Best of 2003: Best Tourist-Free Beaches

Leucadia and Encinitas State Beaches

Neptune Avenue from Roseta Street north to Grandview Street

The mile and a half of sand along the bluffs of Leucadia and Encinitas is mostly tourist-free because it's hard to get to. There are pockets of out-of-towners where accessibility is best -- at Grandview, at Leucadia Boulevard, and at El Portal Street. But even in these spots, tourists have to know where they're going, or at least be adventuresome enough to stray off Highway 101. If you know someone who lives along Neptune Avenue you can use one of the many staircases that stand like siege ladders thrown against the embattled bluffs.