When to do the San Diego beaches?
 

I have a dilemma here that I cannot solve w/t your help. When is the better days to do the beaches/ La Jolla in June? During the week days or weekend? Car rentals rates are twice cheaper for the weekend but my concern is the traffic and parking. How bad the traffic is and how crowded are the beaches over the weekend?

San Diego will be very crowded in June because it is a major vacation destination. The weekends may be a little more crowded, but the weekdays will also be full of tourists.

When are you coming in June? The weekdays will always be less crowded than the weekend no matter which beach you go to. Parking in La Jolla can be tough since they don't have the big parking lots that many beaches have.

That said, June is not always the best beach weather. We have a thing here called "June gloom". Cloudy in the mornings and it could hang around all day. High schools and elementary schools in California don't get out until around June 15th so during the week at the beginning of the month, it shouldn't be too crowded. Of course, if it's a beautiful sunny day then the beaches will get crowded. If you are concerned about crowds, I would go on the weekday.

Thank you for your responses. I am going to travel with my 12 year old daughter and my mom. Mom will spend only 3 days in Disneyland and then is catching a flight in LAX to Seoul. After we see her off my daughter and I will catch an Amtrak to San Diego. We will stay in downtown/ little italy Super 8 for all 6 days. I am very concerned about driving in a new city but posts on fodors convinced me into renting a car since the places we want to see are far from the motel and hard to reach by public transportation. The rentals rates are much better for the weekend. That's why I booked a car for June 17/ 18.

We arrive in Sd on June 14th and will leave town on the 20th. My preliminary schedule for 6 days is:

Wed 14- checking in, wandering around Little Italyand/or Gaslamp.
Thur. 15- Balboa Park/ Zoo
Fri. 16 Sea World
Sat- Sun June 17- 18 rental car, driving to La Jolla, couple beaches ( any beaches that you can recommend?) What roads to take avoiding freeways? How bad is the traffic and parking over the weekend?
My daughter is a water park fan. Is it worth going to Soak City in Chula Vista? How bad is the drive there?
Mon 19th- Coronado, Seaport village

I would also want to see Old town. Looks like there is no time left. Any suggestions on the schedule? What would you do differently?

I can help you a little here since I work for the police dept and I'm assigned to the Mission Beach area. However, alot of people don't like hearing the bad stuff...

First off, the beach at Coronado is the best and cleanest beach if you're willing to drive over there. In San Diego, La Jolla Shores is the best family beach (no alcohol allowed) and there is a big parking lot there.

If you want to go to Mission or Pacific Beach, definitely go on a weekday and AVOID MISSION BEACH ON SUNDAYS no matter what. Traffic is horrendous, the lots are full and it's the day when many "less than decent citizens" flood the Mission Beach area. Pacific Beach is better but it has it's own bad pockets and parking is scarce up that way.

That's much better, k2.

k2 is right about the various beaches. I think if I was staying downtown San Diego, I would probably go to Coronado to go to the beach at least one day. It's an easy drive and parking shouldn't be too bad.
The other day if you wanted a change you could go to La Jolla Shores. The La Jolla shoreline with it's cliffs, etc is very different than Coronado. While there is a parking lot at La Jolla Shores, I wouldn't call it huge. However, if you go pretty early you should get a parking spot.

Hmmm - I must be one of those "less than decent citizens" ;) I like the Mission beach area a lot. I actually prefer it to La Jolla - La Jolla is beautiful, but I find Mission Beach more appealing.

Thank you, K2rider. Your info is definitely helpful.To come in contact with those citizens would be the last thing I wanted on vacation. So the beach choices narrowed down to Coronado and La Jolla Shores. You said that I need to go early to get parking. How early is early? What roads to take to La Jolla Shores from downtown avoiding freeways?

To get to Coronado, take the 5 freeway south to the Coronado Bridge. Once you get on Coronado, I just follow the signs to the Hotel Del.

To get to La Jolla Shores, take the 5 freeway north to La Jolla Parkway/ Ardath Road. Turn right on La Jolla Shores Drive at the bottom of the hill, go down afew blocks and nearly every left will take you to LJ Shores/Kellogg Park. I guess the lot isn't "huge" per se but decent enough size.

As far as liking Mission Beach over LJ Shores, I'd agree is has more "flavor", along with more shopping and food choices (no real easy opyions at the shores). Belmont Park ay Mission Beach also might be a great diversion for kids MIDWEEK.

Thank you K2rider. Looks like there is no way around freeways. How bad is the traffic on the freeway 5 on the weekend? And what is the speed limit? There are no freeways in the city I live and I really do not feel confident doing them in a new city.

Just an FYI..the news mentioned MEmorial DAy had 225,000 people on the ocean beaches of san diego and another 225,000 at Mission Bay...it does matter which day of the week and what time.. Monday Tuesday Wednesday and go before 9:00 according to one news cast source...weekends go before 7:00am

The speed limit is 65 MPH on the freeways. I think it is 55 going over the Coronado Bridge. Traffic shouldn't be too bad unless you try and go at 11 am and then it's bad on the access roads, not the freeways themselves... as a general rule.

