San Diego’s sunshine, seacoast, and attractions draw people from far and wide each year. There’s so much to do, but we’ll help you out with some of our favorite San Diego adventures.
Tide Pooling
Glimpse into the hidden world of our coastal habitats by Tide Pooling. This popular activity allows visitors to view the coastal ecosystems that are teeming with sea life. February and March are prime time for tide pooling. Go during daylight hours when the tide is low.
Find the tide pools below the sandstone cliffs at Cabrillo National Monument. Look for periwinkle snails, shore crabs, California mussels, fish, lobsters, and even octopus. At Sunset Cliffs Natural Park, you’ll find hundreds of sea anemones, little crabs, and fish. Keep in mind that the descent down the sandstone cliffs to Garbage Beach can be tricky, so use caution.
North of the Scripps Pier at La Jolla Shores Beach discover the Dike Rock Tide Pools. Along this volcanic bench of rock, look for starfish, limpets, mussel, anemones, and the occasional octopus.
In the Desert
Adventurous spirits can discover more than 600,000 acres of canyons, washes, ridges, and peaks at Anza Borrego Desert, located about an hour and a half drive east of San Diego. Hike the vast, moon-like landscape that offers cacti, rocks, and gorgeous terrain. While the visitor center is currently closed, there are plenty of trails open for daytime hiking, including the Borrego Palm Canyon Trail, Sunrise Trail Head, Coyote Canyon, North Coyote Canyon, and Hell Hole day-use area. It’s beautiful but isolated scenery, so come with plenty of water and sunscreen.
On the Coast
Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve remains one of the wildest stretches of land on the Southern California coast, though in San Diego city limits. More than 1,500 acres of land sit unspoiled, including beaches, a lagoon, maritime chaparral, and rare Torrey pine. Walk a peaceful trail and enjoy a picnic overlooking the ocean.
Take Flight
Torrey Pines Gliderport gives visitors the opportunity for a one-of-a-kind adventure of paragliding over the Southern California coast. Torrey Pines Gliderport provides a world-class flying site, flight lessons, certifications, tandem flights, equipment sales, and repair services. Take a tandem flight with one of their expert instructors, who make your fun and safety their top priority. They are open seven days a week and ready to get you into the sky.
On a Mission
Don’t want to take a flight? Fly a kite instead. Mission Bay Park is primo for this quintessential spring activity. With 19 miles of sandy beaches, there’s plenty of space to let your colors soar. But there’s plenty of other Mission Bay Park activities, including biking and walking paths, volleyball courts, and an array of water sports. End the day there with a blaze in one of the beach fire pits.
This is just the beginning. So much more awaits you on a visit to San Diego and the surrounding area. When it’s time for your next trip, browse our luxury vacation homes.
