Moonlight State Beach, Encinitas

You can sit atop the cliffs and watch the sunset over Moonlight State Beach! It's a great way to end your day! Bring a burrito from Roberto's and you have a complete outing! Attractive couples gather on the benches overlooking the beach, while below, on the sand, beachgoers build a bonfire. Surfers happily skim over the water.

The sand, like many of the San Diego beaches, is a mucky mix of pale and dark sand. Sometimes the cold ocean wind creates mountains of sand that are fun to leap down.
A great thing about Moonlight State Beach is that you can park your car above it, so that when the wind is too cold, you can have a picnic in your car with ocean and sunset views. The free parking lot is above the beach, on C Street.
Afterward, stroll along South Coast Hwy 101 where there are an assortment of cute cafes and coffee shops! This area is so cool! It is a seven minute walk from the beach to the main strip of South Coast Hwy 101. Sit in the hip garden area of Gelato 101 and have a boba tea!
For a nice shopping plaza with a great feel to it, check out Cardiff Town Center (8 minutes south). 
Check out also Self-Realization Fellowship Garden, a small garden on cliffs above the sea, a three minute drive south.  For another lovely garden, with many plants, check out San Diego Botanic Garden, an eight minute drive northeast.
More north up the coast, check out Leucadia State Beach, where you can watch the surfers from up above and then walk down to the pebbly beach. 

Directions

Moonlight State Beach is located at 499 C Street, Encinitas CA 92024.
Parking is free!
Union Kitchen and Tap, 1108 S. Coast Hwy 101, Encinitas CA 92024, call (760) 230-2337.
Roberto's Taco Shop (a six minute drive to pick up a burrito for your picnic), 471 Encinitas Blvd, Encinitas CA 92024.

Click on map for interactive view