Coastal erosion from the adjacent Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve makes for a picturesque landscape.

The beach is at the base of a series of 300-foot sandstone cliffs of white and golden stone, with a greenish layer sometimes visible at the very bottom.

[2] Waves ranging from the low 3-footers to the high 6–8 footers can be found on the north side of Torrey Pines State Beach.

The beach is usually not very crowded in the early hours of the day, when primarily surfers and body boarders are present.

During that time, the boundary of the surfing and body boarding areas is not as strictly enforced, as long as common courtesy is being used on both sides.