back, then carry on to the Cove without retracing your steps through the streets.

How long the walk takes

The path itself takes about twenty minutes at a steady pace. Most people stop more often than that, so plan on:

30 minutes

The trail with a few quick stops at the railings.

45–60 minutes

The trail with time for photos, the cave views, the birds on the cliff and a look at the kayak groups below.

2–3 hours

The trail plus Sunny Jim’s Sea Cave, La Jolla Cove, Scripps Park, Point La Jolla, Shell Beach and Children’s Pool. This longer version is the one most visitors enjoy, and the route for it is below.

How hard the trail is

For most visitors it is easy. You do not need hiking gear or any particular fitness. It is still a natural clifftop, though: expect uneven dirt, a few stairs, slopes, the bluff edge close by and slippery patches after rain. Stay on the main path and ignore the informal tracks that lead toward the edge.

What you see from the Coast Walk

1. The Pacific

The open view west and north across the water toward La Jolla Shores and Scripps Pier.

2. The sea caves

The sandstone cliff under the path holds the seven sea caves of La Jolla. You will not see into every cave from the top, but you can see where the cave mouths sit in the cliff, which a kayak at water level does not show you. Our sea caves guide names all seven.

3. Goldfish Point

Goldfish Point is the headland at the western end of the trail, with raised views back along the cave cliff and out over the water.

4. Kayakers below

The kayak tours to the caves launch from La Jolla Shores and raft up under the cliff. Seeing a group of kayaks from above gives you the scale of the rock.

5. Birds and marine mammals

Look for pelicans, cormorants and gulls on the cliff ledges. You may spot a sea lion or a harbor seal in the water, but you see them far more reliably farther west at Point La Jolla and south at Children’s Pool.

The Coast Walk and the seven sea caves

The trail is the best way to understand the layout of the caves from land. Kayakers look straight into the cave entrances; from the Coast Walk you look down on the whole cliff that holds them. That makes the walk a good partner to a kayak trip, either before it as a preview or after it to see where you paddled.

If you would sooner not kayak, the Coast Walk followed by Sunny Jim’s Sea Cave is the best land-based plan.

Sunny Jim’s Sea Cave

Sunny Jim’s Sea Cave sits right beside the western end of the trail. It is one of the seven caves and the only one you can reach from land: you pay inside The Cave Store and walk down a hand-dug tunnel of 145 steps to a platform inside the cave. As of November 2026 it costs $13 for adults and $7 for ages 3–17, and cave visits run from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. It is not sold on GetYourGuide; you pay at the door. You see the same cliff first from the top of the bluff and then from inside it. The details are in our Sunny Jim’s section.

From the Coast Walk to La Jolla Cove

From The Cave Store end, follow Coast Boulevard west and downhill to La Jolla Cove, about five minutes on foot. The Cove has a small beach, swimming, snorkeling and diving in protected water. This is the easiest way to turn the short trail into a proper morning on the coast.

On to Point La Jolla and Children’s Pool

Carry on west past the Cove and through Scripps Park to Point La Jolla, where California sea lions haul out on the rocks. The point itself is closed to people year-round, so you watch from the walkway above it and stay at least 100 yards from the animals.

Then follow the coast south toward Children’s Pool, past Shell Beach, rocky shoreline and tide pools at low tide. Children’s Pool is known for its Pacific harbor seals; the beach there closes from December 15 to May 15 for pupping, but you can still watch from the seawall walkway when it is open. Put the Coast Walk and Children’s Pool together and you get sea caves, cliffs, sea lions and seals in one outing. Our sea lion guide covers the viewing spots.

The best route on a first visit

1. Start at the Torrey Pines Road end of the Coast Walk.
2. Follow the bluff west toward Goldfish Point.
3. Visit Sunny Jim’s Sea Cave if you want to.
4. Walk down Coast Boulevard to La Jolla Cove.
5. Walk through Scripps Park.
6. Watch the sea lions from above Point La Jolla.
7. Continue south to Children’s Pool.
8. Walk back up through La Jolla Village for lunch, coffee or dinner.

You do not need the car between any of these stops.

A shorter route

With only about an hour:

Coast Walk → Goldfish Point → The Cave Store → La Jolla Cove

That covers the cave cliff and the main views without going farther south.

Best time of day for the walk

Morning

You get fewer people, a better chance of a parking space and cooler air.

Late afternoon

The light is softer for photos, and you can stay on for sunset at the Cove and dinner in the Village. Our sunset guide lists the best spots nearby.

Midday

Still a fine walk, but the path has no shade and the Cove area is at its busiest.

Does the tide matter?

Not for the trail itself, because you stay on the bluff above the water. The tide does change the view: low tide shows more rock and pools at the foot of the cliffs, and high tide brings bigger waves against the cave mouths. If you plan to add Shell Beach or the tide pools, check the tide chart first, because the pools only open up at low tide.

What shoes to wear

Ordinary walking shoes are enough; you do not need hiking boots. Skip flip-flops and smooth soles if the path is wet or if you plan to go down onto the rocks at Shell Beach.

The Coast Walk with kids

Children usually enjoy it, with one condition: this is a clifftop. Keep them on the path and close to you near the edge, and do not let them climb the railings or follow the informal tracks down the bluff.

Getting down to the beach from the trail

You cannot do it safely from the Coast Walk. A beach below the path does not mean there is a safe way down to it, and the bluff gives way easily. For the water, use the established access points at La Jolla Cove and La Jolla Shores. Do not make your own way down.

Parking for the Coast Walk Trail

There is almost no parking at either trailhead, and the street spaces around the Cove fill early. Park once in a Village garage or on a Village street, then walk down: the Cave Store end is a few minutes downhill. Our parking guide lists the garages and the time limits.

A loop that starts and ends at the car:

Park in La Jolla Village → Coast Walk → the Cove → Children’s Pool → back up to the Village

Coast Walk or Torrey Pines?

Choose Torrey Pines if you want an actual hike, with longer trails and a nature-reserve landscape.

Choose the Coast Walk if you want a short, easy walk that fits into a day around the Cove, with the sea caves, restaurants and wildlife a few minutes away.

Coast Walk or a sea cave kayak tour?

Do both if you can, because each shows the cliff from a different side. The Coast Walk shows you the cliff from above for free. A kayak puts you at water level, close to the cave entrances, and in calm conditions inside one. The most-booked trip is the two-hour La Jolla Sea Cave Kayak Tour (4.4/5 from 813 reviews), which launches from La Jolla Shores. Our kayak tour ranking compares the others.

If you only want something free, the Coast Walk is a very good half hour. If you would like commentary on the walk, the La Jolla Coast & Cove Self-Guided Audio Walking Tour plays on your phone along this coast (4.7/5, from only 10 reviews so far).

Is the Coast Walk Trail worth it?

Yes, mainly because it takes so little effort. There is no ticket, no tour to book and no gear to bring, and in twenty minutes you get raised views over the Pacific and the best land view of the sea-cave cliff. It is better still as the first part of a longer walk along the coast.

On a first visit, walk it this way: Coast Walk → Goldfish Point → Sunny Jim’s Sea Cave → La Jolla Cove → Point La Jolla → Shell Beach → Children’s Pool. That gives you cliffs, caves, sea lions, seals and tide pools in one morning. Check the tide and the Cave Store hours for your date before you set out, because both change what you see.