Torrey Pines State Beach, San Diego

Torrey Pines is the most natural beach in San Diego, and that is its whole appeal. There is no boardwalk, no strip of bars, no resort behind it, just a wide, wild strand of sand running below tall sandstone cliffs, with the rare pines of the state reserve rising straight off the back of the beach. You can walk for a long way here, south toward Black's Beach below the bluffs, and feel genuinely far from the city. For walkers, photographers and anyone who prefers nature to scene, no other beach in the county comes close.

The honest catch is the cost of getting onto that sand the easy way. The official state lot at the foot of the reserve is one of the priciest paid car parks on the whole coast, and it fills early on warm days, so arriving late and paying top dollar for a spot is the worst of both worlds. Plenty of visitors do exactly that and come away feeling stung. The beach is free, but the convenient parking very much is not, and that is the thing the postcards leave out.

The value move is simple and locals rely on it. Park free along North Torrey Pines Road, the coast highway shoulder, and walk in to the sand, which costs nothing. Then make a day of it by pairing the beach with the reserve, climbing the trails through the pines to the clifftop coast views and back down for a swim, with only your own water and food to carry. Mind the tide if you walk south toward Black's Beach, since the route along the sand can be cut off as the water rises. Done this way, the wildest, most beautiful beach day in San Diego costs you almost nothing, while the people in the pricey lot paid for the privilege of the same free sand.