Sand, surf—and solitude - California's beaches

Sunset, Sept, 2001 by Ken McAlpine

Uncrowded fall is the best time to explore California beaches

Waves of tourists and decades' worth of Beach Blanket movies have convinced everyone that California beaches are synonymous with summer. Well, here is a secret: Fall is better. As Labor Day passes, strange and wonderful things happen. "It's almost like the Red Sea parting, a lull between the cool, foggy summer and the storms of winter," says Parke Puterbaugh, co-author of California Beaches.

In Southern California, the beaches still blaze with summer heat. Cool breezes carrying the first hint of fall caress Central California's beaches. To the north, frigid water puts the kibosh on swimming, but there's plenty of driftwood-littered beach to explore.

Listed below, south to north, are six of California's best autumn beaches--where you can wander, swim, whale watch, or just plop down your cooler, prop up your feet, and succumb to the season's charms.

Black's Beach, La Jolla

Also known as Torrey Pines City Beach, Black's Beach sits at the base of high bluffs between Scripps Pier and Los Penasquitos Marsh Natural Preserve in La Jolla. It's a glorious beach at any time, but midweek on a fall day you have no clue that nearly 3 million beach lovers reside in San Diego county. The quickest way to get to Black's is to park (free) at the Torrey Pines Gliderport (off Torrey Pines Scenic Drive) and walk the steep half-mile path down to the beach. But smart nature lovers will park at Torrey Pines State Beach 1 mile to the north and walk along the beach, after exploring Torrey Pines State Reserve on the bluff 300 feet overhead. (Caution: the edge of the bluff above the beach is eroded and hazardous.) Nude bathing is still semi-tolerated here. But Black's has so much else to offer that nudity shouldn't be a major draw, or deterrent, to visiting.

Where: From I-5, take the carmel Valley Rd. exit 5 miles north of La Jolla. Turn onto N. Torrey Pines Rd. and follow it to the beach.

Contact: Beach information: (858) 755-2063. Surf and weather report: (619) 221-8824.

Zuma County Beach, Malibu

In summer, Zuma is Malibu's see-and-be-seen zoo--assuming you can find a place to park. But in fall, when the young crowd returns to school, it gives itself back to true beach lovers. Stretching 2.6 miles from Point Dume to Broad Beach, Zuma is one glorious swath of sand, its shoreline often edged by crunching waves that send adrenaline through surfers and body surfers with the stomach and skill to take the drops. A late-fall plus: Hike the trail to the top of Big Dume headland and you sit at the westernmost point of the Santa Monica Bay, allowing you, with luck, to look right down on the backs of gray whales powering to Mexico to breed and winter.

Where: 15 miles north of Malibu Pier, at 30000 Pacific Coast Hwy. (State 1). Contact: Beach information: (310) 457-2525. Surf and weather report: (310) 457-9701.

Carpinteria State Beach, Carpinteria

This Santa Barbara County spot is as family-friendly as it gets--calm water, wide, sandy beaches, and easy access for the toy-toting set, courtesy of cheap ($2 per vehicle) parking. Because the water is so calm (an offshore reef dampens the wave energy), parents can raise their eyes from their offspring to gaze at the towering Santa Ynez Mountains behind them and, offshore, the smoky blue hulk of Santa Cruz Island. Rather than pack up at sunset and go home, stay the night at the adjacent Carpinteria State Beach campground--261 campsites, plenty of them smack-dab at the beach edge. (See page 50 for campsite reservation tips.) Come October 5, 6, and 7 and enjoy Carpinteria's Avocado Festival.

Where: 12 miles south of Santa Barbara; from U.S. 101 take the Casitas Pass Rd. exit; beach lies at the end of Palm Ave.

Contact: Beach information: (805) 684-2811.

Camping: (800) 444-7275. Avocado Festival: (805) 684-0038.

Gazos Creek Beach, Ano Nuevo State Reserve Fifty-five miles south of San Francisco off State 1, this lovely arc of beach is best found by looking for the 115-foot-tall Pigeon Point Lighthouse. The lighthouse is an adventure in itself, with weekend tours and a youth and family hostel; lovely tidepools lie in its shadow The dunes backing the beach are peppered with head-high vegetation that blocks the wind, so you can stretch out and hide, accompanied only by the warmth of the sun and the rustle of grass. You might consider a romantic picnic. At the beach's south end, just across State 1, the General Store at Costanoa Coastal Lodge & Camp has a full-service deli and a selection of wines. Costanoa's lodging options range from rustic canvas cabins to rooms in their elegant lodge.

Where: Off State 1, 20 miles south of Half Moon Bay at Gazos Creek Rd.

Contact: Beach information: (650) 879-2025. Pigeon Point Lighthouse Hostel: (650) 879-0633. Costanoa Coastal Lodge: (650) 879-1100.

Limantour Beach, Point Reyes National Seashore

The Point Reyes peninsula is as wild and woolly as it gets, yet it's conveniently close--roughly 35 miles--to the hubbub of San Francisco. It has 30 miles of coastline, but its northern fringe faces furious weather, pounding waves, and whopping winds. Limantour Beach sits on the southern side, cradled lovingly in a wind-protected crook. The area is great for hiking--trails wander past marshes, beaches, and freshwater ponds--and bird-watching. Mallards, ring-necked ducks, killdeer, marbled godwits, and peregrine falcons settle in for the fall. There are four camping areas; reserve a spot well ahead.