As a San Diegan, I’ve spent a lot of my adulthood frequenting its beaches. San Diego has many beautiful beaches, one of which is Black’s Beach, located in La Jolla. Besides the fact that it is the only clothing-optional beach in San Diego, Black’s Beach is also known for having one of the sketchiest beach accesses in the area. The beach access for Black’s Beach is the popular, unofficial Ho Chi Minh Trail. Ho Chi Minh Trail, also known as the Saigon Trail or La Jolla Trail, is a very challenging, yet wonderful short hike that snakes through a dramatic canyon. In fact, this hike is the best part of Black’s Beach. It has also been used by surfers to get to the surf below since the 1960s. Ho Chi Minh Trail (Saigon Trail) is named after the infamous jungle trail the Viet Cong used during Vietnam War.
Warning: Ho Chi Minh Trail should only be used by the most adventurous hikers. Even though it is short, it is rated difficult and for good reasons. This is a fairly technical trail that required a lot of rock scrambling and maneuvering through slippery, narrow ledges. The sandstone gets extra slippery when wet so make sure to avoid doing this hike after recent rain. Also, make sure to wear hiking shoes with great traction, and put those sandals away until you get down to the beach. This trail is very treacherous. There are at least 100 rescues a year with quite a number of fatalities!
Stats
Where
Ho Chi Minh Trailhead:
9883 La Jolla Farms Rd, La Jolla, CA 92037
Coords: 32°53’06.7″N 117°14’57.2″W
Parking
You can park along the street, however, it is only 2-hour parking along La Jolla Farms Road.
Restroom
There is no restroom
Fee
Free
Important Things
- The trail gets very slippery when wet. Avoid this trail after recent rain.
- Many ledges are slippery and unsafe.
- The first part of the trail goes through private property, please make sure to not trespass.
Distance
0.7 mi R.T.
Elevation Gain
282 ft
Level
Difficult
Time:
1-2 hours
Pet-friendly
No dogs allowed: Nov 1st – March 31st from 9am – 4pm and April 1st – Oct. 31st from 9am – 6pm. Allowed all other times and must be leashed. Although, we don’t recommend bringing your dogs.
Ideal Time
Mornings for less crowd. Also, avoid this trail if it’s raining or after recent rain.
Weather
Video
Getting to Ho Chi Minh Trail Trailhead
The trailhead for Ho Chi Minh Trail (Saigon Trail) is located on La Jolla Farms Road, in La Jolla, California. You should be able to use the address or the coordinates above to map your way there. For parking, you can park on the street. Please DO NOT block any driveways and always obey any street signs. It is only 2-hour parking along La Jolla Farms Road. 2 hours is plenty of time to hike Ho Chi Minh Trail, however, you won’t have a lot of time for the beach.
The Adventure
The Start of the Trail
We met up with the other members of our adventure group at the trailhead of Ho Chi Minh Trail (Saigon Trail). The trail starts at a small alleyway, between the homes in the neighborhood of La Jolla, with warning signs in front of it. As soon as you pass the iron walls fencing the houses, the trail via left opens up to a steep canyon below. There is a viewpoint up here, overlooking the beautiful ocean below. From this viewpoint, you can see a used trail leading up the hillside on the right. That is NOT where you will be going.
We followed the steep, rutted trail down the canyon. The trail then snakes through dense bushes of vegetation. Once you get down near the bottom of the canyon, make sure to go left to follow the Ho Chi Minh Trail (Saigon Trail) toward the ocean. Soon enough, you’ll reach a bridge made out of a 2×4 board. This makeshift bridge crosses over a small spring. The board gets a little springy in the middle but it’s not that bad crossing over. All of us made it through with no issue.
After the Makeshift Bridge
After we crossed over the board, the canyon seems to become narrower. The trail once again winds through dense vegetation and then follows a shelf along a small slot canyon below. Supposedly, after some good rain, there might be water in that small canyon. From this section of the Ho Chi Minh Trail (Saigon Trail) and beyond, the hike can get strenuous. Parts of the shelf can be quite narrow and slippery, especially when wet. Please make sure to proceed with caution.
The Small Slot Canyon
Soon, we came up to the major obstacle of Ho Chi Minh Trail (Saigon Trail), the tight sandstone slot that the trail descends through. This is our favorite part of the trail. It is quite unique for San Diego hikes. And it is also very photogenic. Getting through the sandstone slot can be a bit tricky. It is also very slippery, more so on the way down. What we did was follow the smooth steps carved out by past hikers, then press our hands and bodies against the sides as we carefully slid down to the bottom.
The Last Obstacle
Once we got down to the bottom of the slot, we follow the narrow trail as it follows along the canyon wall. Be very careful here. At this point, the trail gets very narrow. It’s also sloped and loose in many places. It’s easy for you to slip and fall down if you’re not careful.
After following the trail around the bend, we then scrambled down and crosses the stream below. This takes us right on top of the last major obstacle, a steep and extremely slippery hill to get down to the beach. There is a fixed rope at the beginning that you can use for support. When we went, this whole section was wet because of the water from beachgoers and surfers. It was so slippery and I almost slipped, even with the help of our canyoneering shoes and the rope. Please be very careful.
The Beach
Once you get down to the beach, you’ll mostly have plenty of space here. On the south, towards La Jolla Shores, you’ll have a beautiful view of Scripps Pier and the Scripps Oceanographic Institue. If you head toward the north, you can enjoy the clothing-optional section of Black’s Beach. When you’re ready to go back, you can return the same way, using the Ho Chi Minh Trail (Saigon Trail).
We love Saigon Trail. It is short, challenging, yet super fun and beautiful. It’s a great bang for your bucks. We can’t wait to go back. If you like snorkeling, La Jolla is a great place to snorkel with leopard sharks! Don’t worry, they’re harmless. Some other great hikes in San Diego are the Potato Chip Rock, Eagle Rock, or 3 Sisters Falls.
These are the gear that we personally use and find them helpful for this particular adventure. Don’t forget to check out our Recommended Gear section as well.
adventure gear
You’ll need hiking shoes with good tractions. This trail gets very slippery, especially when wet. These are our favorite hiking shoes. We use them for canyoneering as well. Lots of traction. Vy’s version.
Dustin’s version for La Sportiva shoes
Make sure to use lots of sunscreens! We use eco-friendly, reef-safe sunscreen, Stream2Sea SPF 30.
Face sunscreen is also important. We love these tinted, organic All Good Organic Sunscreen Butter.
You should always bring plenty of water. Vy loves the Camelback L.U.X.E.
For shorter hikes, the Patagonia Women’s Nine Trails Pack 18L is perfect to hold water and your essentials.
If you want something lighter, we love the packable Patagonia Women’s Houdini® Jacket and Patagonia Men’s Houdini® Jacket
other things to bring
- If you’re planning to spend some time at the beach, make sure to bring your swimsuits, and beach accessories.
- Always good to bring some snacks with you. For healthy and easy snacks, check out some of our recipes.
camera gear
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