Cabrillo National Monument

Best views of San Diego. Great views of downtown to the east and whales if your lucky to the west.

Where: Southern California, San Diego

at the end of Point Loma, directions on website

Cost: $5 per vehicle, good for one week

Website: http://www.nps.gov/cabr/

Hours: Daily, 9AM to 5PM

How to get there: Car, bus possible

When visited: Summer 2008

Located at the end of Point Loma, Cabrillo National Monument is a great way to see some tide pools, catch a view of San Diego’s harbor and learn a little history.

The tide pools are best at low tide, so be sure to check the tide chart before going. Bring sandals with a good grip or shoes you can mess up. The rocks are wet and slippery, and there are no hand holds. Definitely not stroller friendly. The crabs, mostly tiny, seemed to have no problems with it.

The visitor center was nothing too exciting, but if you’re into the Spanish exploration of the Americas there is something to be learned. The old lighthouse was more interesting. The keeper’s house is open and in a shed behind the house is an exhibit about the light in a lighthouse.

While the tide pools are reliably interesting, the view isn’t. Fog can roll in at any time, and then roll out just as suddenly. Depending where you are, you can see the Pacific or the San Diego harbor. If you’ve got time for one, the harbor has more going on in it.

There isn’t much shade here, so plan accordingly. The bathrooms at the visitor center have changing tables in the men’s room, so I figure the same in the women’s room.

Like usual, I was working without a map. For those of you who don’t know, San Diego can be tricky to navigate. Well, tricky to navigate if you aren’t going to Sea World. Or if you’re from the midwest where everything is flat and stuff. So on my second try, I managed to find it. It took an hour, but was well worth it. The views are amazing. The tide pools are pretty cool, even at something approaching high tide. And, in case I hadn’t mentioned it, the views are amazing.

While visiting San Diego with some of my work colleagues, we had a couple of hours to kill one fine afternoon so we headed to Cabrillo National Monument.

There are two main destinations within Cabrillo National Monument, the upper section with the visitor’s center, lighthouse, and coastal defenses, and the lower section with the tidepools.

We first visited the upper area. The view there is spectacular, looking out across the bay. It is quite windy and a bit cool on top because the area is completely unsheltered from the wind.

For me the really exciting are to visit is the tidepools. The tidepools are open only during those times when the tide is out. When you go down there you can see a large assortment of crabs, anemones, fish, and other marine life. I like the excitement of walking out among the rocks and discovering whatever the tide may have happened to bring in.

We went there with the Zeglinski’s. Dave Z. didnt like having his picture taken. My daughter and wife were also there.