Taking In San Diego’s Only National Monument

Until last month, my only experience with San Diego’s only national monument was glancing down at Coronado through a thick marine layer and standing in a long line to use a portable toilet. I never ventured beyond visitor parking for fear of losing my place among hundreds also needing to relieve themselves.

This is at the starting line of the annual America’s Finest City Half Marathon, held every August in San Diego. It begins at the Cabrillo National Monument – accessible that morning only by shuttle bus – and winds through Pt. Loma, Harbor Island and the Embarcadero before climbing into downtown and then up Sixth Avenue into Bankers Hill to finish the 13.1-mile journey in Balboa Park. It’s really a great footrace, especially with the first 4 miles all downhill. 

I’d forgotten about Cabrillo National Monument until we decided to get a National Parks annual pass this summer and realized there was only one place to get one in person – a place surrounded by deep teal seas, silent sailboats, an active military installation and one of the most picturesque national cemeteries.

View of Coronado's North Island and downtown San Diego from the Visitor's Center

National Monuments vs. National Parks 

This is the second national monument I’ve mentioned in the past month. The first was this place. Though both provide federal recreational opportunities (and national park passes), they are different in scope and, frequently, size. National parks are protected public lands that tend to be big, scenic and recreationally focused. The first national park was Yellowstone, decreed by President Ulysses Grant in the 1870s. He and future presidents then created more national parks and monuments to ensure the most scenic sites could not be bought and hoarded by the wealthy. Filmmakers Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan did an excellent series on our national parks that I recommend to dive deep into why the best places in the United States remain for public consumption – and usually for a nominal fee. This, of course, makes many national parks overcrowded, especially during warmer (or cooler) seasons. 

National monuments typically protect a specific place or building of cultural, historic or ecological significance. Cabrillo National Monument is apparently among the busier U.S. monuments, having been ranked among the top 10 most visited sites prior to the pandemic. But it hasn’t made many recent lists perennially populated by better known national monuments like the Statue of Liberty and Muir Woods/Mt. Tamalpias in northern California. (Side note: my older daughter married at the Mt. Tam summit on a perfect September evening.) 

The Coast Trail is full of views like this

What To Do and See at Cabrillo National Monument 

Now that Cabrillo National Monument is back on my radar, I’ve added it to our tourist rotation when we have friends or family visit from out of town. There are two parts to the site – the tide pools and the main grounds. Since the turn off for the tide pools is first, we’ll start there. Motorists, cyclists and walkers/runners take a curvy asphalt road to the coastline and can walk any and all parts of the Coast Trail between parking lots. The sand/dirt trail is about a half mile and easy to follow. During low tides, it’s possible to walk down to the shoreline and check out marine life living in tidal pools as ocean waters retreat and before they again advance. 

Steps to help get up and over fragile areas

Not all tides are alike, and a sign recommends swinging by between park hours (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.) when it’s a negative-number low tide for best viewing. Rangers and volunteers help visitors both find and explain what’s lurking in the pools. There’s also a small U.S. Coast Guard installation that is fenced off from the public. And the park remains open until sunset Fridays and Saturdays during the summer tourist season. 

A shipwreck along the trail

Upland from the tidal pools is the main entrance and a large visitor parking lot. You immediately see a big attraction are the panoramic the views of San Diego Harbor and beyond. There’s also a gift shop, restrooms and a visitor center that a small, interactive museum and 25-minute film on life when the conquistador Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo who claimed San Diego as Spanish territory. This was news to the natives: the Kumeyaay, the Payoomkawichum, the Acjachemen, the Kuupiaxchem and the Cahuilla. 

The lighthouse stairwell 

A little further along the cliffs is a large statue of Cabrillo and viewing area that on a clear day draws amateur and professional photographers. Continue on up a slight hill and you’ll start a loop encircling another star attraction: One of the west’s first lighthouses. I recommend going into the small building and up the tiny circular staircase if you can. Among other things, you’ll be reminded of how small and unassuming we humans used to be and how brave some women were to become lighthouse keepers when there was nothing and no one for miles on end. 

Lots of signs to let you know what to look for, especially during whale season

The path itself has information plaques and viewers to take in a kelp forest and other marine points of interest. If you have both the time and a good pair of binoculars, you might catch gray whales migrating to and from Mexico. And, if like us, you wondered about those three islands in the distance: They are the Coronado Islands off Baja in Mexico. There is another concrete trail that takes you to a military garrison and bunker used during the second World War. After that, the upland tour’s basically done. 

The only other area to explore is the Bayside Trail, which isn’t that long (less than 2 miles) but includes a steep[ish] decline and incline. Truthfully, I haven’t done that trail yet but am told its worth the sweat. Admission is $20 per vehicle. Unless you have some type of national parks pass, then it's free. Either way, there’s enough to take in and do to make that fee worth it.

The Cabrillo statue and overlook is a big draw