Coast Blvd · Scripps Park shoreline
Is La Jolla Cove Open?
Last checked Next scheduled recheck: before the May 2027 pupping season — sooner if the City or the Coastal Commission acts.
Current status · checked 31 August 2026
Yes. La Jolla Cove is open — but two spots beside it are not.
The Cove beach and its stairs are open as usual, with lifeguards 9am–sunset. Point La Jolla and Boomer Beach, just west of the Cove, have been closed to people year-round since 2023, and Children's Pool closes each winter for harbor-seal pupping. A partial, pupping-season closure of the Cove itself is under public discussion after a sea lion harassment case in August 2026 — but nothing has been enacted, voted into law, or scheduled.
- La Jolla Cove
- OPEN — beach, stairs and swimming as usual
- Point La Jolla & Boomer Beach
- CLOSED to people year-round since Sept 2023 (7-year permit)
- Children's Pool
- Beach closed 15 Dec – 15 May annually (seal pupping); seawall walkway open
- Cove closure debate
- Partial seasonal closure under discussion (Coastal Commission, Aug 2026) — NOT enacted
- Wildlife rule everywhere
- Stay at least 50 yards from seals and sea lions (NOAA / federal law)
Need to know
- What it is
- Beach + cove inside a marine reserve
- Admission
- Free — no entry fee
- Hours
- Open year-round; lifeguards on duty 9am–sunset
- Shore
- Very small gritty-sand beach between sandstone cliffs
- Swimming
- YES — better for strong swimmers; watch the surge
- Snorkeling
- YES — the signature shore-snorkel spot on calm days
- Parking
- NONE of its own — timed street + Village garages
- Restrooms
- YES — at Scripps Park, with showers
- Lifeguard
- YES — staffed 9am–sunset, year-round
- Dogs
- NO on the beach; leashed dogs OK in Scripps Park
- Getting in
- Staircase down from Scripps Park (1100 Coast Blvd)
- Coordinates
- 32.85050, -117.27272
1100 Coast Blvd, San Diego, CA 92037. Inside the San Diego–La Jolla Underwater Park Ecological Reserve; no fishing, no collecting, reef-safe sunscreen required.
What you can do at the Cove right now
Everything the Cove is known for is open as of the date above: the beach and its staircase, swimming, snorkeling and shore diving, the lifeguard service (9am–sunset, year-round), and sea lion viewing from the Scripps Park walkway. The things to do guide covers all of it.
What you cannot do — anywhere in La Jolla, on any date — is approach the animals. NOAA’s rule of thumb is 50 yards from seals and sea lions, more around mothers with pups, and harassment is a federal crime under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. That is not a technicality: an 18-year-old pleaded guilty in August 2026 after kicking a sea lion here.
The three closures, from settled to speculative
Point La Jolla and Boomer Beach — closed, settled. The rocky point immediately west of the Cove has been closed to people year-round since September 2023, under a seven-year Coastal Commission permit. This is the sea lions’ main haul-out, and the closure is why the colony has grown. The Scripps Park walkway above it stays open and is the intended viewing spot.
Children’s Pool — closed seasonally, settled. The harbor-seal beach half a mile south closes to the sand every year from December 15 to May 15 for pupping; a chain blocks the beach stairs. The seawall walkway remains open year-round, and it is the better viewpoint anyway.
La Jolla Cove itself — open, but debated. After the summer of 2026 — 56 sea lion births recorded near the Cove since June, eight pup deaths, and the harassment case above — a partial, pupping-season closure of the Cove entered serious public discussion. At the Coastal Commission’s 14 August 2026 meeting, commissioner Matt O’Malley said a partial closure was, in his view, the only way to deal with the issue. On 24 August 2026 the La Jolla Parks & Beaches advisory board voted to ask the City to consider a pupping-season restriction: closing the west staircase while keeping the east staircase for water access. The City of San Diego’s Council President has publicly opposed closing the Cove.
No Cove closure has been enacted, voted into law, or scheduled. Any real closure would need City action plus a Coastal Development Permit — for Point La Jolla, that process took several seasons of temporary measures before the permanent rule. If that changes, this page changes.
History of access changes here
| Year | What changed |
|---|---|
| 2017 | Gates installed at the two Cove staircases to keep sea lions off the upper walkway |
| 2021–22 | Seasonal (pupping-season) closures of Point La Jolla begin |
| Sep 2023 | Point La Jolla & Boomer Beach closed year-round; seven-year permit |
| Dec–May, annually | Children’s Pool beach closed for harbor-seal pupping (rule dates to the 2010s) |
| Aug 2026 | Partial Cove closure under public discussion — not enacted |
How this page stays honest
The status box above is generated from one dated record used everywhere on this site, so the homepage and this page can never disagree. It carries the date it was last verified and the date by which it should be rechecked. If you are reading this close to or past the recheck date, treat the live City of San Diego and Coastal Commission pages as the authority — and expect this page to catch up within days, not months.
Closure Questions
What is actually closed, and what is only being discussed.
Not as of 31 August 2026. A partial, pupping-season closure of the Cove is under active public discussion — a Coastal Commission commissioner argued for one on 14 August 2026, and a local advisory board voted on 24 August to ask the City to consider restricting one staircase — but nothing has been enacted, voted into law, or scheduled, and the City Council President has opposed closing the Cove.
A surge in sea lion activity and a high-profile harassment case: 56 sea lion births were recorded near the Cove between June and August 2026, eight pups died, and an 18-year-old pleaded guilty in August 2026 to violating the Marine Mammal Protection Act after kicking a sea lion.
Yes — easily. The closures remove people from the animals' rocks, not the animals from your view. The Scripps Park walkway overlooks Point La Jolla legally and closely, and the Children's Pool seawall walkway stays open even when its beach is closed.
Unlikely. Any closure requires City action plus a Coastal Development Permit — historically a multi-year process (the Point La Jolla closure took several seasons of temporary measures first). This page carries a recheck date and is updated when anything moves.
Still have questions? Email us at info@la-jolla-cove.org
What we could not establish
- Whether the City will adopt any Cove restriction for the 2027 pupping season. As of 31 August 2026 there is a recommendation to consider one (advisory board, 24 Aug 2026) and public support from one Coastal Commissioner (14 Aug 2026), against stated opposition from the City Council President. No proposal has been drafted, voted on, or scheduled. A City Council agenda item or a Coastal Development Permit application would settle it.
- The exact current sea-lion signage and ranger schedule at the Cove. The City has been adding ranger presence and new signage; finalization was still pending at last check. The City of San Diego parks department would settle it.
Sources
- City of San Diego — Point La Jolla closure page and beach rules, retrieved 31 August 2026.
- California Coastal Commission — year-round Point La Jolla closure approved 7 September 2023; City Council final approval 18 September 2023 (seven-year permit).
- San Diego Municipal Code ch. 63 — Children's Pool seasonal closure, 15 December – 15 May.
- Times of San Diego, 23 August 2026 — "Should La Jolla Cove close to protect sea lions?"; NBC San Diego, August 2026 — Coastal Commission discussion. Re-verified by web search 31 August 2026.
- NOAA Fisheries — marine mammal viewing distance guidance (≥50 yards).
Where it is
La Jolla Cove sits in the Coast Blvd, in the Scripps Park shoreline cluster. Open it on the map to see what else is within a short drive.