Between Children's Pool and the Scripps Coastal Reserve, La Jolla's shoreline is managed as four separate pieces. Each piece has its own access rule, its own season and its own governing body. Two of those rules are settled. Two are still under review, and both reviews could move within the next three months. A resident planning a winter walk, a guest visit or next summer's snorkel needs to know which calendar applies to which stretch of coast.
What follows covers that stretch as of mid-October 2026. It runs from the rules that are locked in to the ones still being decided.
The Coast at a Glance
| Stretch | Current rule | Who sets it | How long it holds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Children's Pool | Closed to public access Dec. 15 to May 15 each year | City of San Diego | Standing annual rule |
| Point La Jolla and adjacent bluffs | Closed year-round; Boomer Beach corridor for ocean swimming only | City Council ordinance, Coastal Commission permit | Permit term ends April 4, 2029 |
| La Jolla Cove beach | Open; a summer limit is proposed but not adopted | City Parks & Recreation, with Coastal Commission interest | Undecided |
| Scripps Coastal Reserve | Gate locked except for tours, volunteer hours and UCSD use | UC San Diego, pending a Coastal Commission permit | Hearing possible Nov. 4–6 or Dec. 9–11 |
Children's Pool Closes on Dec. 15
The most predictable change of the winter comes first. The City of San Diego's lifeguard page for Children's Pool says public access closes every year during harbor seal pupping season, from Dec. 15 through May 15. Under that standing rule, the beach closes this season from Dec. 15, 2026, to May 15, 2027. The City has not posted a separate notice for this season, so the dates come from the annual rule.
The timing lines up with the Village's holiday calendar. The 70th La Jolla Christmas Parade is scheduled for Sunday, Dec. 6, at 1 p.m., with the Holiday Festival at the Recreation Center from 1 to 5 p.m. That is nine days before the closure, so out-of-town guests who come for the parade can still get down to the Children's Pool sand during their visit.
Point La Jolla Is Settled Through 2029
The next stretch north has gone further than a seasonal rule. On Sept. 18, 2023, the San Diego City Council adopted an ordinance that changed the closure of Point La Jolla and Boomer Beach from seasonal to year-round. The City then received Coastal Development Permit Amendment No. 6-22-0113-A1 from the California Coastal Commission to carry it out, according to the City's Point La Jolla page.
The posted rules are specific. Anyone who enters the closed area outside the designated route can be cited. Dogs are barred from the closure area at all times. The marked Ocean Access Corridor at Boomer Beach is for swimming only, and the only dogs allowed on it are service dogs while working.
The Coastal Commission's 2023 staff report set a seven-year permit term that ends April 4, 2029. To keep the closure after that, the City must apply for a new permit or an amendment at least six months before the term ends. The research found no later renewal or extension. For now, the Point La Jolla rules are the most fixed piece of this coastline, and they come with a known date for the next review.
La Jolla Cove Is the Live Question for Next Summer
The Cove is where the year-round Point La Jolla model meets a beach many people still use every day. Over the past year the City has kept the Cove open while trying to keep people away from the sea lions resting on the sand. The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that the measures already in place include more rangers with bullhorns, new signage and permission to set out cones as a visual barrier. A viewing platform above the Cove and cameras are listed as possible next steps.
Those next steps have no funding yet. In a December 2025 presentation to the Coastal Commission, the City listed eight rangers and 10 volunteers assigned to the area. One ranger rotated coverage Monday through Thursday, and two rotated Friday through Sunday and on holidays. The Union-Tribune reported at the time that Parks and Recreation Director Andy Field said the cameras and the viewing deck would require more resources than the department had. The research found no budget, cost estimate or timeline published since then. The staffing figures are from December 2025 and may have changed.
Pressure grew over the summer. At the Coastal Commission's August meeting, Commissioner Matt O'Malley raised the idea of a partial closure of the Cove "until the city gets their program implementation figured out." The community advisory board La Jolla Parks & Beaches responded at its Aug. 24 meeting with a resolution recommending reduced access and sent it to the City's Parks & Recreation Department to consider. Board member Chas. Dye described the choice in the Union-Tribune's coverage:
"The threat is imminent of completely closing (The Cove), and some action needs to be taken. Given the choice of closing The Cove or this, I would take this."
