Cabrillo National Monument
A monument commemorating the landing of Juan Cabrillo in the San Diego Harbor in 1542. He became the first European to set foot on what is now the West Coast of the United States.
It was a little involved to get to the monument area itself but well worth the trip and the effort to get there. The first thing we did is get lost! The monument is located on Point Loma. We were trying to get to the actual monument area and the old lighthouse. Well we picked the wrong fork in the road and ended up heading to Point Loma Light Station and the tide pool area instead of the Old Point Loma Lighthouse and monument area. This normally wouldn't have been a problem except that roadway that we were on to get to the tide pool area was blocked by a film crew shooting a movie and they would only let a few cars pass at a time. By the time we got down to the tide pool area, we realized that we had made the wrong turn and I was hoping to find a restroom. There is no visitor's center in that area. The only restroom facilities are porta-potties that are pretty full....so I would say:
1. Check the map out before you head into the area.
2. Use the restroom before you are stuck out in the tide pool area!!
Here is a link for the map of the area: http://www.nps.gov/cabr/planyourvisit/upload/CABR%20Map.pdf
Make sure that you plan your route ahead of time!
After turning around and heading back to the Old Point Loma Lighthouse we made there in pretty short order. Since we were there the first weekend in December they had a military tribute commemorating the 70th Anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor which took place on December 7, 1941. This meant that parking was scarce and there were special events going on during the day such as air raids. The visitor's center had information and it was short walk to the actual monument.
All of this was very nice to visit but perhaps the most compelling reason to visit Cabrillo National Monument is for the stunning views of San Diego and the Harbor area. It is absolutely the most gorgeous view. Sailboats were in the harbor and it made such a beautiful picture.
We ended up staying here for about an hour or so. You could certainly spend more time than that but it is definitely a doable little side trip with a great upside! On a clear day you can even see the coastline of Mexico.
I would highly recommend a stop here if you have time!
1. Check the map out before you head into the area.
2. Use the restroom before you are stuck out in the tide pool area!!
Here is a link for the map of the area: http://www.nps.gov/cabr/planyourvisit/upload/CABR%20Map.pdf
Make sure that you plan your route ahead of time!
After turning around and heading back to the Old Point Loma Lighthouse we made there in pretty short order. Since we were there the first weekend in December they had a military tribute commemorating the 70th Anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor which took place on December 7, 1941. This meant that parking was scarce and there were special events going on during the day such as air raids. The visitor's center had information and it was short walk to the actual monument.
From the monument, it was only a short walk to the Lighthouse. It was beautiful to see and the attached museum was very informative on how the lighthouse operated.
All of this was very nice to visit but perhaps the most compelling reason to visit Cabrillo National Monument is for the stunning views of San Diego and the Harbor area. It is absolutely the most gorgeous view. Sailboats were in the harbor and it made such a beautiful picture.
We ended up staying here for about an hour or so. You could certainly spend more time than that but it is definitely a doable little side trip with a great upside! On a clear day you can even see the coastline of Mexico.
I would highly recommend a stop here if you have time!
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