Shell Beach, Beach near Ellen Browning Scripps Park in La Jolla, United States

Shell Beach is a small cove in La Jolla accessed by a staircase descending to a sandy shore surrounded by sandstone cliffs. The water offers views of Seal Rock and the protected marine area beyond.

Shell Beach lies at the south end of Ellen Browning Scripps Park, the coastal strip named for the philanthropist Ellen Browning Scripps, who settled in La Jolla in 1896 and funded much of its early civic development. The beach is reached by a concrete stairway built at the park's southern edge, immediately north of Children's Pool Beach and south of Boomer Beach and La Jolla Cove.

The name Shell Beach comes from the sea glass and shell fragments found on its sand. At extreme low tides a tidepool-like area appears at the southern end, where marine creatures are visible. South of the beach, Seal Rock often holds several resting harbor seals.

Reach the sand by the concrete steps at the south end of Ellen Browning Scripps Park, just north of Children's Pool Beach. Time a visit to low tide for the southern tidepool area, and wear shoes with grip on the rocks. Reef structures and rip currents make the water hazardous for divers.

Sea glass washes up on the sand here, and a short distance offshore to the south, Seal Rock often holds several harbor seals resting on it. The San Diego Council of Divers runs a "Rocks, Rips and Reefs" tour covering the reef structures and rip currents offshore.