Whenever we have friends or family that visit San Diego, the first recommendation we give them is always Cabrillo National Monument area. It’s our classic San Diego attraction – beautiful, 360 views of San Diego and exploring. Can’t go wrong. You can spend a little time here or a lot, it’s really up to you…and we promise it will be the highlight of your San Diego vacation, or your weekend, if you are a local!
When to go: You can enjoy this beautiful area year round, and we recommend going on a beautiful day that isn’t foggy. Also, consider going during low tide if you’d like to take advantage of the tidepool area. Another incredible time to go is early Spring (around mid-March) when the wildflowers start to bloom and sprinkle the area with beautiful shades of yellow.
What to wear: Wear comfortable walking shoes that you don’t mind getting a little wet if you explore the tidepools area. There is no shade/cover so be sure to cover yourself in sunscreen and wear a hat if you’d like. We also like to bring a picnic lunch with us, as there aren’t options for food, and it’s such a nice location to sit and relax.
What else you should know: This area can get very crowded, and each year it becomes more and more popular. We recommend going early to avoid the line to get in (the ranger station will charge a fee for vehicle entry) as well as to ensure a parking spot in their very small parking lot on the cliffs trail and tidepool side.
The Cabrillo National Monument is located at the very tip of an area called Point Loma. As you get closer, you’ll drive through federal land, Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery until you arrive at the Cabrillo National Park entrance. The fees seem to change regularly, so do check their website if you want to know in advance.
There are two areas to explore. After going through the ranger station, veer right (you’ll see signs) to head to the tidepools, which is also where the cliffside hike is located. Or instead, keep going straight to visit the actual Cabrillo monument and lighthouse. You can certainly do both, but take note that you will want to drive your car between the two locations as it’s not very walkable. If you only have time for one, we’d put our vote on the tidepools and cliffside hike.
Cabrillo Monument & Lighthouse
Parking in this area is very easy, you’ll have no problem at all. Once you park, veer towards the main area and you can see the Cabrillo National Monument, beautiful views of San Diego, as well as a small museum (no additional entry fee) with tons of amazing buttons that the younger kids can have a blast with. There’s also a gift shop and restrooms.
The monument is dedicated to Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, who in 1542 was the first European to set foot on what is now the West Coast of the United States. The museum shares the story of the of 16th century exploration and really is interesting.
After exploring the museum, you’ll see the Old Point Loma Lighthouse (in operation from 1855 – 1891) in the distance and you can take the easy paved pathway to explore it. You can go inside the lighthouse and it’s set up to show you what it was like to live there, including the ability to climb up the windy stairs to the top. Right next to it is another museum to give you more insights and again, tons of buttons and interactive displays to engage the kiddos. There are additional restrooms here.
After exploring the Lighthouse, keep walking up the path to take in views, and even catch some whales if it’s whale watching season. The path will loop you back and you can return to the parking area. We’ve also spotted dolphins, so bring binoculars if this is your thing!
Cabrillo Tidepools and Cliffside Walk
As we mentioned, this is by far our favorite spot in San Diego. As you head down the road towards the parking lot, admire the views. Once you get to the parking lot, especially if it’s a holiday or afternoon, you’ll be faced with many others also looking for parking. You can wait on the line to park, or another option is to pass the first parking lot and head up the road to another parking lot that less people know about. It’s quite small as well, but usually we have better luck here. If you park, there, you’ll just do the walk/hike in reverse, which is no big deal.
Going in through the first parking lot, you’ll see the restroom facilities and then walk down a built path to the main cliffs area. Take a left and climb down and that’s where you’ll find the tidepools. These tidepools are only visible during low tide. They are interesting to look at you’ll likely see sea anenomies which the kids love. They may be covered in shell bits (that’s their protection) and the kids love to touch them and watch them coil in. When touching them, be sure to just gently touch the outside, not straight in the middle which can hurt them. As always, with tidepools, leave everything where you found it…this is not the place to secure a souvenir.
After enjoying the tidepools, head back to the cliffs and keep going that direction, following the trail that leads you north. From there take in the views, and snap a ton of photos! You are right on the cliffs, so as always, exercise caution.
You’ll also find this really fun area that the kids just love to explore and climb on.
After admiring this area, you’ll see stairs to continue on the path. We are going down the stairs in this photo, but you’ll be going up if you are coming from that direction!
Once you climb up the stairs, you’ll start to be taken away a bit from being immediately on the cliffs and will wander through the trail, still having beautiful views of the Pacific Ocean. If you go during wildflower season, this is where you are really in for a treat!
As you circle around, eventually you’ll see an opportunity to veer off back towards the cliffs. It looks much more daunting to climb down there than it actually is, and it’s totally worth checking out for really fun exploration and amazing views. The kids really loved exploring this area!
After enjoying this area, head back up to where you were going and continue along the trail. You’ll hit the 2nd parking lot that I mentioned previously. Enjoy the views, and then turn around and retrace your steps. You won’t mind seeing everything a second time!
