Beacon’s Beach access trail and the surrounding beach area have temporarily closed for repairs after a portion of the popular switchback trail experienced another failure this week, city officials said.
During the early morning hours of Jan. 10, a portion of an existing natural landslide along the bluff was reactivated for unknown reasons, creating several visible cracks in the slope and damaging the Leucadia footpath.
“The area has been active historically and is currently unstable and unsafe,” a city spokesperson said. “From time to time, the city has repaired the access trail. Effective immediately, the beach access trail is temporarily closed and the beach area around the trail should be avoided by all persons until further notice.”
The parking lot will remain open but may be closed if conditions worsen. The city will continue to provide updates as information becomes available.
In May 2022, the Beacon’s access trail and parking lot were closed for a month following a failure along the same northern portion of the slope and trail. The city of Encinitas partnered with the Scripps Institution of Oceanography to monitor and evaluate the bluff for several weeks after the event, noting that the bluff had appeared to stabilize.
Multiple plans to stabilize the bluff have been proposed over the years, including replacing the trail with a staircase, constructing a permanent seawall, or building a sand-cement buttress at the base of the landslide.
Residents and visitors are prohibited from using the Beacon’s switchback trail until the city grants access after landslide monitoring is complete. Beachgoers are advised to alternately use the Grandview or Stonesteps pedestrian access points until the Beacon’s trail reopens.
