Choose La Jolla to get in the water; choose Laguna Beach for tide pools and long inland trails. Off La Jolla, Matlahuayl State Marine Reserve protects just over one square mile of sea off UC San Diego, from sandy beach and sea caves to a submarine canyon more than 330 feet deep, and nothing may be taken from it. On La Jolla’s northern edge, Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve protects 2,000 acres and one of only two places the Torrey pine grows wild, but it is closed to all visitors for construction until its scheduled reopening in March 2027. Laguna Beach’s tide pools at Main Beach, Shaws Cove and Treasure Island are part of California’s marine protected area network, and the town backs onto the 7,000-acre Laguna Coast Wilderness Park and the 2,791-acre Crystal Cove State Park.
La Jolla’s outdoor anchors
La Jolla Cove: a small beach inside the San Diego-La Jolla Underwater Park Ecological Reserve, with year-round lifeguards.
La Jolla Shores Beach: the long sandy beach beside the reserve, with a year-round lifeguard station.
Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve: clifftop trails through the rare Torrey pines once it reopens; State Parks closed the reserve, trails and Beach Trail staircase included, on Sept. 22, 2026 and plans to reopen it in March 2027.
La Jolla: in the water and on the bluffs
California’s Department of Fish and Wildlife describes Matlahuayl State Marine Reserve as just over one square mile, with 1.7 miles of shoreline and water from the shore to 331 feet deep. Its habitats include sandy beaches, rocky intertidal areas, surfgrass beds, rocky reefs, sea caves and a submarine canyon, and the department lists leopard sharks, garibaldi, nudibranchs, spiny lobsters, sea lions, dolphins and migrating whales among the species it shelters. No take of any kind is allowed.
Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve, at 12600 North Torrey Pines Road, protects 2,000 acres. California State Parks says the Torrey pine now grows naturally only on this strip of San Diego coast and on Santa Rosa Island. The 0.75-mile Beach Trail runs through the reserve to the beach, the 0.7-mile Razor Point Trail follows the bluffs, and the cliffs are a lookout for the gray whale migration. The reserve has been closed to all visitors since Sept. 22, 2026, trails, the Beach Trail staircase and both upper parking lots included, for utility and accessibility work, and State Parks schedules it to reopen in March 2027. Torrey Pines State Beach and its North and South beach lots stay open.
Laguna Beach: tide pools and backcountry
The City of Laguna Beach names Main Beach, Shaws Cove and Treasure Island as popular tide pool spots, and its tide pools are part of the California marine protected area network. The state lists both the Laguna Beach State Marine Reserve and the Laguna Beach State Marine Conservation Area as no-take: it is unlawful to injure, damage, take or possess any marine resource there.
Inland, OC Parks runs the 7,000-acre Laguna Coast Wilderness Park for hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding, open daily from 7 a.m. to sunset; trails can close during and after rain. Just up the coast, Crystal Cove State Park covers 2,791 acres between Corona del Mar and Laguna Beach, including about 2,400 acres of backcountry, with day-use parking from $15.
Which to choose
For getting in the water over reefs, sea caves and a deep submarine canyon, La Jolla. For tide-pooling across several coves and long canyon and ridge trails, Laguna Beach, and for any hiking before Torrey Pines reopens in March 2027. Both protect their water from any take, so look and leave everything where it is.
Related La Jolla guides
FAQ
Is La Jolla or Laguna Beach better for snorkeling?
La Jolla. Matlahuayl State Marine Reserve, just offshore of UC San Diego, takes in reefs, sea caves and a submarine canyon, and nothing may be taken from it.
Is La Jolla or Laguna Beach better for tide pools?
Laguna Beach. The city names Main Beach, Shaws Cove and Treasure Island as popular tide pool spots, all within California’s marine protected areas.
Where is the better hiking, La Jolla or Laguna Beach?
Laguna Beach for now: Laguna Coast Wilderness Park (7,000 acres) and Crystal Cove State Park’s backcountry are open, while Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve at La Jolla is closed for construction until its scheduled reopening in March 2027. Once it reopens, its short clifftop trails among rare Torrey pines are La Jolla’s best walks.
Can you take shells or animals from the tide pools?
No, in either place. The marine reserves at La Jolla and Laguna Beach make it unlawful to take or possess any living, geological or cultural marine resource.