Moonlight Beach

The day-use park known as Moonlight Beach is a unit of the California State Park System operated by the City of Encinitas Parks and Beach Division. It features a wide, sandy shore and offers a variety of water sports activities, such as swimming, surfing and fishing. Other facilities here include picnic areas, fire rings, restrooms, public phones, volleyball and tennis courts, recreational equipment rentals, and a snack bar.

The source of Moonlight Beach's name is a subject of debate. Most believe it traces back to the habit of local residents having midnight picnics here in the early 1900s. Others say Chinese immigrants who had been working on the railway smuggled liquor here late at night by boat during the Prohibition Era. Either way, the beach has an interesting history.

Moonlight Beach is located in a residential neighborhood at B and 4th streets, just west of Interstate 5. The address is 400 B Street, Encinitas, California 92024. The beachside parking area is open from 5am to 10pm, and the beach itself, which is handicap accessible via a ramp and polyethylene walkway, is available for public use between 4am and 2am daily. Lifeguard towers are manned from 10am to 6pm beginning in late June through Labor Day. Dogs, portable grills, alcohol, smoking, and glass containers are prohibited.