Quick guides
La Jolla with Kids: Parking and Sea Lions
ラホヤの海岸
We walked the cove for clear water and the animals, and parking decided whether the day felt easy. The cave, the seawall, and a guided snorkel were the parts I would plan again.
Photographs for this guide are still being added.
At a glance
Before 9
Easiest street parking
145 steps
Down and back up
$13
Adult cave ticket now
Watch it in action
What is in the film
- 0:00Clear water, and why we came
- 0:18When street parking actually turns over
- 0:50The Cave Store and Sunny Jim’s cave
- 1:36Watching seals and sea lions
- 2:11The main beach, restrooms, and showers
- 2:46The guided snorkel, and the float board
- 4:48Kayaks and canoes
- 4:56The paved coast path
- 5:12A rougher cove along the walk
- 5:22Children’s Pool and the 1931 seawall
- 5:58Dogs, and packing a light picnic
- 6:27A short stop the film makes inland
- 6:56Where we slept, instead of the cove
Quick facts
| Parking | Coast Boulevard is mostly one lane. The easiest street spots were before 9 a.m., or about 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. when morning families leave. Noon on a weekend is the packed hour, not the secret one. If the coast is full, the village streets turn over faster and the walk back is uphill. |
|---|---|
| The cave | Sunny Jim’s Sea Cave is inside The Cave Store at 1325 Coast Blvd. A tunnel dug by hand starting in 1902 drops 145 stairs each way. Tickets are at the door only. The counter now lists $13 for adults and $7 for ages 3 to 17. We remember paying about $10 and about $6 to $7. |
| Snorkel | Our guided tour was about $80 to $90 a person at La Jolla Shores, with wetsuit, mask, snorkel, and fins, and they let us keep the gear for the day. The in-water time was about two hours. I carried a surfboard so my daughter and I had something to rest on. I am not a strong open-water swimmer. |
| Animals | Sea lions and seals are on the rocks and sometimes on the sand. Lifeguards use a loudspeaker if you get close. Selfies with the animals are not the plan. Give pups extra room. |
| Children’s Pool | The curved seawall went in during 1931 so children would have calm water. Harbor seals took the beach. People are kept off the sand from December 15 through May 15. The seawall walk stays open for looking. The rest of the year a rope holds space for the seals. |
| Rinse and food | Outdoor showers are by the lifeguard station at the cove and down by Children’s Pool. The café that used to sit on the path was closed when we visited. Pack a cooler, or walk up into the village. |
| Picnic | The grass above the path is a good light picnic. I would not haul a full barbecue down from a far parking spot. Hotels with a grill were an easier dinner. |
Prices, hours, and house rules change. Use the official link before you go.
Dogs on this stretch of coast
| Place | What we would follow |
|---|---|
| La Jolla Cove beach | No dogs. The city’s cove page lists that restriction, and the beach sits in a marine reserve. |
| Sandy beaches, April 1 to October 31 | The city lifeguard rule says no dogs from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Outside those hours, a leash no longer than 6 feet. |
| Sandy beaches, November 1 to March 31 | No dogs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Outside those hours, the same short leash. |
| Boardwalk and parks beside the beach | The same closed hours apply to the boardwalk and the parks next to the beach, not only the sand. |
| Children’s Pool, Point La Jolla, Boomer Beach | Do not bring a dog. These are seal and sea lion places, with closures posted on site. Coast Boulevard has no all-day off-leash beach. |
Short instructions
1Drive the coast loop slowly
Watch for reverse lights. If you rush the single lane, the car leaving pulls out behind you and the spot is gone. At the Children’s Pool end, turn around and check the other side before you give up.
2Start at the cave if the line is short
Pay at the gift-shop counter, then the wooden stairs. They can be wet. Closed-toe shoes. A light layer helps. Strollers stay upstairs. Toddlers often need to be carried on the way up. L. Frank Baum is credited with the name Sunny Jim, after a cereal mascot the cave mouth resembled.
3Walk south along the bluff
The path opens onto the whole cove, with kayaks and snorkelers below. A few spots and a small lot sit by the Cave Store. The main beach access, restrooms, and lifeguard station are mid-path.
4Get in the water only with a plan
Gear shops are up the hill, and guided boats leave from the cove. We still chose a guided snorkel at La Jolla Shores because I did not want my daughter out there alone. The water can start murky. What you see depends on the day.
5Keep walking to the seawall
The rougher rocky stretch is quieter and fine for sitting, and the current is not a place I would let children swim. Children’s Pool is the long curved wall. Waves can wet you if you walk out. Do not expect a swimming beach in pupping season.
6Rinse feet, then eat up the hill
Use the showers before the car. There was no open café on the path for us. A cooler in the trunk, or lunch in the village, kept the afternoon calm.
Questions parents ask
What is the best time to find parking in La Jolla?
Before 9 a.m. was the easy Coast Boulevard spot. The other window was about 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., when morning families leave. I would not aim for noon on a weekend.
Where do we park if Coast Boulevard is full?
I looped up into the village. The walk back is uphill, and spaces turn over faster near the shops. There are also a few spots in front of The Cave Store and a small lot across the street.
How much is the cave with the face, and how hard is it?
It is Sunny Jim’s Sea Cave, dug by hand from 1902, not a 1920s tunnel. The stairs are 145 each way. The door price we last saw listed was $13 for adults and $7 for ages 3 to 17, sold only at the counter. We paid closer to $10. Carry small children on the way up.
Do I need to be a strong swimmer to snorkel here?
I am not, which is why we booked a guide at La Jolla Shores for about $80 to $90 a person, gear included for the day. I took a surfboard in as a float. My daughter swam better than I expected. Clarity changes with the day.
Can kids get close to the sea lions?
No. Keep a real distance, especially from pups. Lifeguards watch and use the loudspeaker. The closer access we remember from years ago is closed.
Is Children’s Pool a calm beach for little kids?
The wall was built in 1931 for that. Seals use the sand now. From December 15 through May 15 the beach is closed to people, and you watch from the seawall. Outside those dates, a rope leaves room for the animals. I would not plan a swim there.
Where do we rinse off and eat?
Showers are by the cove lifeguard station and at Children’s Pool. The path café was closed when we went, so we used a cooler or walked up to the village.