Stone Steps
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
51Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 2: 3 ft swell at 13 s
Mon 2 · 75 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft13 scrumbling
- Energy
- 355kJ
- Wind
- ENE 8 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Tue 3 · 61 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft12 scrumbling
- Energy
- 266kJ
- Wind
- ENE 4 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Wed 4 · 46 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 41kJ
- Wind
- ESE 6 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Thu 5 · 50 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 110kJ
- Wind
- E 5 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Fri 6 · 30 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft12 scrumbling
- Energy
- 95kJ
- Wind
- NE 6 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Sat 7 · 27 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft13 shollow
- Energy
- 59kJ
- Wind
- NE 5 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Sun 8 · 23 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 56kJ
- Wind
- NE 5 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 160, good
- Mon 275, good
- Tue 361, good
- Wed 446, fair
- Thu 550, fair
- Fri 630, too small
- Sat 727, too small
- Sun 823, too small
- Mon 923, too small
- Tue 1038, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces Wtakes swell from the W
- Offshore: Ewind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 18 °C2 mm shorty
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 60, good | 3 ft13 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 361kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 3 knots | 20°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 75, good | 3 ft13 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 355kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 8 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 61, good | 3 ft12 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 266kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 4 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 46, fair | 3 ft4 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 41kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 6 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 50, fair | 3 ft9 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 110kJ | offshorewind from the east, 5 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 30, too small | 2 ft12 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 95kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 6 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 27, too small | 1 ft13 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 59kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 5 knots, offshore | 25°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 23, too small | 2 ft9 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 56kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 5 knots, offshore | 25°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 23, too small | 2 ft12 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 64kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 3 knots, offshore | 26°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 38, too small | 2 ft10 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 86kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 1 knot | 25°C |
Energy is the swell's power, in kJ per metre of wave. Wind is in knots, the arrow where it blows to; green is offshore. More
Tide
- Sun 1 NovHigh 03:33 +0.3 mLow 07:38 +0.1 mHigh 13:39 +0.6 mLow 21:18 −0.9 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 04:27 +0.4 mLow 09:38 −0.1 mHigh 15:17 +0.6 mLow 22:19 −0.8 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 05:07 +0.6 mLow 10:56 −0.3 mHigh 16:40 +0.5 mLow 23:10 −0.8 m
Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.
Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.
Best time to go
No month stands out
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan3of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar3of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr3of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May3of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun3of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug1of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep2of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct3of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov2of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec3of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast.
Map
the spot, its town, photos
Stone Steps on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for intermediates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.
One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Photos of Stone Steps
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
More surf near here
5 places
- Grandview 0.7 km away
- Leucadia 0.7 km away
- Beacons 0.8 km away
- H's 0.9 km away
- Tomatoe Patch 1.8 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Stone Steps
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces W (250°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (70°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 450 m out (1 in 46). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 15°C in January, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 22°C in August, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Encinitas, 4.1 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 13 surf spots and 1 wind sports spot.
Water about 18°C: 2 mm shorty. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).
Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,120–US$2,030 each
about US$1,120–US$2,030 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, stay, food, board and wetsuit.
Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to SAN, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$248–US$516 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$80–US$134 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$301–US$502 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$342–US$636 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$147–US$241 |
| Total | about US$1,120–US$2,030 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: 3 towns
7 min by car · 27 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Encinitas its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Solana Beach on Booking.com
17 min by car · 13 places to stay
- Beds in Carlsbad on Booking.com
18 min by car · 37 places to stay
About US$114 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
Getting there: about 7h
About 7h door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → SAN, direct, then 55 min by road
Flights MDW → SAN on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Saved: this link opens the same trip
The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.