Dog Beaches in Encinitas and Del Mar: A Local Guide

Del Mar's dog beach near 29th Street is the easy answer: off-leash, wide, and full of dogs who already know the rules. Fletcher Cove in Solana Beach is a short walk with stairs — better for a leg stretch than a long run. Moonlight and Cardiff have their own seasonal rules, so check the signs at the entrance before you unclip anything.

Rules differ beach to beach and change with the season. I check the posted sign every single time, and so should you — a ticket is a bad end to a good morning.

Early. Before eight you get cool sand, glassy water, and room to throw a ball without hitting a stranger's knees. Midday in summer is for the bluff path under the cypress, not the open sand.

Watch the tide, too. A high tide on a narrow stretch means less beach and more stairs, which is fine for a young lab and miserable for an older dog.

Bring water — ocean water is not water. Rinse the sand off the belly and paws before the car ride, and skip the beach entirely if your dog is recovering from a cut or an ear infection.

Skip the retractable leash on the sand. A long line gives you the same freedom and none of the surprise.