Under the proposal, the Cove beach would stay open to swimmers, snorkelers and divers from June 1 to Sept. 15 each year, and other beach access and recreation would be prohibited during that window. Swimmers would still use the stairs by the lifeguard station. The western stairs would close, and wildlife viewing from the beach would not be allowed.
The proposal looks a lot like the rule already in force next door. Like the Boomer Beach corridor, it would keep a route open to the water and close the sand around it, but only during the summer pupping months.
Coastal Commissioners discussed the idea on Sept. 10 and said they would "very much" support it, but they took no action. Commission Executive Director Kate Huckelbridge said she was open to exploring the approach with the City. According to the same report, the City Council President's office did not offer a concrete next step. As of Oct. 12, no vote, hearing or approval process had been published. Unlike Point La Jolla, the Cove has a proposal but no date for a decision.
The Scripps Coastal Reserve Has a Deadline
The northern end of this stretch has been closed the longest, and it is the one bound by a legal timeline. UC San Diego manages the nearly 1,000-acre Scripps Coastal Reserve next to Scripps Institution of Oceanography. The reserve has been mostly closed since statewide COVID-19 restrictions began in March 2020. Before then, it was open daily from 7 a.m. to sunset. Today the gate stays locked except for tours or use by UCSD students, as the Union-Tribune reported on Oct. 11.
The access that does exist runs on a fixed schedule. A docent-led tour runs from 9 to 11 a.m. on the first Saturday of each month, and volunteer maintenance is allowed from 8 to 10 a.m. on Fridays. The tours cover the reserve's half-mile loop trail across the Mesa.
UCSD's coastal development permit application, which would formalize this managed-access approach, was scheduled for the Commission's Oct. 8 meeting. The university withdrew it and resubmitted it again. A UCSD spokesperson said the move would allow more time for stakeholder input and talks with Commission staff. The plan would keep access limited and supervised by tour guides. It cites the protection of biological and cultural resources and of long-term research instruments.
The rule that matters most here is procedural. Commission spokesperson Joshua Smith said there are no limits on how many times UCSD can withdraw and resubmit. He also said the matter is on track for a hearing before the end of the year, at either the Nov. 4–6 or the Dec. 9–11 meeting. Under the state Permit Streamlining Act, the Commission must hear a complete application within 180 days, or 270 days with the applicant's consent. Any project not acted on within that time is automatically approved.
Not everyone agrees with the approach. Many La Jolla residents dispute UCSD's statement that visitor misuse caused the closure. They point to the California Coastal Act, which requires a permit to change public access to a coastal site. Mike McCormack, a La Jolla Shores resident who has spoken about the reserve at La Jolla Shores Association meetings, supports well-monitored access with attendants on site. He told the La Jolla Light that "it seems like we're caught in a cycle of continuances."
One smaller project is moving forward on the same shoreline. At Kellogg Park in La Jolla Shores, the Walter Munk Foundation is raising $90,000 for four wave-themed benches at $30,000 each. One bench is funded, and installation is planned for the end of the year once all four are paid for.
The Winter Coastal Calendar
- Nov. 4–6: First possible Coastal Commission hearing on the Scripps reserve access plan.
- Saturday, Nov. 7: First-Saturday docent tour of the Scripps Coastal Reserve, 9 to 11 a.m., under the current schedule.
- Saturday, Dec. 5: December docent tour at the reserve.
- Sunday, Dec. 6: La Jolla Christmas Parade at 1 p.m.; Holiday Festival at the Recreation Center, 1 to 5 p.m.
- Dec. 9–11: Second possible Scripps reserve hearing before year-end.
- Dec. 15: Children's Pool closes for harbor seal pupping season through May 15, 2027.
- June 1, 2027: Start of the window in which the Cove proposal would apply, if it is adopted.
Point La Jolla appears nowhere on this list because its closure stays in place through the April 2029 permit term.
For background on the rest of the area, see our La Jolla neighborhood guide and where La Jolla locals are eating now.
At Adam Loew & Associates, we track La Jolla's coastal access decisions as they come up, because access to the ocean is part of what a home near the Cove or the Shores is worth. If you'd like to know how the Scripps hearing or the Cove proposal could affect a property you own, request a confidential home valuation and we'll talk through it with you.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
