Leucadia State Beach (Beacon's)

"Winding down the sandy path to Beacon's Beach, visitors are greeted by a patchwork of greenery on the sloping hills, and long surf breaks crashing in the sea below. With a neighborhood feel on the sand—and plenty of it for sunbathers—this beach is a local favorite. That walk though, tends to keep crowds away, so once you get down to the water you'll have plenty of space to yourself. Because of the effort involved in getting down to the water, this isn't typically a beach frequented by families. Some of San Diego's beaches can have a universally appealing, vanilla feel to them. Beacon's Beach is not one of them, lacking the masses of tourists, yet just as picturesque as San Diego's most popular beaches." - Marie Tutko, Archana Ram