Two Harbors Catalina

The Catalina Islands just off the coast of California near Los Angeles might be one of the most relaxing tourist destinations in this area. Though their local economy is built around tourism (population less than 300), there just isn't much to do there other than enjoy the nature - be it through boating or hiking. We took this hike at Two Harbors Labor Day weekend on Aug. 30, 2008.

• Trail: Two Harbors
  
• Location: Two Harbors on Catalina Island
  
• Length: varies
  
• Hike time: varies
  
• Terrain: peak with plenty of plateaus
  
• Path visibility: clearly marked dirt path
  
• Difficulty: moderate, increasing difficulty as you go up the coastal peak
  
• Cost: free, but hiking pass required
  
• Highlight destination: overlooking the two harbors for which the area gets its name
  
• Beware: buffalo said to be on the peak, but we didn't see any; bring lots of water
  

The only way to get to the Catalina Islands is by boat, be it your own or ferry from the mainland (okay, so there is a small airport but I can't be bothered with facts). This restricted access makes Catalina a great getaway destination. Even though it is 100% tourist, it's very laid back with actually very little to do other than enjoy nature.

While at Two Harbors, we knew we had to hike. Apparently buffalo roam the coastal peak we hiked, but we weren't lucky enough to see any. We're holding out for the next time.

This hike was much like our San Diego-based climbs on familiar terrain of steep inclines on a dirt path, but with the most extraordinary views of the two harbors (Isthmus Cove and Catalina Harbor). After walking along a long flat, wide dirt path for a bit, we started heading upward toward the peak. There was a nice area at the bend just overlooking Isthmus Cove with a bench to rest or just enjoy the view of the harbor below.

Moving from this resting spot, the hike seemed to really begin as we took on the peak. The incline increased rather steadily and gave us a bit of a workout.

The entire hike was really like a living postcard. What else is there to say? Can't wait to go back.

We found this video online of brothers who did a variation of the hike we did - and they saw a buffalo!



Tipped off: Catalina guides online mention hiking, but there aren't a lot of details out there.

Sunset Cliffs

Anytime someone from out of town comes to San Diego to visit, a must stop on showcasing this gorgeous coastal area is Sunset Cliffs. Though La Jolla Cove might receive more tourists, Sunset Cliffs in Point Loma is 20 times more spectacular. It isn't so much of an urban hike as it is a nice walk along some of the most breathtaking cliffs on this continent, but we still have to highlight it. We first took this hike together on July 17, 2008 - but have made it a staple in showing people the sights of San Diego.

• Trail: Sunset Cliffs
  
• Location: in Sunset Cliffs Park on Point Loma [map]
  
• Length: varies
  
• Hike time: varies
  
• Terrain: easy walk on road, but climbing down to explore the rocks & even some of the more hard-to-reach areas (skipping across the crashing waves) highly recommended
  
• Path visibility: clearly marked paved path, but encouraged to explore off the path
  
• Difficulty: easy up on the trail, but be careful down by the waves
  
• Cost: free
  
• Highlight destination: going off path at the waterline to explore the caves and private beaches
  
• Beware: stay back from the cliffs, wading across slippery rocks as waves come crashing in can be dangerous, & some vagrants in the less-traveled areas
  

Sunset Cliffs is one of those places that makes you wonder at how lucky San Diego is to have such amazing coastal places all in our backyard. Very true to it's name, Sunset Cliffs is a series of cliffs with the Pacific Ocean crashing hard against the rocks - but that intensity of nature provides such a serene and lovely backdrop to what can be a nice meandering hike.

The write-up that Jerry Schad gives it in his "Afoot & Afield in San Diego," understates this urban hike greatly. He calls the trail "neglected" and overwhelmingly informal, placing emphasis on that as opposed to the absolutely amazing vistas. As he mentions, you can bring everything from kids to dogs, but both should be watched carefully especially near the cliff edges and crashing waves.

