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Moonlight State Beach

Part of North County Coast, our guide to the North County coast from Del Mar to Oceanside.

Moonlight State Beach, west of I-5 on Encinitas Boulevard, is operated by the City of Encinitas. California State Parks lists it open from dawn to sunset with no fee listed, and says it does not accept the Annual Day Use Pass. Dogs are not allowed.Checked October 23, 2026.

Dawn–sunsetopen
No feelisted by State Parks
No dogsallowed
Cityoperates the beach
Waves washing onto the sand at Moonlight Beach in Encinitas with bluffs in the distance
Moonlight Beach. Tim Buss from North County, San Diego, California, USA, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
LocationWest of I-5 on Encinitas Boulevard, Encinitas. No street number on the State Parks page.
HoursDawn to sunset, per State Parks.
CostNo fee listed. The Annual Day Use Pass is not accepted here.
DogsNot allowed.
Phone(760) 633-2740, the City parks line shown on the State Parks page.

Who Runs It

State Parks lists the beach but says the City of Encinitas operates it, so parking, lifeguard and facility details come from the City.

What We Could Not Verify

  • Parking fees, lifeguard hours and the street address were not confirmed because the City of Encinitas page blocked our reader.

More in North County Coast

FAQ

Are dogs allowed at Moonlight Beach?

No, per California State Parks.

Sources

  1. California State Parks: Moonlight State Beach

Checked October 23, 2026 by It’s San Diego. Cite this page: It’s San Diego (itssandiego.com), checked October 23, 2026. Free to quote with a link to this page; tables are licensed CC BY 4.0.