SAN CLEMENTE BEACH TRAIL: A Walk at the Edge of the Pacific

Beach trail at San Clemente State Beach, California

On a recent Sunday, when the temperature was in the 70s and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky (a perfect winter day in California) we met my brother (who lives in San Diego) for a walk at San Clemente Beach, located about half-way between Los Angeles and San Diego. The sea was as calm as I’ve ever seen it and the tide was coming in, washing away our footsteps as we walked, leaving the sand an unmarked slate.

The San Clemente Beach trail, located in the community of San Clemente, lies along a stretch of beach below high bluffs. This popular 2.3 mile long trail connects North Beach to Calafia Beach with stops along the way at the San Clemente Pier and T-Street. We parked at Calafia Beach, just below the San Clemente State Beach campground. Next to the parking lot are restrooms and picnic tables. (We paid the parking fee at an automated kiosk.)

Access to the beach is across the Amtrak railroad tracks. All along the trail, the tracks parallel the beach, although on the day we went, the only train we saw was unloading boulders to repair the breakwater that protects the tracks. (One wonders how the tracks will fare as the ocean level rises with global warming.)

After crossing the tracks, we walked south along the water’s edge. High above us, glass fronted houses perched at the top of the cliff. At the water's edge a grebe bobbed in the waves, diving periodically to hunt for fish. We passed a few human fishermen and other walkers (some with dogs), but, for the most part, the beach was empty—a perfect pandemic excursion.

Along most of the beach the sand was smooth--unlittered by shells, seaweed or other detritus. But in several places piles of small pebbles, tumbled smooth by the waves, clumped at the shore, revealing a surprising variation in color, reminding me of the agates and other stones I once polished in a rock tumbler to make jewelry.

By the time we returned to where we had started we were hungry, so we ate our picnic lunch at one of the tables overlooking the beach. It was a beautiful day to be out in the fresh air.

For more about the San Clemente Beach Trail and the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, click on this link. https://www.traillink.com/trail/san-clemente-beach-trail-/