We are nature people. As much excitement that we gained from visiting museums and exploring the city of San Diego, we truly looked forward to hiking nearby trails even more. Hiking in San Diego is much different than the wooded marshes of our local park at the Indiana Dunes. We realized that we had the energy for one good hike in us a day simply due to the time on foot and the need to find food for refueling after the hike. If you’re looking to hike in San Diego and want to consider your options, you can check out this blog for ideas: Hiking Guy- San Diego. We loved hiking in San Diego and would highly recommend the following trails.

1. Sunset Cliffs Natural Park: 1253 Sunset Cliffs Blvd, San Diego, California (10-15 minutes from downtown)

Sunset Cliffs is an easily accessible park from the city. We stopped here on our first morning after visiting Old Town and eating a delicious taco lunch. This was the perfect hike to see in a short time frame before we checked into our hotel. There are plenty of free parking lots along Sunset Cliff Boulevard where you can step out and hike directly on the trail. This is a popular spot for local runners and beachgoers with a rugged coastline of cliffs and canyons and a paved trail hugging the top. Far below were people surfing and sunbathing on the beach while flocks of Brown Pelicans and Cormorants settled on the cliffs. There were sections of the trail warning unstable rocks redirecting us to walk in the bike lane of Sunset Boulevard before returning to the sidewalk that we greatly appreciated since heights can be a little unnerving for the two of us. I was a bit surprised to see some risk-takers walk out onto the edge of the rocks for photos but in a place this beautiful I understood why they would want to get closer. We walked two miles out and back taking in the sights of the Pacific Ocean with the fresh smell of saltwater wafting through the air. 

2. San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Reserve- Annie’s Canyon Hike: Solana Hills Trailhead, 498-450 Solana Hills Dr, Solana Beach, CA 92075 (25-45 minutes from downtown depending on traffic)

Annie’s Canyon was a very unique hike for us! We parked along the street at the top of the canyon of the Solana Hills neighborhood along with the many other visitors. The hike began with a series of long gradual hills beside the roar of Interstate-5. This series of inclines is not for the faint of heart and we were breathing heavily with each step of the dusty red earth that puffed into the air like a batter sliding into home base. The full loop is only 1.8 miles but you earn every step you take. At the base of the last hill, we turned left into the canyon and took the difficult one-way trail up the slot canyon.

It is an immersive experience to be hiking through the narrow sandstone that hugged our shoulders as we stepped forward one foot at a time single-file like tightrope walkers. At some points we were even using all fours to carry us through. An online hiking guide even recommended that some people may need to turn sideways to traverse through the slot canyon. The canyon walls were beautiful but claustrophobia started to kick in and we hightailed it up the step ladder to free ourselves from the natural barriers that surrounded us. There is a panoramic view at the top but we don’t like heights so we quickly scooted over to find something to hold onto as we took the steps down. Once out of the canyon, we took the long haul up the hills back to our car.

I’m so glad that we did this trail but I don’t know that we will do it again since it really pushed us out of our comfort zones. However, if we were to tackle our fears for the beauty of nature, we would park instead at the visitor center of San Elijo Lagoon and take the longer but leisurely walk along the watershed to Annie’s Canyon instead of the steep climbs that we had to bear from the top. 

San Elijo Lagoon Nature Center: 2710 Manchester Ave, Cardiff, CA 92007 (Open 9-5 every day)

Following our dramatic canyon experience, we did in fact drive over to the visitor center where we used the restroom and refilled our water bottles before strolling along the trails of the San Elijo Lagoon. There are great exhibits inside the visitor center describing the local bird sightings and natural history with a ranger onsite. During our short time in the lagoon we saw an Osprey swooping in for fish, the Great Egret plucking at its feathers, and the endangered Ridgway’s Rail skimming in and out of the wetland grasses looking for his midday snack. This would have been a great place for us to go birding but the visitor center parking lot was soon closing and we had to call it a day.

3. Torrey Pines State Natural Preserve -12600 N Torrey Pines Rd, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA (20-40 minutes from downtown depending on traffic)

Saving the best for last, our favorite hike of our California trip was the Torrey Pines State Natural Preserve. This is a very popular park so it is good to arrive early, no later than 8:00 am to find parking. On our drive into the park, there were many road cyclists pumping their legs up the long crawl to the top. Torrey Pines is like a wilderness island in an urban sea. The reserve is home to the fragile environment of our nation’s rarest pine tree, the wind-sculpted Pinus torreyana (Torrey Pine) that thrives on the cool misty weather that floats in from the ocean among the salt marshes of Southern California. 

We arrived early enough for parking at the top of the cliffs at the visitor center where we had lovely conversations with more than one helpful ranger who gave us trail suggestions. Maps are given out as QR codes at the State Park entrance fee booth unless you request one at the visitor center but the trails are very well marked with signage. We hiked a loop from the visitor center down Razor Point Trail to Yucca Point on the Beach trail and then back up on Broken Hill to North Fork taking the off-shoot opportunities for overlooks. 

The coastal sage scrub that coats the ocean bluffs is a gorgeous soft pastel variety of woody plants mixed in with desert wildflowers. There are many signs all along the trails warning visitors to stay on the trail to preserve the natural habitat. We were also warned to stay away from the bottom of cliffs as rock slides and cliff collapses are common.

The ocean views were incredible but so were the wildlife creatures that we spotted along the way including several lizards and the California ground squirrel with a short stubby tail and tiny ears. The squirrels in California burrow little holes in the ground and pop in and out while scurrying in the brush. The trail took us through deep ravines and jagged cliffs to the sandy stairs down to the beach at low tide before hiking a long battle up the cliffs on the Broken Hill. 

The cool air, warm sunshine, and magnificent views coupled with unique plants made this by far our most memorable hike of the trip. Torrey Pines is a one-of-a-kind place that, while very popular, is highly protected for the rare plants and wildlife that call it home. Thankfully we never saw any rattlesnakes that are also common in this area. Torrey Pines State Natural Preserve gives a glimpse of what one can only imagine what the coast of San Diego must have looked like to the Kumeyaay people before the land was developed into the city it is today.