The first thing we did after parking in the small lot at the park was to make our way down to the outcropping of cliffs. Even though there were several groups there, it seemed like each of us had our own private cliff to enjoy.

Moving closer to the water, it became a little game to see what marine wildlife we could encounter. In the tide pools on the cliffs, we saw many a crab scurrying, among other types of animals.

After spending a good deal of time oooh'ing an ahhhhh'ing, we continued to make our way down the coastline. The cliffs were just amazing and what views you have of the wildflowers, waves & surfers below. There were the most amazing rock formations even out in the ocean, a good distance from the main cliffs and coastline.

Then, we came to a staircase that led us down to the waterline. This is where the urban hike can start to get a little dangerous, as you'll have to scurry over wet rocks and timing your trek against the incoming waves, but this is the part that is most worth it.

Once down along the waterline, you can explore a series of caves. We found a fabulous little "private" locals-only type beach that had about 10 people (kids included) enjoying their secret little spot there far from the touristy areas of the city. There were lots of surfers and others out enjoying sport in the ocean too.

The only words of caution for this hike deal with safety of rock-hopping against such a powerful current to get to some of the more fun areas, and a note that we did see some vagrants in the harder to access areas.

Tipped off: No one in particular, just a local favorite. Schad does a very understated write up in Afoot & Afield in San Diego.

Tijuana River Estuary

In July of last year we decided to check out some of the trails at the Tijuana River Estuary. At the time we hadn't hiked in several months, and we were looking for something easy and flat and close to home. So after breakfast in Coronado, we headed down the Silver Strand to Imperial Beach.

• Trail: Tijuana River Estuary (South)
  
• Location: Imperial Beach
  
• Length: Varies. We went about 2 miles out and back
  
• Hike time: 1.5 hours
  
• Terrain: flat and sandy
  
• Path visibility: unmarked but wide path
  
• Difficulty: easy
  
• Cost: free
  
• Highlight destination: mouth of the river, at the beach
  
• Beware: some mosquitoes, some muddy spots near water
  

There are two main sections of the Estuary, north and south. On the north side is the Visitor Center, which is open Wednesday through Sunday, as well as several shorter, popular trails. We chose the south side for our visit, and parked on Monument Road down by Border Field State Park. There is also parking at Sunset Ave., a little further inland.

Our original intention was to head on a short loop and then down to the South Beach Trail. As we walked north on the trail toward the river, though, we slowly realized that our hiatus from hiking had apparently caused our crack navigational skills to degrade -- we had started out further east than we had thought, so we missed the short loop and instead were on the trail to the wetlands that lie about a mile east of the beach. It was a quiet, lazy weekday morning, and we decided to just go with it. In the end, we were glad we did.

The path was a sandy trail, usually several feet wide though it narrowed as we got closer to the river, through high grasses, wildflowers, tall shrubs, cacti and a wonderful variety of marshy growth. There is a national wildlife refuge here, and there was wildlife aplenty. At the bottom of the food chain (or maybe the top, since they feasted on us a bit) were the mosquitoes, but we were lucky enough to see some beautiful blue herons and a red-tailed hawk, as well as a bunch of other waterfowl that we didn't recognize.

The other common sight in the air above the estuary were Seahawks. These were not of the feathered variety, however -- these were the mechanical, rotary wing H-60 Seahawk helicopters flown by the Navy at their Imperial Beach landing field. Even with the occasional thumping of rotors overhead, the scene by the river was very peaceful as the pilots practiced their landings and the birds in the water didn't even blink at their noisier metallic neighbors.

We walked along the river toward the ocean for about a quarter mile, admiring the ducks and herons, and even saw some good-sized fish jumping. As we walked on, the sandy path began to give way to mud, so we turned back and headed the way we came. Even with the mosquitoes, it was a very pleasant, meandering hike along the vibrant, southwestern corner of the U.S.

