La Jolla Cove Tops US Beaches
La Jolla Cove in San Diego was named the No. 1 beach in the United States for 2026 by Tripadvisor. The ranking praised its dramatic sandstone cliffs, clear waters, and abundant sea lions. Florida dominated the top 15 with multiple Gulf Coast beaches including Clearwater Beach, Siesta Key, and Honeymoon Island making the list.
- La Jolla Cove also secured the No. 7 spot on Tripadvisor's list of the world's best beaches for 2026, a list topped by Isla Pasion in Mexico. - The beach's top ranking is an improvement from the previous year, when it was rated the No. 4 beach in the United States. - The cove is part of a 6,000-acre protected area known as the San Diego-La Jolla Underwater Park Ecological Reserve, which was established in the 1970s. - Within this reserve, fishing and the removal of any objects are prohibited, which helps preserve the abundant marine life. - The area's ecosystem includes four distinct habitats: rocky reefs, sand flats, a kelp forest, and a deep submarine canyon that attracts a wide variety of sea life. - In addition to sea lions, the protected waters are home to the bright orange Garibaldi (the state marine fish), leopard sharks, moray eels, and green sea turtles. - Before it was developed as a resort in the 1880s, the area was seasonally inhabited by the Kumeyaay people, who called it Matlahuayl, meaning "place of caves." - While Florida had four beaches in the U.S. top 10, La Jolla Cove was followed directly by Clearwater Beach at No. 2 and Siesta Beach at No. 6.
