La Jolla Launch

[madscientist]

Originally Posted by Quilted Germ

So people really launch at the shores...some paddle to the pier...then all the way past the cove? I was at Scripps Aquarium the other day and seeing that from a bird's view seems like a lot of paddling. Must take awhile.

From the launch to the pier is about 0.7 miles. About the same for the launch to the edge of the reserve. That's about a 10-15 minute paddle depending on conditions. Since a typical outing usually ends up covering 5-10 miles total, that little extra is not too much extra effort for the convenience of a drive up beach launch and mellow surf. From where I come from, the additional time to drive to LJ and the additional time it would take to carry everything to the water and setup outweighs the time it takes to paddle from the cove. Of course, if you are going to the pier there is no closer launch spot other than dragging the yak down the steps and launching through the big surf at the north end of LJ shores.