Tipped Off:Mainly through word of mouth, but we referred to Jerry Schad's Afoot & Afield in San Diego for the different trailhead options.

bayside trail

It was a clear December day right before Christmas -- so what better thing to do in sunny San Diego than take a hike! We paged through the hike book in Starbucks in the morning & found an old classic: the Bayside Trail in Point Loma at the Cabrillo National Monument. With views of the San Diego Bay, downtown skyline, Silver Strand, NAS North Island - and heck, we could actually see all the way down to Mexico! - it seemed like the perfect choice for a gorgeous, clear winter day.

• Trail: Bayside Trail (map)
• Location: Point Loma
  
• Length: 2.4 miles (out & back)
  
• Hike time: 15 minutes down, 20 minutes up
  
• Terrain: gravel winding road
  
• Path visibility: Very clearly marked
  
• Difficulty: easy - great for the whole family & lots of benches along the way for enjoying the view
  
• Cost: $5 to park (good for a week of unlimited entries though!)
  
• Highlight destination: the view takes it all! City, mountains, ships, naval aircraft landing, seeing all the way to Mexico - wow!
  
• Beware: the museums & the lookout points before the trail are busy
  

Save this hike for a clear day. Sure, it is great any time of year, any type of weather ... but on a clear day you can really see it all. Unobstructed views of the mountains in the distance, the city skyline, the bay ... the list of what you can see on a clear day is too long to name.

We started at the visitor's center, where they had some educational presentations going on for the kids, complete with the presenters in colonial clothing. We breezed past this straight to the overlook point on the other side. It was just breathtaking! I can't gush about it enough. From the naval station right in front to being able to see all the way back to the mountains, I just don't know that there is a better view of everything the city has to offer than this! Don't worry if you forget your binoculars, they have stationary ones there for you.

Next, we moved over to that actual Cabrillo National Monument statue. This statue of Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo lies on one the smallest national monuments in the nation (only 144 acres). Facing inland with his back to the spectacular view, it is was almost as if he was ready to explore more of the land that has become San Diego.

The walk toward the trailhead leads us to one more tourist stop: the Old Point Loma Lighthouse. This was the first lighthouse we had both seen close up & toured. There were great displays of how lighthouses worked in the olden days reflecting a small lamp and magnifying that light out to the seas, keeping sailors from crashing into land. We were able to go into both the assistant keeper's quarters and the lighthouse itself. It was really interesting & worth the stop prior to the hike. Of course, it was busy but if you're patient you can read all the signs & get a good look at the displays.

Once done at the lighthouse, we were ready to start the hike. It was 3:45 p.m. & the sign at the trailhead said the trail closed at 4 p.m., but we kept on & never felt rushed by the rangers on site. The walk from the lighthouse to the trailhead was a short five minutes down a little winding paved road & we didn't count that as part of the official hike.

At the trailhead, the path changes to gravel. Parts of the path are heavily eroded, but the park has that part roped off well for hiker safety. The trail descends about 300 feet & it is all scenery all the way.

Besides the view, which I'm not sure I could say anything more than "breathtaking" & "amazing" about, there were so many neat little things along the way. For instance, we came up on a bunker built into the cliff. Inside the bunker was a mobile search light used during both World Wars that they could quickly roll out to the edge of the cliff on tracks to look at approaching vessels. This was just one illustration of many that drove home the fact that this area was an excellent strategic element in coastal defense.

This park doesn't really need 4 unique museum-like information centers (visitor center, 2 light house buildings, military museum) because the view is the real star, but having those there really add to the experience. Take it slow. Don't be put off by the crowd on clear days & you could honestly spend hours there.

After the climb back up, we decided to head a few minutes away to watch the sun set over the Pacific. It was a perfect sunset, with the sun disappearing in a blink, ending a lovely hike I hope to do many times again.


