Part of the North Ponto parking lot and a restroom at South Carlsbad State Beach are closed after Tropical Storm Rachel damaged the area. Carlsbad City Manager Geoff Patnoe announced the closure in an Oct. 22 update.
California State Parks notified the city late the week before the update. The agency expects the partial closure to remain in place until the parking lot and bluff have been evaluated, according to Patnoe.
The closed section sits just north of Carlsbad State Campground and south of the stretch of Carlsbad Boulevard where the city is working to stabilize a bluff. The specific extent of the damage has not been described publicly.
No reopening date has been set.
State Parks recommends beachgoers who plan to visit the area do so around low tide, when more sand is exposed between the cliffs and waves. That extra distance provides a safer buffer from the bluffs. Visitors should watch for posted signs and follow instructions from staff.
The North Ponto closure is the second Carlsbad beach parking lot shut down in recent weeks. The Tamarack State Beach lot, between Tamarack Avenue and Pine Avenue near the Village, was closed after waves began crashing onto the pavement during high tides, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported in September. Patnoe said he would continue to share updates on both closures as the city learns more from the state.
Carlsbad declared a local emergency Sept. 9 to expedite repairs where coastal erosion threatened Carlsbad Boulevard, the historic Highway 101. The city planned to place boulders weighing 4 to 8 tons each to extend an existing rock revetment 192 feet north of the Encinas Creek outlet, according to the Union-Tribune.
Tropical Storm Rachel, part of an El Niño-fueled storm season, drenched the San Diego region in mid-October. Carlsbad recorded 1.65 inches of rain from the storm, according to National Weather Service data reported by the North County Daily Star.
Most of Carlsbad's seven miles of shoreline is owned and managed by California State Parks, though the city has a longstanding agreement with the state to share some maintenance responsibilities, the Union-Tribune reported.
Beachgoers can check tide schedules and posted signage before heading to South Carlsbad State Beach.