Thank you K2 and everyone who responded. Your info is great. I f you have more ideas about the beaches, the traffic and SD activities feel free to share. I still have 9 more days before the trip.

Do people actually swim at these beaches? When we were there we saw signs stating that you swim at your own risk due to contamination..

Travelin, you are determined to tell people that our beaches are unfit for swimming because of contaminated water. According to you, every beach in So. California has "permanent signs" warning of contamination. You are very wrong and I suggest you make sure you've got the facts right before you post stuff like this again.

For current beach information in San Diego County look here:

http://tinyurl.com/znx4l

I kind of feel bad for needsun. Seems like a lot of what she is hearing is that San Diego beaches are crowded, contaminated and draw a bad crowd. Although you can definitely find crowds, as a rule the beaches in San Diego are great. 1Jar mentioned all the people on the beach for Memorial Day but please remember that was a holiday. It was also exceptionally warm inland for this time of year so people headed to the beach.

travelina-Yes, once in awhile the beaches can get contiminated but this is the exception not the rule. Don't know when you visited San Diego but the contamination usually occurs because of heavy rain and run-off towards the ocean and is only for a couple of days. I don't think needsun will have to worry about that this time of year.

k2 has given good advice about driving directions. You really can't go to either Coronado or La Jolla without getting on the freeway but in the case of Coronado you are only on the freeway for a very short time before taking the Coronado Bay Bridge. La Jolla is a further drive but the freeways on the weekends shouldn't be too bad. I am not sure what k2 meant about 11am being crowded. During the week, 11am would probably be a good time to go-no rush hour traffic. However on the weekends depending on the weather, I guess it could be a little crowded mid to late morning. There is no way you need to get to the beach at 7am as 1JAR said. I think the only time I ever went to the beach close to that early was on 4th of July and it was so cloudy and overcast at that time of day, we were freezing. As I mentioned before, June is often very gloomy in the mornings and doesn't start to burn off until late morning. This could make beach traffic a little heavier if the sun comes out closer to noon. This week we are having no overcast and very warm weather early in the day. That doesn't happen often in June so by the time you come in 2 weeks it could be back to normal.

I know you will have a great time. Don't worry about driving on the freeways in San Diego, just get good directions and take your time. While you are in Coronado be sure to walk around, have lunch and check out Hotel Del Coronado. In La Jolla, you can drive from La Jolla Shores around to the downtown area (about a 5 minute drive) to eat and look at the shops.

I just got back from SD and can tell you about the beaches. Yes, Mem Day they were all packed. We stayed on Pacific Beach, which was my kids favorite of all, and loved it! But there is no parking other than street parking at the North end where we were. We hit the beach almost every morning before 8:30 for a couple of hours before we went to attractions and then usually were back by sunset. No crowds and no trouble at all. Mostly families there. Water was cool, but we just got in and got used to it and enjoyed the waves. No jellyfish, etc. Nice. We spent one afternoon (Friday) at La Jolla Shores and it was not our favorite. By 1:00 parking was full, so go before 10:00. For younger kids, the sand was packed and did not make for good digging. Also was a dark gray color. So they loved PB better for tan colored sand that was plentiful enough to dig in. I think the contamination referral must be for La Jolla Cover (Childrens Pool) where the seals are. There are warning signs there, but no where else. We had a terrific stay and I miss hearing the waves crashing outside my condo unit!!

You don't want to go to San Diego in June. June gloom hits and you can expect gray, cold and wet weather. Wait for Aug/Sept/Oct.

Do not worry about the weather. Although it can be gloomy, we just got back and every day last week was clear and pretty. Only Thurs had some haze, but that was gone by noon. We too were worried about all we read about gray May, June gloom, etc, but we had to go at that time and it was fine and even warm. Its just not as bad as you hear. So go next week and have a great trip!

Thank you, Mommy! This sounds encouraging! Did you try any other beaches? Coronado? How did you find driving in SD?
What were your favorites and the kids'?

Hate to burst your bubble but Californians who live on the coast, know about June gloom. Here are some good sites to check the facts:

http://meteora.ucsd.edu/cap/gloom.html

http://www.localwally.com/first.html

Gotta laugh about the freeway speed limit being 65. The reality is, if you are driving 70 or even 75, everybody passes you! Except during rush hour traffic, when the freeways are crammed and that slows traffic way down.

June gloom is great for theme park visits. It's not as hot, and also, June is less crowded, especially the first 2 weeks of June before our schools get out. I just went to Legoland 2 days ago and it wasn't crowded at all! (not yet.)

Our ocean temp is cold in June, however, Our ocean is only warm in August and September, in my opinion.

Beaches are definitely more crowded on the weekend. Most crowded beach time is between 11:00 am and 3:00 pm. there isn't any parking between those hours in July and August. I have actually driven to la Jolla, driven around for 40 minutes between those times in the summer, then given up and gone home!!!

Go to the beach early and have breakfast there. Then you can get parking...

mommybryant - June gloom is definitely a factor on the San Diego coast. When you were here last week it was exceptionally hot, close to 100 where I live inland and very nice at the beaches.

