The San Clemente Beach Trail extends from the Metro Station parking lot at North Beach to Calafia State Beach in the south. It is basically a flat, fairly smooth crushed granite trail that’s shared by walkers, runners, bikers, dogs and strollers. Because it’s a flat out-and-back trail, you can make it as easy or challenging as you want. I like it because (for me) it’s nearby. I can walk to it from my home. There are restrooms and water located along the trail and food is available at the pier.
Time: ~1.5 hours
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation gain: 50 ft
Dogs: OK
When to go: Year round
The first mile is wide and well-groomed crushed granite, with a raised boardwalk for a portion that provides great views of the beaches up and down the coast. You cross the railroad tracks at about mile .75. There are crossing gates to warn you when a train is coming. Between the railroad crossing and the pier, the trail narrows considerably. You’ll need to hike in single file to pass the oncoming foot traffic.
Once you reach the pier the trail widens and continues along the ocean side of the tracks, crossing again near mile 1.25. The turnaround point comes at the Calafia State Beach parking lot (about mile 2.25). There are restrooms here, and a snack bar that’s open during the daytime and summer.
Need more of a challenge? Of course you can hike it faster (or even run it), but there are a couple alternatives that will help you break a sweat. Along the trail there are six beach access points with stairs or hills you can race up and down for extra cardio points. Or when the tide permits, you can kick off your shoes an do the entire distance walking on the beach. The softer the sand, the harder the workout!
Trailhead parking is available at the Metrolink parking lot. This lot has pay stations that take cash or credit cards, and parking costs $0.25 for 15 minutes. Parking is free after 6pm.
San Clemente Beach Trail Map
Derek (100 Peaks) says
March 4, 2010 at 10:31 amI like that pic on the top! I haven’t been down that area in a long time. It’s time to get back.
SoCal Hiker says
March 10, 2010 at 12:34 amThanks, Derek. I actually stopped to take that photo after finishing another hike, but not on that trail! I was on my way home and had to pull over to capture the scene. Fortunately for me, home is just a hop away from this. Yes, life is good.
Alan Takushi says
March 12, 2010 at 5:11 pmJust happened on your site after I setup a hiking search in my Google Reader. We’re heading down to San Diego this weekend and this would be a great side trip on the way down. Can you advise whereabouts the Metrolink Station is?
Look forward to keeping tabs on your JMT adventure. It’s on my list of things to do in the future. 🙂
Cheers,
Alan
SoCal Hiker says
March 12, 2010 at 5:15 pmThanks, Alan! Here’s a link to the Google map for the trailhead, which also happens to be the Metrolink parking lot. I’ve also added it to the post. Great suggestion!
When are you coming through? If it works out, I’d be glad to give you a tour and pick the brain of another webdev hiker.
Alan Takushi says
March 15, 2010 at 10:23 amHey Jeff, hope you had a nice hike on Sat. Thanks for the call and turns out, we were running late and didn’t get a chance to do the San Clemente Beach Trail. Hopefully, next time we’re in the area, we’ll get a chance to meet up. Take care and happy trails!
Debbie Miller says
July 27, 2011 at 7:21 pmThis looks gorgeous! I live in OC and have never been to this trail. I’ll definitely check it out – thanks so much for the rec!
Jeff Hester says
July 28, 2011 at 10:45 amThe San Clemente Beach Trail isn’t technically a “hike” to many people, but it is beautiful. And you can enjoy lunch and a cold beverage on the pier!
Dennis Carpenter says
July 28, 2011 at 7:20 pmI got to give this a try. So scenic!
Jeff Hester says
August 1, 2011 at 8:40 amLet me know when you’ve got time to do this trail. If I’m available, I’ll join you!
Robert Gladson says
August 31, 2014 at 2:42 pmGreat Site! My son pointed me to your site because he wants to this trail with his Mom and me. Is there a way to print out the map? It’s really helpful to know the answer to “How far is it to the restroom, Dad?”
Jeff Hester says
September 2, 2014 at 8:43 amRobert, the City of San Clemente has a nice waterproof map of all their hiking trails that you can purchase for $3. You can also download the map and print your own from here: http://san-clemente.org/home/showdocument?id=9777
Robert Gladson says
September 2, 2014 at 10:36 amThank you, Jeff. Your reply with the link was very helpful. I downloaded the map and printed it out. Can’t wait to go hike the trail.
Do you know about the various nature centers and hiking trails down here in San Diego County? We’ve hiked the San Elijo Lagoon trails and like them a lot. I’ve heard that there are several other nature centers at the various lagoons along our coast, so we will have to check them out at well. I think it would be really great if a trail system could connect all the lagoons like a string of pearls. It would also be really cool if a trail system could connect everything from San Diego to Long Beach. That could make a really great vacation hike even for non-backpackers. A person could find a motel room in nearly every town the trail would pass.
Christiaan Sorensen says
January 7, 2015 at 11:24 amHey Jeff
Great write up; I live in North Beach and my weekend warrior workout is this trail at a brisk pace. Love the explanation and I do the ‘2 steps at a time’ up the northern stairs for my end of walk burn. Ouch.
Love seeing my backyard on this page and keep up the great work!
Harv Martens says
July 11, 2016 at 4:40 pmGreat site! Your elevation graphs are very helpful. By the way – land has elevation – airplanes have altitude.
Diana says
May 14, 2017 at 11:18 amHi!
Is this a good place for a stroller?
Thanks!