At The Backroads

Cabrillo National Monument

“ Historically, Cabrillo National Monument commemorates Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo’s voyage of discovery. Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo led the first European expedition to explore what is now the West Coast of United States.

Statue of Cabrillo Looking Out Over San Diego Bay

A historic statue of Cabrillo looks out over the bay that he first sailed into on September 28, 1542. The park’s visitor center presents thru film and exhibits Cabrillo’s lifes and times. But in addition to telling the 16^th century exploration, the park is home to a wealth of cultural and natural resources.” - http://www.nps.gov/cabr/index.htm

Things to Do At Cabrillo National Monument:

1. Hiking - The formal trail in Cabrillo National Monument is the Bayside trail which is a scenic 2 mile trail with 400 ft change in elevation that will take you to a prime example of endangered coastal sage scrub habitat. This is a very relaxing and easy hike. However, before starting your hike at the Bayside trail, you can begin your walking tour at the Visitor Center. At the visitor center, on the left side is the Ballast Point.

Ballast Point and San Diego Bay from Cabrillo National Monumet

Ballast Point is the small spit of land where Cabrillo is believed to have come ashore. Then from Ballast Point moving your eyes in the clockwise direction, you will see the city of San Diego bordered by the San Diego Bay and the mountains.

The City of San Diego from Cabrillo National Monument

Extending further your gaze to the South, your sight will land you to Mexico. After the Visitor Center, you can walk to the statue of Cabrillo, and then up to the Old Point Loma lighthouse, one of the original 8 lighthouses in the West Coast.

Old Point Loma Lighthouse

This Old lighthouse only had a short life because the seemingly good location on top of the bluff has a serious flaw: thick fogs and low clouds often hide them. This Old Point Loma Lighthouse now serves as an exhibit reflecting the way it was in 1887. On March 23, 1891, the keeper moved into a new lighthouse at the bottom of the hill.

New Point Loma Lighthouse

The New Point Loma Lighthouse can be best viewed at the Whale Overlook. Every winter, gray whale pass this side of the West Coast. After spending the summer in the food- rich water of the Arctic, the gray whales swim south along the coast to to the bays of Baja California, Mexico, where they mate and nurse their young. Their journey bring them to pass Point Loma and Cabrillo National Monument. For a closer view of the whales however, you can take the whale watching tour, which I hope to talk about in one of my next posts.

From the Whale Overlook, you can backtrack to the east side of the Old Point Loma Lighthouse, where the Bayside trail starts. This 2 mile round trip walk or hike is more beautiful in March- May, when the slopes are filled with coastal wildflowers.

2. Tidepooling– On the western side of Cabrillo National Monument lies the rocky intertidal zone, a window into the ocean ecosystem that can be observed during negative low tides. To check for San Diego’s tides, please click here: http://ocean.peterbrueggeman.com/piertide.html . It is important that you go to the tidepool area at negative low tide when you want to experience the ocean ecosystem.

Cabrillo National Monument Tidepool Area

The tidepool area is my favorite spot in Cabrillo National Monument. There is an informal trail that connects the two parking lots, about half a mile from each other. The trail goes up and down through marvelously sculpted coastal bluffs that resulted from erosion.

Sculpted Sandstone Cliffs, Cabrillo National Monument Tidepool Area

Another fun thing to do in the tidepool area is getting inside the small sea caves. From inside of the caves, you can take picture of the Pacific Ocean being framed by the cave’s arch.

Tidepool Area from Inside of a Small Sea Cave

Of course, the main thing to do in the tide pool area is tidepooling. Be very careful however when you step on the algae coated rocks. The rocks are very slippery, and shoes with good gripping soles would be very helpful. Also, watch out for the ocean life, as much as possible, you want to avoid stepping into them, not that they can hurt you, but am sure, you do not want to hurt them so that everyone can continue taking a glimpse into this ecosystem. As you search for tide pool life, be also prepared to get wet as pounding waves can come in anytime. Here are some pictures of tidepool life we were able to experience at this natural park.

Shells

Snails and Anemone

Small Fishes

Crabs

Barnacles

For more information on Cabrillo Tidepools, please click: http://www.nps.gov/cabr/naturescience/tidepools.htm

Some more outdoor activities to do in the park are: photography, taking sunset pictures from fall- spring ( the park closes at 4:30 pm but you can stay until 5:00 pm, there is no way sunset picture can be taken from the park in the summer), enjoying the wildflowers, and biking.

Sunset At Cabrillo National Monument (spring )

I hope you enjoy your visit at Cabrillo National Monument. By the way, since this park is maintained by the National Park Service, there is a $5.00 entrance fee per vehicle, a National Park Pass is also accepted to enter the Park.

For driving directions: http://www.nps.gov/cabr/planyourvisit/directionstocabr.htm

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