Tipped off: My hiking partner has been here before & I briefly visited (just for the view, not the hike) back in 2003. We really got jazzed about the hike after looking in the new edition (May 2007) of Jerry Schad's Afoot & Afield in San Diego County for a "perfect on a clear day!" hike. It did not disappoint!

torrey pines beach trail

The Torrey Pines beach trail was my first hike (ever!) & it remains one of my favorites to date. We first went to Torrey Pines together on June 30, 2007. We haven't been back on the trail itself, but started going to Torrey Pines for a morning run on the beach then enjoy the waves in the afternoon nearly every weekend during the summer since that hike.

• Trail: Started on Razor Point Trail then picked up Beach Trail (map)
• Location: Torrey Pines
  
• Length: Razor Point is .7 miles, Beach is 3/4 miles
  
• Hike time: not recorded
  
• Terrain: steep incline at times but not winding
  
• Path visibility: paths marked but a little confusing as to which one we were on
• Difficulty: easy
• Cost: $8 to park
• Highlight destination: the Pacific Ocean is the show-stealer here: there are too many highlights to name but overlooking the ocean below & arriving down at the beach are at the top
  
• Beware: lots of runners whizzing by on path
  

We arrived at Torrey Pines in the late morning & had planned to make a day of it. We drove all the way up to the top to park. I don't think we would do that again because after a long day of hiking & beaching, you still have to go all the way back up to get the car. So take our advice & park in the normal lots when you first pull in - then walk up the mountain road (consider it a warm-up hike) to get to the trail start.

We stopped in the information house to get maps & see what trails were available. They told us that they had just opened the beach trail, so we wanted to try that. Later we saw a park ranger who said the steps down to the beach were new & wanted to know what we thought of them. For steps they were good, I guess. I don't think much of steps unless I fall through them, personally.

The trails are a little confusing to me. You start on one trail & then can connect to others so you're mixing & matching your hike. That is great because it adds diversity to a place I could honestly hike every week, but a little confusing the first time you do it.

What isn't to love about this hike? Mountain views, beach views, cliffs, little caves, it has everything. There are plenty of lookout points to stop at and enjoy the scenery. And, in the summer, it seems there are plenty of other hikers to take your picture if you want!

That brings us to the traffic issue: there were a lot of people on the path in the summer, which can be annoying when you're trying to "get away" & enjoy nature. I'm not even going to address the idiots who talk on their cell phones while hiking (seriously) - but what is up with that? We also saw rangers walking along the trails too during our hike. One park ranger actually (rather audibly) said "trail eroder!" to runners on the path as they ran down the trail to the beach. Of all the people we encountered on the hike, the runners & loud talkers were the most annoying. But there were plenty of times when we had a stretch of the trail to ourselves so it didn't overshadow the experience.

Now back to the good aspects of the hike, which totally outnumber any complaints.

From above, the water looks amazing & serene. Once you actually get down to the beach, it becomes wonderfully wild with the waves crashing against the rocks. And, yes, it can be a little dangerous if you want to walk down the shore past the big flat rock toward Point Loma. My advice: take your shoes off & wait for the tide pools to lower then jet across as quickly & safely as you can. That rock acts as a barrier between the tourists & a more secluded beach. Just don't walk too far or you'll get an eyeful at Black's Beach.

We wore our swimming suits under our hiking gear so we would be ready for a refreshing swim after the hike. So after we walked around on the beach, we made our way back toward the more populated area. We came across cabanas & chairs set up with waiter service! The cabanas cost about $100 a day and offer waiter service (including lunch, if desired) but the chairs set up next to them are free.

We had lunch at the beach, read, swam, boogie boarded then went home about 5 hours after we got there. Like I said earlier, we had left the car all the way at the top near the trail entrance so it was quite an exhausting trek up that hilly road after a long day in the sun.

The bottom line is that Torrey Pines is a San Diego favorite for a reason. The location and cost put it far enough away from tourists & it is a great family-orientated fun beach.

Tipped off: My experienced hiking partner told me how great it was ... no secret in SD!