Torrey Pines State Reserve:

Just north of San Diego, CA; this beach and bluff top park is home to rare Torrey Pines, beautiful views of the beach and eroded rock formations on the bluffs. You can park down by the beach or up top where you can go on several hiking trails with overlooks platforms on the cliffs overlooking the beach and rare pines. Don't forget to check out:

 

Visitor center pix:

stray cat
inside visitor center
birds in visitor center
view of canyon behind visitor center

 

Views from trails:

canyon view, canyon view 2
pine with cones, & drought killed tree in back
tall pine - they grow taller farther away from beach with constant wind
eroded rocks at top of one trail
view toward beach on top of mesa
sand stone in cliffs by beach

 

Native plant garden

agave

 

How to get there:

take the 5 freeway south from LA or north from San Diego. Exit at Calle del Valle and follow the road over to the beach. You can park at the beach side of the park to your left before you hit the coast highway. To hike on the mesa top in the pines, you'll want turn left on coast highway and enter the other side of the park just over the lagoon. You can park at the bottom and walk on the beach, have a picnic by the ocean and then drive to the top. One of the prettiest trails is on the way up; park at the pull off near the top of the road up. Take this loop trail around, and stop at the wooden platforms and benchs under the pines overlooking the beach and sandstone canyons. The park closes around sunset. Park in the main parking by the visitor center after the previous hike, and check out the animals in the visitor center, a native plant garden around the visitor center, ancient adobe bread oven behind the center and the fabulous arroyo also behind it. Hike down from the center and see another native plant garden at the start to the Guy Fleming trail, recently re-opened after the drought and fire several years ago. Just a little further down the road is the high point trail, a little hill higher than any othe point with a good view.

 

 

 

 

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