The gate at the bottom of the Torrey Pines grade still opens every morning, but it only lets you onto the sand. The road up the bluff closed to vehicles on September 21. Since September 22, that road, both upper lots, the Lodge, the Beach Trail staircase and every trail in the main reserve have been closed to all visitors, including people on foot and on bikes. California State Parks expects full access by March 1, 2027.
The trails that are still open sit at the ends of residential streets off Carmel Valley Road and Del Mar Heights Road. Until March, the Torrey Pines Reserve Extension is the only part of the reserve with trails open, and you reach it from Del Mar Scenic Parkway, Mar Scenic Drive and Mira Montana Drive. For Carmel Valley, the reserve this winter is closer to a walk from home than a drive to La Jolla.
Where the Fence Line Runs
Phase two of a multi-year renovation began September 22. The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that phase one ran from November 2025 to February 2026. During that phase the Extension trails and both beach lots stayed open while the upper reserve was closed. This winter follows the same split.
| Closed until about March 1, 2027 | Open now |
|---|---|
| Park road above the South Beach lot | Torrey Pines State Beach |
| Both upper parking lots | South Beach parking lot on North Torrey Pines Road |
| Guy Fleming, Parry Grove, High Point, Razor Point, Beach and Broken Hill trails | North Beach parking lot off Carmel Valley Road |
| Beach Trail staircase | Torrey Pines Extension trails |
| The Lodge and the trail interpretive kiosk |
State Parks does not refund passes for the closure. Annual passes still work at Torrey Pines State Beach and at the other state parks.
The Four Trails Above the Sand
State Parks lists four trails in the Extension. Together they come to roughly two miles:
- Mar Scenic Trail, about half a mile along the seasonal creek that runs through the Extension
- Daughters of the American Revolution Trail, about half a mile, looking across the marsh to the main reserve and the ocean
- Margaret Fleming Nature Trail, about three-quarters of a mile through coastal sage scrub
- Red Ridge Loop Trail, about a third of a mile, with views of the lagoon, the main reserve and the eroded sandstone formations
The Red Ridge Loop and the DAR Trail both look toward the main reserve. From these two trails you can see the bluffs that are fenced off this winter.
You reach the Extension by car from three streets. Del Mar Scenic Parkway comes off Carmel Valley Road. Mar Scenic Drive and Mira Montana Drive come off Del Mar Heights Road. State Parks allows free public parking near the trailheads, and the Extension map lists parking as street only. Since every space is on a residential block, parking here works like a visit to a neighbor's street, not a trip to a park lot.
Two rules carry over from the main reserve. Pets are not allowed in the Extension, according to the Extension trail map. The State Parks park information page says working service dogs are allowed at the reserve and emotional support animals are not. The State Parks bicycle rules keep bikes off Extension trails as well. The Extension closes at sunset, and on a mid-November evening that comes early.
Down at the North Beach Lot
The other open entrance is also on the Carmel Valley side. Take Carmel Valley Road west for about a mile and a half from Interstate 5 to McGonigle Road, then turn left into the North Beach lot. You pay at an automated machine near the entrance. The day-use fee runs from $10 to $25 depending on demand, and a valid State Parks vehicle day-use pass also works. The South Beach lot at 12600 North Torrey Pines Road also uses demand pricing. Its kiosk is staffed daily from 9 a.m. to sunset.
Torrey Pines State Beach opens its gates at 7:15 a.m. and closes them at sunset. Dogs are not allowed on the beach either. So this winter, a walk at Torrey Pines means either the Extension's two miles of trail or the sand below the bluffs, with no way up the Beach Trail between them.
A Winter Calendar That Meets on This Side
The Torrey Pines Docent Society has paused its Mindful Walks until the trails reopen. Its public programs for this winter meet at the Extension and the North Beach lot. California State Parks has also put a short run of pop-up events on the beach calendar. Here is the schedule from this weekend to the end of February:
- Saturday, November 21. Pop-Up Beach Cleanup & Watershed Exploration at Torrey Pines State Beach.
- Thursday, November 26. King Tides Pop-Up: Explore Our Changing Coast, a Thanksgiving Day event on the beach.
- Thursday, December 3, at noon. The Docent Society's BLIK Learn-at-Lunch meets on the first Thursday of each month at the Docent Shed in the North Beach lot, and visitors are welcome. The same schedule puts the next two sessions on January 7 and February 4.
- Friday, December 11, 9 to 10:30 a.m. Nature Journaling, a public program whose first session was set for November 13, meets on the second Friday of each month at the Extension entrance on Del Mar Scenic Parkway, by the tennis courts. The same schedule puts the next sessions on January 8 and February 12.
- Saturday, December 19. Christmas Critters & Holiday Crafts at Torrey Pines State Beach.
Start times for the State Parks pop-ups are on the Torrey Pines State Beach page. Docent programs are announced in the Docent Society's monthly newsletter. Two of the three recurring programs meet off Carmel Valley streets. With that schedule, taking out-of-town guests this December means parking near the Del Mar Scenic Parkway tennis courts or at McGonigle Road. It does not mean the grade.
When Two Miles Is Not Enough
The Extension works for a short loop or a sunset walk. For anything longer this winter, there are several trails nearby that run on different land managers' schedules.
San Dieguito River Park, north of Del Mar. The San Dieguito River Park lists the Dust Devil Nature Trail as an easy 1.7-mile hike. Its staging area is off southbound El Camino Real just before Sea Country Lane, and from October through March it is open 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. The one-mile Tidal Trail, which opened in October 2024, runs alongside El Camino Real from Dust Devil toward a future link with the Coast to Crest Trail. The San Dieguito Lagoon section of the Coast to Crest Trail is an easy 2.5 miles. It starts at a staging area off San Andres Drive, and there is a Del Mar trailhead on San Dieguito Drive.
Crest Canyon, between Del Mar Heights and the lagoon. You can enter from the north kiosk, with street parking on Racetrack View Drive. The south kiosk is at Durango Drive and Lozana Road, and its posted access runs from sunrise to sunset.
Del Mar Mesa and Carmel Mountain preserves, east of the freeway. The City of San Diego lists Del Mar Mesa Preserve off Del Mar Mesa Road. Parking for Carmel Mountain Preserve is off Del Mar Mesa Road, Fairport Way and Shorepoint Way. Both are day-use preserves under the City's park closure rules.
Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve, for the longest walks. The west staging area is on Sorrento Valley Boulevard, about a mile east of Vista Sorrento Parkway. Other entrances are at Black Mountain and Mercy Roads, near Park Village Road and Camino Del Sur, and at the Camino Ruiz neighborhood park. The City's visitor information page says the trails close during rain and for at least 48 hours afterward. After a winter storm, the City's preserve page directs visitors to call the ranger office for current trail status.
What March Brings Back
The current work replaces infrastructure that is up to six decades old. According to the Union-Tribune's report, phase two adds utilities and a new restroom, improves ADA-compliant parking and paths, and replaces the park road from the west parking lot to the reserve's south boundary. The work is scheduled around the nesting season of the California gnatcatcher, a special-status species the Union-Tribune notes is found in the reserve.
In an October 14 update, the Docent Society said the trails should reopen around March 1, 2027. State Parks gives the same date on its park information page, which is the place to check for changes. Until then, the Torrey Pines trails you can walk start from Del Mar Scenic Parkway, Mar Scenic Drive and Mira Montana Drive.
If this winter's walks on the Extension have you looking more closely at the streets between Carmel Valley Road and Del Mar Heights Road, Chris Martin can walk you through how homes near those trailheads trade, and do it discreetly. A short conversation now can start with a free home valuation for your own address.
