San Diego Beach Hikes - Cardiff To Carlsbad

San Diego offers a bevy of interesting hikes. With thecontrasting tans with sunburns.
average home price being around $500,000, theyFollowing San Elijo, you will walk through Sea Cliff
better be interesting!County Park with bluffs over 100 feet high. An area
To unwind, I typically stop on my way home fromknown affectionately as "Swami's" quickly follows this
work to hike from Cardiff to Carlsbad on the beach.park. The name derives from the fact the area above
For picturesque sunsets and "tasty waves", the beachthe bluff is the home to the Self Realization Fellowship
between Cardiff to Carlsbad can't be beat.Center. This area is know as hot surf spot, but is very
Cardiff - Startingcrowded. If you are a bit winded, you can stop and
I typically start this hike by parking just south ofwatch 50 or so surfers maneuver for waves. Yes,
restaurant row in Cardiff. Restaurant row is located totraffic jams aren't exclusively restricted to California
the north of the lagoon between Cardiff and Solanafreeways.
Beach on Highway 101. Parking is located on the sideNorth of Swami's, you will cruise along a long strip of
of the road, which is right up against the beach. Givesand hemmed in by 50 to 60 foot bluffs in the town of
me convenience or give me death!Encinitas. For those with a wicked sense of humor,
As you head north, you first pass Charlie's and otherthere is a relatively popular game called, "Watch the
restaurants. Past the restaurants, you will come to thehouse fall." Yes, the bluffs are giving away slowly. As
beginning of the bluffs that will line the beach to thethey erode, the homes first lose plants, then patios and
end of the hike. San Elijo campground is on top of theso on. They say real estate is all about location,
initial bluffs and extends for roughly a mile north. Thelocation, location, but sometimes a beach front home
campground is very popular and the temporary homeisn't all that great.
of locals and tourist. You can tell the difference by