Moonlight Beach

San Diego County, California, United States

Free parking

Today at a glance

Best: 4 pm to sunset, sunset 6:06 pm

8 am
2.7
8 km/h5 mph wind, Poor

9 am
6.3
16 km/h10 mph wind, Good

10 am
5.7
9 km/h6 mph wind, Good

11 am
5.6
3 km/h2 mph wind, Good

12 pm
7.2
8 km/h5 mph wind, Great

1 pm
5.8
10 km/h6 mph wind, Good

2 pm
5.8
13 km/h8 mph wind, Good

3 pm
6.4
16 km/h10 mph wind, Good

4 pm
7.9
10 km/h6 mph wind, Great

5 pm
8.3
13 km/h8 mph wind, Great

6 pm
8.0
13 km/h8 mph wind, Great

This page puts what matters first for today's conditions.

Best time to swim

Best: 4 pm to sunset. Beach score for daylight hours, with wind in km/hmph underneath.

Air: 20°C69°F
Water: 23°C73°F
Wind: 149 km/hmph W
Gusts: 149 km/hmph
Waves: 1.0 m3 ft
UV: 0 low
Tide: falling
Rain: 4%
Sunset: 6:06 pm

Today

2.7Poor8 am85

6.3Good9 am1610

5.7Good10 am96

5.6Good11 am32

7.2Great12 pm85

5.8Good1 pm106

5.8Good2 pm138

6.4Good3 pm1610

7.9Great4 pm106

8.3Great5 pm138

8.0Great6 pm138

Sat

8.2Great8 am95

8.4Great9 am32

8.6Excellent10 am21

8.7Excellent11 am53

8.7Excellent12 pm117

8.8Excellent1 pm127

8.8Excellent2 pm138

8.8Excellent3 pm159

8.8Excellent4 pm159

8.8Excellent5 pm1610

8.8Excellent6 pm159

Green, 7 and upYellow, 4 to 7Red, under 4Best stretch

Tide, next 24 hours

Low 1 am, -0.2 m<1 ft
High 7 am, 1.2 m4 ft
Low 2 pm, -0.2 m<1 ft
High 8 pm, 1.0 m3 ft

Tide is modeled, not measured. Rip current and water quality data are not available for this beach yet.

Beach info

Lifeguards, parking and facilities before you head down.

About Moonlight Beach

Moonlight Beach is a beach in Encinitas, California. It is 0.21 miles from the nearest bus stop and 140 feet from the nearest toilets. OpenStreetMap lists a lifeguard station at the beach and free parking nearby with 26 parking spots within 0.31 miles.

From Wikipedia

Moonlight State Beach is a state beach in Encinitas, California. It is located one fifth of one mile beyond the point where Encinitas Boulevard turns into B Street after it crosses Highway 101.
The beach area is well equipped for both children's and adults' recreation. It is popular with both tourists and residents, and it is one of the most visited beaches in Encinitas. This sand beach is used for surfing, swimming, surf fishing, beach volleyball, and bonfires.

Source: Moonlight Beach on Wikipedia (authors). Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Retrieved Oct 18, 2026. Data sources

Facilities

LifeguardStation listedOpenStreetMap lists a lifeguard station.
Restrooms40 m140 ft away
ShowersWithin 500 m0.3 mi
Parking26 within 500 m0.3 miNearest 60 m200 ft. Listed as free
Food and drink27 within 1 km0.6 mi
Rentals2 within 500 m0.3 mi

Getting there

Nearest bus stop: 340 m0.2 mi
Nearest town: 1.2 km0.8 miEncinitas (city)
Nearest airport: 9 km6 miMcClellan-Palomar Airport (CLD)

Facilities from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Check posted signs; details change. Data sources

Nearby beaches

Leucadia State Beach2.6 km1.6 mi north away
8.1 Great later
San Elijo State Beach2.8 km1.7 mi south away
8.1 Great later
Grandview Surf Beach3.7 km2.3 mi north away
8.1 Great later
South Ponto4.3 km2.7 mi north away
8.1 Great later
Cardiff State Beach4.5 km2.8 mi south away
8.1 Great later

Where to stay near the beach

Compare hotels and apartments near Moonlight Beach.

Partner links

Beachfront rooms go first on warm weekends.

Loads the map from Stay22, our stays partner.

Hotel results come from our stays partner. We may earn a commission when you book, at no extra cost to you, and it never changes the beach score.

The days ahead

Best score each day, with the stretch to aim for.

Sat8.8 ExcellentBest 8 am to 7 pmWind up to 16 km/h10 mph, rain 1%
Sun9.4 ExcellentBest 8 am to 1 pmWind up to 16 km/h10 mph, rain 0%
Mon9.2 ExcellentBest 8 am to 4 pmWind up to 19 km/h12 mph, rain 0%
Tue6.9 GoodBest 8 am to 7 pmWind up to 15 km/h9 mph, rain 0%
Wed6.1 GoodBest 8 am to 7 pmWind up to 14 km/h9 mph, rain 0%