Cabrillo National Monument

I spent a long Independence Day weekend exploring in and around San Diego beginning with Cabrillo National Monument on Point Loma, a spit of land that protects western edge of the entrance to San Diego Harbor. Named for the Spanish captain that discovered the harbor in 1542, the small park contains a concentration of varied attractions: a monument the park's namesake; a historic, but actually poorly-sited lighthouse; tide pools; WWII coastal defense improvements; and probably most popular, splendid views of the San Diego skyline several miles away.

Clouds obscured the skyline views when I first arrived, but as the day progressed they thinned enough for appreciable, if hazy, views of downtown. All told, I spend over three hours at the Monument, including a drive to the tide pools. The map below traces my pedestrian wanderings around the main visitor center including a hike out the one significant trail, the two-mile Bayside Trail.


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Trip Statistics (Bayside Trail Only)
Length: 2.2 miles
Time: 1 hour 4 minutes
Elevation Change: 316 feet
Total Climbing: 377 feet
Max. Elevation: 413 feet

Elevation Profile