Get Moving & Feel Great in Encinitas
As the calendar turns, many of us are thinking about health, happiness, and reconnecting with ourselves. In Encinitas, you don’t need a gym membership to kick off a “New Year, New You” wellness journey — our coastal town is an open invitation to get outside, explore nature, and nourish your body and mind. From scenic trails and seaside strolls to restorative spa experiences and fresh farmers markets, Encinitas offers something for every pace and style of wellness.
Hit the Trails: Find Your Perfect Walk or Hike
Encinitas is home to a stunning variety of hiking and walking routes, perfect for everyone from beginners starting a new fitness routine to seasoned trail enthusiasts. Whether you’re tackling scenic hikes for a workout or enjoying a leisurely beachside stroll at sunset, these trails make it easy to turn wellness into a joyful part of everyday life.
- San Elijo Lagoon Trails: Wander through nearly 1,000 acres of diverse wetlands alive with wildlife. Trails like the Santa Inez and Dike routes offer peaceful paths among salt pans, riparian areas, and bird habitats — a perfect way to combine gentle exercise with nature exploration.
- Annie’s Canyon Loop: For a bit more challenge, this short yet adventurous loop climbs through sandstone corridors and offers panoramic views of the ocean and lagoon.
- Leucadia Coastal Loop: Mix walking with local flavor as you stroll through seaside neighborhoods, past galleries, cafes, and landmarks along a 2+-mile route.
- Coastal Rail Trail: Stretching through the heart of the community between Encinitas and Cardiff-by-the-Sea, this scenic path is dog-friendly and perfect for walking, jogging, or biking, offering ocean breezes, coastal views, and easy access to neighborhoods, beaches, and local spots along the way. It’s an inviting option for daily movement, mindful moments, and exploring Encinitas at your own pace.
- Beach Walks at Low Tide: One of Encinitas’ simplest and most scenic wellness experiences is a beach walk at low tide. Stroll along the shoreline from Grandview to Cardiff, where ocean views, fresh sea air, and the rhythm of the waves create the perfect setting for mindful movement and sunset walks.
Wellness on Land & Sea: Spa, Nutrition & Mind-Body Balance
Encinitas is just as strong an urban wellness destination as it is a nature lover’s paradise. After a morning on the trail or a sunset walk, recharge your body and spirit at one of our many spas, yoga studios, or holistic wellness centers.
- Spa Alila at Alila Marea Beach Resort in Encinitas offers ocean-inspired healing with treatments using local botanicals, minerals, and holistic wellness, featuring saunas, a relaxation lounge, and fitness center, all enclosed in a beautiful property right on the ocean bluff at La Costa Avenue.
- Located on stunning private grounds in the heart of Encinitas, Four Moons Spa offers traditional spa treatments, transformational healing experiences, naturopathic medicine, a thoughtfully curated boutique + apothecary and an array of programming, classes + workshops that transport you to an oasis in Bali. Treatment rooms include bungalows, traditional Balinese bales situated over a tranquil koi pond with a waterfall, a Hammam room, outdoor soaking tub + sauna and a courtyard where guests can sip tea on an outdoor daybed amidst a coastal landscape of succulents and tropical palms.
- Emerald Day Spa, voted “Best of Encinitas” highest-rated day spa 2024-5, specializes in exceptional Thai massage therapists and tranquil sound-studio massage rooms. They recently added an aesthetician offering services including facials, brows, waxing, and lashes—and provide a free local shuttle service with pick-up in a decorated golf cart!
- Blissfusion Wellness Lounge Encinitas offers a modern, personalized approach to self-care, helping guests recharge and feel their best. With services focused on restoration, balance, and overall wellness, they offer a variety of aesthetic and wellness services that include facials, chemical peels, cryotherapy, infrared saunas, vitamin shots, fillers, Botox, skin care and more. It’s an ideal stop for anyone looking to refresh after an active day or reset in the new year.
- For broader holistic care, visit wellness centers such as Bamboo Wellness Center. Their vision is to provide a space for holistic practitioners focused on integral health—mind, body, and spirit. The center provides health workshops, lectures, and treatments like energy psychology, energy medicine acupuncture, Traditional Chinese medicine, massage, craniosacral therapy, neurofeedback, nutritional counseling, reflexology and more.
- Weekly Wellness Saturdays at ICA North: Experience the healing power of art during ICA San Diego’s year-long On Healing exhibition season. Held most Saturdays from noon–5 PM, these free community gatherings invite visitors to engage in rotating wellness activities like yoga, meditation, and breathwork, enjoy complimentary gallery and sculpture garden tours, participate in all-ages art-making, and explore how art supports mental, physical, and community wellbeing.
- Self-Realization Fellowship Meditation Gardens: Perched above the Pacific Ocean, these peaceful gardens offer a serene setting for quiet reflection, gentle walks, and mindful moments. With lush landscaping, koi ponds, and sweeping coastal views, the gardens invite visitors to slow down, breathe deeply, and reconnect with themselves in a truly tranquil environment.
- For those looking to eat well and shop locally, visiting the and Cardiff Farmers Market on Saturdays and Leucadia Farmers Market on Sundays are a must. These vibrant community markets offer fresh, seasonal produce, artisanal foods, and locally made products that make healthy living both accessible and enjoyable. They also provide a chance to connect with local farmers, makers, and neighbors—turning a simple grocery stop into a feel-good weekly ritual rooted in community and sustainability.
Make 2026 Your Healthiest Yet
From fresh ocean breezes on our trails to mindful moments in studio spaces, Encinitas blends the best of outer adventure and inner balance. Start your New Year right — get moving, get grounded, and discover how wellness can feel effortless when you’re surrounded by sun, surf, and supportive local spa and wellness studios. For more ideas and information on all that Encinitas has to offer, be sure and continue to check out VisitEncinitasca.com.
For even more happenings around town, be sure to check out our full Events Calendar under the “Things to Do” tab on the Visit Encinitas homepage. And follow us on social media @OfficialVisitEncinitas for event updates, photos, and last-minute happenings. There’s always something going on!
Visit Encinitas—where summer never ends.
Author: Laura Charlton
Laura is the owner of Laura Charlton PR, a boutique public relations firm based in the San Diego area. With extensive experience working within the music, travel, entertainment, non-profit, education and consumer lifestyle industries, and for companies such as Disney, Make-A-Wish and the Encinitas Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Center, Laura brings more than 25 years of experience in corporate and consumer public relations, media relations and public affairs to her clients.
