Grandview Beach

Nice little stretch of beach that’s tucked away in Encinitas. I’ve never seen it very busy at all– mostly just surfers trying to catch a couple choice waves.
But if you’re looking for a good leg workout, those stairs and walkways will tear up your legs!

Minimal cliffs on this section of beach compared to Swami’s further south. Access is by stairway only still. Tiny public parking lot for this area. If it’s full, street parking in the neighborhoods is very difficult and technical with windy roads, blind corners, and few curbs. If you go up the wrong stairs closest to the public access stairs, it takes you to a gated community and there is no pedestrian throughway to the public parking lot. You’ll be trapped!

A nice small beach where a lot of surfers come to catch some waves. This beach is not crazy packed like Moonlight or even Swami’s. This is a real mellow beach and what helps that is the parking lot is pretty small. You have to know where you’re going to find Grandview which is tucked in a corner of residential streets. Also if you’re not in the best of shape the stairs to get to the beach can be a little brutal.

This a great little stretch of beach. Just far enough away from the hustle and bustle of the city of Encinitas, but still close enough that you just have to find your way down a cliff on a well maintained wooden staircase.
The life guard tower is right on the beach when you reach the bottom of the staircase, which is a good place to start to get information regarding the water conditions. I tool the liberty to chat with the young lady life guard, who gave me some great information. I did not know that they count sting ray incidents daily.
The beach us mostly consist of soft sand with a few large prominently smooth rocks. The tops of the cliffs are line with residential housing and vegetation so I would not consider it a secluded beach by no means. There are a few places near the base of the cliffs were the sand is black caused by run off, but other than that, the beach is quite nice.
I happen to come here on a Sunday afternoon. The beach was more crowded near the life towers and stairs that lead up to the neighborhoods. However, as I walked between Grandview and Beacons Beach, it started to think out, and that’s were I parked my butt.

Very nice secluded beach with free, yet limited parking. You are right below a cliff and it’s pretty popular with locals and surfers. I really enjoyed this little hidden gem!
GPS got me a little lost on Google Maps so do put in the address and not the name. Once you park, you have to walk down a pretty large stairway. The views from there are impressive and once you reach the bottom– a little getaway. To the right of the stairway there’s a lifeguard station and the beach seemed busier in that direction so we forked it to the left. It was very relaxing and less crowded than Oceanside and Carlsbad beaches. Will definitely come again! :)

This is a great beach. Very consistent surf is the main reason I come here. There are mostly short boarders here, but also some long. It is mostly sandy bottom w a small section that has rocks.
When arriving here on the weekends, plan to park on the street. There is usually ok free parking on non summer days and weekdays. There is a large staircase to walk down to get to the sandy beach. Many people workout on these stairs because there are so many. There is a shower at the bottom of the stairs. There is no bathroom at this beach. No lifeguards either. Mostly young adults come here with many surfers.
This is a great tucked away local beach.

Grandview is my go to spot, it is absolutely, without a doubt a fantastic beach. Located in the Leucadia part of Encinitas, this local beach is perfect for catching waves, grabbing a great sunset or just taking in the picturesque surroundings. This place is awesome in nearly all facets with the exception of the parking situation, lol parking stinks. I highly recommend checking out this little gem, especially if surfing is your thing, you will not regret it.
Pros–
Location
Surf
Beach
Cleanliness
Secluded
Views picturesque
Less crowded
Cons–
Parking situation
Quite the stair climb to get down and back up
Traffic

Goodbye Grandview Beach. You’ve been a Life-​long Friend. I will miss you. Keep those sweet Left Breaks rolling in. Stay classy, #Encinitas.

My all time favorite beach! It’s a secret spot that most people don’t know about. The water is beautiful the beach clean and have always found a parking spot. Honestly makes me feel I’m on vacation on an island somewhere…

Who doesn’t like the beach? Keep in mind parking at this place fills up fast and you have to walk down for access to the beach. The beach is sandy and ideal for those people wanting to enjoy sun and sand. Plus you get a pretty good work out going back up the stairs. This is my go to if I want a beach some what tucked away.

Great local leucadian beach. Free or street parking and plenty of locals, walking, jogging, biking, running with their dogs by this beach. Great mellow waves at low tides, a few surf schools teach at this beach because of the break. Plenty of sandy beach for running or tanning, a great local spot!

Great neighborhood beach — never too crowded. GOod for surfing all year round. The stairs make access a bit of a pain for the lazy but parking is usually pretty plentiful even on summer weekends which is rare for north county San Diego. Keep in mind there is no bathroom access but there is a shower at the base of the stairs

I love this beach! It’s quiet and easy to get to. There are areas to surf and places to swim. Tons of tanning spots, but nicest of all it’s kind of secluded from main traffic and not too many tourists. Lots of good-​looking Brazilians can be found here, too!

We stopped off for a surf lesson and loved it! Nice long clean beaches, great weather and this was Dec! Bliss!

Beautiful spot for a beach day. Popular surf spot. Lots of activity. Best during low tide provides plenty of wets and for a jog

Everyone knows that Leucadian’s love the beach. We are spoiled hippies who get to surf, walk or enjoy fabulous sunsets year round. This special beach boasts a private, free parking lot and steps all the way to the sand. In 2013 Leucadia got a large infusion of sand which was dredged up from outside of Cardiff reef.
Surfers, walkers, fishermen, divers, bird watchers, and sunbathers converge to enjoy the large sandy beach. There are no restroom facilities and it takes a few minutes to walk in, this means less crowds.
Just to the north is Ponto, a state beach which is über popular and in the summer cars wait in line for hours just to park there. Grandview is protected from some of the tourist infestation up the coast.
My family has recently given it the nickname «neckcrackers». My friend broke his neck surfing here when the swell was up. Yes the surf can get big here, but he still comes back.
Hit the beach, Leucadia style.

This is the first time I’ve been to this beach. I must say, I’ve drawn to like this place! It’s secluded, quiet, and of course only the locals know about it! This will definitely be the it spot when I want to come here and relax without people running around and kids screaming and playing.

By far my FAVORITE beach in SD and there are a lot! I fell in love with this beach when I used to live across the street. I didn’t realize how lucky I was living to one of SD’s best kept secrets until I moved away. I just love how it gives a very adult feel and it’s not too crowded.
Yes, it is a smaller beach than most but not tons of people know about it and it is very clean. I now live in San Diego proper and still haven’t found a beach I love as much as this one. The south beaches are over crowded with trash, people, tourists. I love this beautifu, peaceful, super local beach. And the stairs aren’t a thing just gives you a little excerise. But yes do make sure to check the tides because that can mean little to no beach.

Clean, beautiful beach. Most of the time it’s not too crowded but it definitely can be on weekends or summer. There are no dogs allowed on the beach but I’ve seen a few people who take their dogs with them on a walk or a run on the beach. I don’t know if they’ve ever been fined. You can usually take your dogs on a walk or a run on Neptune Avenue.
When it is high tide, there will be no beach for anyone to lay themselves on. I tried walking with a friend down at the beach here while it was high tide and we both got drenched. Still, a great beach to go to when it is low tide. Walk further north and you’ll see some volleyball nets and bonfires. Surfers seem to love this location.

SURFER CENTRAL!
This beach is just amazing. It has a very private feeling to it, so it’s very ideal for a relaxing tanning session. It’s also fun to watch all the fit and attractive Californian men surf.
I love the giant wooden staircase you have to go down to get to the beach!