The Downsides of Visiting La Jolla

The usual complaints are fair, and most of them come down to where and when you go. The rocks at La Jolla Cove can smell strongly of sea lion and bird waste. The city’s public beach parking lot is at La Jolla Shores, not the Cove, and only one bus line, MTS Route 30, serves the area. May and June mornings are often gray under the marine layer, and the ocean stays cool: La Jolla’s average water temperature is about 59°F from January to March and peaks near 68°F in August. Some of the most famous coastline is also closed: the Children’s Pool from December 15 to May 15 for harbor seal pupping, and Point La Jolla year-round. Base yourself at La Jolla Shores, come in late summer or early fall, and park once, and most of these matter less.

Where the downsides bite least

La Jolla Shores Beach: a wide sandy beach with a year-round lifeguard station and a public parking lot, away from the smell on the Cove’s rocks.
La Jolla Cove: still worth seeing for the sea lions and clear water; go early, before parking fills, and expect the smell near the rocks.

The smell at the Cove

The rocks around La Jolla Cove are a resting spot for sea lions and seabirds, and their waste gives the area a strong smell. It is an old complaint: in 2013 La Jolla business owners sued the City of San Diego over the odor, after the city had already paid to spray the rocks with waste-eating bacteria.

For a beach day without it, La Jolla Shores to the north is the sandy beach with a year-round lifeguard station.

Parking and getting around

The City of San Diego lists a public beach parking lot at La Jolla Shores; the Cove and the Children’s Pool are not on that list. Park once and walk between the Village and the Cove, which sit next to each other.

Without a car, MTS Route 30 is the one bus through La Jolla. It runs from Old Town through Pacific Beach to the Village, La Jolla Shores and UTC, every 15 minutes on weekday daytimes and every 30 minutes on weekends.

Gray mornings and cool water

May and June bring the most marine-layer clouds to the San Diego coast. The ocean is still cold then, and the air above it cools until clouds form. In May 2023 San Diego averaged 82% cloud cover, against a typical 58%.

NOAA’s average water temperatures for La Jolla run from about 59°F in January through March to 68.4°F in August, and about 65.6°F in October.

Beaches you can’t use

The Children’s Pool, where harbor seals rest year-round, is closed to the public during harbor seal pupping season, December 15 to May 15 every year.

Point La Jolla and Boomer Beach, where sea lions haul out next to the Cove, are closed year-round except for a marked corridor for swimmers to reach the water. Seals and sea lions can bite, and harassing them is against the law.

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FAQ

Why does La Jolla Cove smell?

Sea lion and seabird waste on the rocks around the Cove. In 2013 La Jolla business owners sued the City of San Diego over the odor.

Is La Jolla worth visiting despite the downsides?

For most visitors, yes, if you plan around them: base yourself at La Jolla Shores, park once, and come in late summer or early fall when the water is warmest.

When is the weather worst in La Jolla?

For beach days, May and June, when the marine layer often keeps mornings gray. Water is coldest from January to March, around 59°F.

Can you go on the beach at the Children’s Pool?

Not from December 15 to May 15, when it is closed for harbor seal pupping. Point La Jolla next to the Cove is closed all year.