This week, however, has been the useful June weather, in fact, maybe a little worse. I was by the coast around noon on Tuesday and it was still overcast with a light drizzle. The rest of this week has been very overcast. I live 15 miles inland, it is now 2pm and still no sun.

Melissa is right about the June gloom being good for other attractions. Legoland, SeaWorld, the Zoo and Balboa Park are great when it's not so hot. I believe needsun said she is coming on June 14th. Most schools get out that week so the beaches may be a little more crowded on the weekend. I think it really depends on the weather. If it is bright and sunny early, head out to the beach and get that parking spot. Even if it's not that sunny, if you go to La Jolla or Coronado, you can still get there mid-morning, walk around some and then hit the beach when the sun comes out. Be warned, the water temperature is cold-at least to me. I think it's running about 68 degrees right now. That is way too cold for me but I know my kids could tolerate it when they were younger.

I think you and your daughter will really enjoy Coronado. You can go to the beach by the Del Coronado hotel and then also walk around the town. Also an easy drive from downtown.

meant to say usual June weather-not useful. Not sure what useful June weather would be lol

It's not too bad in June. The weather might be lousy for beaches, as SD is known for its June gloom--constant overcast sky for the whole month.

If you want to avoid the tourists and have the best weather--inside and outside the water--go in September.

The reason people are bringing up June Gloom is that the poster wrote:

<< I have a dilemma here that I cannot solve w/t your help. When is the better days to do the beaches/ La Jolla in June?>>

another person from so. cal chiming in about June gloom, it's real and it's here in June.
Yes, last weekend was gorgeous, but now we're so socked in, it's hard to remember what that beautiful sunny weather looked like. And it could easily be the end of July before it gets sunny again. Sorry to sound so pessimistic, but it's true.

traveltess-I think when the OP asked the question about the best days to do the beach in June, she was refering to either going to the beach on the weekdays or the weekends. As far as her trip to San Diego in June, it seemed her travel reservations were already set. If you read her postings, her trip was arranged around going to LA first with her mother and daughter before her mother headed off to Seoul.

needsun-I am sure you will have a great time in San Diego since you are coming next week. In looking at the extended forecast for next week for Coronado, it looks like it there will be more sun than this week. Of course, you never know. Make sure, though, that you bring jackets. You will definitely need them by the coast especially in the evenings or early morning.

Thanks to all of you for a wonfderful info. You guys are great. Time to go, will check it out myself. I am sure I will enjoy the trip. See you on Fodors pages.

Paula - thanks so much for your reply. I understood very well what she meant. I just wanted to explain why we wanted to make it clear to the poster what she was in for weather-wise. No harm. no foul...reading comprehension has always been off the charts.....

traveltess-didn't mean to imply that you didn't have good reading comprehension-just sometimes when these treads get long people don't read every single word of them especially the early postings. I know I am guilty of that myself.

65 mph????? Come on guys. I travel to San Diego every year and I-5 north traffic moves at about 12 mph at all hours of the day until the road "forks" at that point, several miles up. Unless you're driving at 3 in the morning, you won't be going over 30 mph on that road going north!

Southbound moves a little better.

Just had to respond to budget4me..
North 5 is not 12 mph all day long..certain times of the day..Yes..but it's usually is 65-75mph with no problems..Rush hour traffic, Del Mar Fair, Horse Racing and basically parts of the summer..South 5 can be awful on the weekend from LA to SD and that gets going around 12mph..
needsun..weekend at the beaches can be tough but not impossible and with good planning and leaving around 10-11am, you shouldn't have a problem...just depending on which beach you are going..LJ Shores has quite a large parking lot or if that is full, park in the residential area..
4th of July is another animal...
Have a great time here the beaches have warmed up to 69-70 and it is gorgeous!

Needsun,

A reply to your questions. We had no trouble navigating SD. The freeways were pretty easy to get around on. I had a local map from AAA, so I already had traced the directions to where we were going and actually had everything all written out in my notebook, so we didnt waste time getting lost. That is the best hint I have for you. A few times if we left early, it took a few minutes to get on the freeway, but during the week, travel around 9:30AM or later was simple. My boys loved the Padres game best and then Knotts Berry Farm. We tried LaJolla Shores beach and Coronado. Coronado was nice and we found several whole sand dollars, but where we were, there were no bathrooms or changing areas. So be prepared. LaJolla had bathrooms and several food stands nearby for lunch, which was nice, but our favorite was Pacific Beach near our condo. Try Marine Street Beach as well. We also stopped at Oceanside when coming back from Knotts in Buena Park and they had a great beach. Cant wait to hear all about your trip when you get back.

Tahititams, I must be one unlucky traveler then, since each time I've visited San Diego (been there about 24 times by now) I have had I-5 north move at a snail's pace in the middle of the day (around noon to 1 pm). I'm talking the section north of Sea World, heading towards La Jolla north and other areas. Driving south to San Diego from LA I have noticed the same pattern with the northbound traffic when I look over (more like 2 to 3 pm then), but southbound I have never had a problem. This is usually a Wednesday or a Thursday, not a weekend. I'd love to know what times I should shoot for to avoid adding an hour to my trip--thought middle of the day would avoid the CA rush hours. :(