Landslide Reactivates At Beacon's Beach In Encinitas

ENCINITAS, CA — An existing historic landslide reactivated Sunday night or Monday morning at Beacon's Beach in Encinitas, according to the city.

The northern portion of the landslide moved downslope to the west, creating visible cracks in the existing slope, as well as damage to the existing access trail from the Beacon's parking lot downslope to the beach. There were no reported injuries.

An inspection on Monday showed that the landslide movement was slow, and that the movement has stopped, according to the city.

"In an abundance of caution, city geotechnical and engineering staff will monitor and evaluate the landslide area for potential future instability for the next 30 to 90 days," a news release from the city said. "Effective immediately, the parking lot and the beach access trail will be temporarily closed to all persons until further notice."

The coastal bluff at Beacon's Beach has experienced episodic instability associated with a large historic landslide, according to the city. Landslide movement damaged previous beach access stairways during winter storms in 1982 and 1983. Since then, beachgoers have accessed the beach via a switchback trail leading down from a public parking lot along the west side of Neptune Avenue.

"Residents and visitors that typically access the beach via the switchback trail are prohibited from using the trail until both the landslide monitoring is complete and access is granted again by the city of Encinitas," the release said. "Beachgoers are encouraged to use Stonesteps or Grandview beach access until the Beacon's trail is reopened."