San Diego Beaches: Tide Beach Park in Solana Beach

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Solana Beach is a small-town north of San Diego that has about 2 miles of beach front.  On the northern end of town is an area known primarily to locals, Tide Beach Park.    This secluded area is in a neighborhood of homes on the bluff overlooking the ocean.  Access is via a fairly long stair case.

• Beach Type: Small, secluded beach reached by staircase down bluffs
• Access:  Walk down long staircase at corner of Solana Vista Dr and Pacific Ave
• Parking: Free street parking
• Facilities: None, restrooms about a quarter mile to the north at Seaside
• Good For: Laying out in the Sun, tide pools scenery, swimming, surfing, family day at the beach
• Not Good For: Ease of access

Tide Beach Park is a favorite of locals because it is hidden in a cliffside neighborhood of Solana Beach.  Access is via a long staircase at the corner of Pacific Avenue and Solana Vista Drive.  You can also access this beach from Fletcher Cove about a half mile to the south or Seaside a quarter a mile to the north.

The beach consists of a cove blocked by sea walls.  The name comes from the many tide pools just north of the cove.  The tide pools are mainly visible at low tide.  During high tide, the cove will not be covered, but the tide pools will be underwater.  For more on the tide pools see our overview of Seaside Beach.

The tide pools are part of Table Tops Reef.  This is a favorite area for Fun Diego Family, but we generally access this area from Seaside Beach in Cardiff.  However, we have an annual California State Park Pass that allows us parking at Seaside.  Normally parking is around $15.  The beauty of Tide Beach Park is you can park for free.  The tradeoff is you have to lug your stuff down the stairs.

It should be noted that in 2008 a swimmer was fatally attacked here by a great white shark.  This is an extremely rare attack and he was 150 yards off the shore with a group of swimmers.  Personally, I am not concerned about shark attacks, but if I did go that far out to sea it would be a different story.  Experts will tell you how rare the chances of being attacked by a shark, between one and infinity.  Nevertheless, I can’t help but think about that attack while here.

For our full guide to San Diego Beaches go here.

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