Black's Beach trail closed after bluff collapse

Dangerous landslide closes access to SoCal nude beach and reminds us of nature's fury

Gravel Beach, 2013

La Jolla Trail, above Black's Beach in San Diego, California, was temporarily closed after a bluff collapse occurred on January 20th. The cause of the landslide has not been determined, but it follows weeks of relentless rainfall, historic swell, and very high tides. No injuries or structural damage was reported, but the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department asked beachgoers to avoid the area¹ as events like this can occur without warning. In 2019, three people died in a bluff collapse at nearby Grandview Beach in Encinitas.²

The rock slide sent Black's Beach's cliffs thundering down, the first sea bluff collapse of this size at Black's since January 1982. According to witnesses, it started with chunks of rock falling for about ten minutes, and then a huge column started collapsing onto the beach, causing the whole mountain to shift. The sand piled up 30 feet high.³

As a safety measure, the La Jolla Trail which accesses Black's Beach has been closed and it's not yet known when it will reopen. The authorities are advising people to follow their instructions and avoid the area until it has been deemed safe. 🪐

1. Source: https://fox5sandiego.com/news/local-news/bluff-collapse-at-blacks-beach-prompts-trail-closure/

2. Source: https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/03/us/encinitas-cliff-collapse-deaths/index.html

3. Source: https://stabmag.com/elsewhere/catastrophic-sea-bluff-collapse-at-blacks-beach/