Home ⎜ Hikes & Wanderings ⎜California ⎜Swami’s to Del Mar

Distance: 12 miles, out and back

Time: 5 hours

Difficulty: Easy

Elevation Gain: 150 feet

Dog Friendly: Not if you begin at Swami’s. But certain sections of this trail are dog friendly before 9am and after 6pm (summer) or 4pm (October-April).

Trail Notes: It’s possible to complete this hike whether it’s high tide or low tide. I’d highly recommend bringing sunblock/sunscreen and an umbrella because being a shoreline hike, the entire hike is exposed.

Trailhead Directions: From I-5, take the Manchester Avenue exit and at the bottom of the ramp, turn right (coming from either the north or south). Take Manchester Avenue to Chesterfield Avenue and turn left to then make an immediate right onto Highway 101. After 1.5 miles turn left into the Swami’s State Beach parking lot.

Hike Directions: Walk to the southern end of the Swami’s lot and take the steps down to the beach. Turn left and continue down the coast for 6 miles to Fletcher Cove Park in Del Mar, CA. From there you could possibly continue all day and all the way down to La Jolla Shores Beach, but for this hike, we’ll turn around at Fletcher Cove.

Scenery: 7/10

The Pacific Ocean

Swami’s Beach – Encinitas, CA