View Attractions Related to: Parks – Local, State & National

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Explore the Activities at San Diego’s Major Parks

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San Diego attracts people who love the outdoors. The Mediterranean climate and the variety of topography from ocean beaches and coastal canyons to the mountains and desert makes for great, year-round hiking, biking, and much more to explore the outdoors.

From Torrey Pines State Park sitting above the beach bluffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean to one of the largest state parks in the country, Anza-Borrego, located in our desert, San Diego offers a variety of state parks for recreation, camping, and exploration.

From Cabrillo National Monument overlooking San Diego Bay to the Cleveland National Forest in our local mountains, San Diego has something for everyone.

The adventurous love to hike from the mountains down to the desert, explore mud caves, and go scuba diving in deep underwater canyons. The rest of us enjoy meandering along trails full of flowers while looking out over the ocean for passing dolphins, sailing through the calm waters of San Diego Bay, and going for a drive through the mountains of dense forest and desert overlooks.

Start exploring outdoor San Diego by selecting each of the picture tabs above.

Cabrillo National Monument

Location: Point Loma (9 Miles / 20 Minutes West of Downtown San Diego)

Open Daily: 9AM – 5PM (last entry 4:30PM)

Cost: $5 per Vehicle

Features: Best Views of Downtown San Diego, San Diego Bay, and the Pacific Ocean; Tidepools; Hiking; Lighthouse Tour; Whale Watching; Visitor Center Exhibitions and Films about Juan Cabrillo, the First European Explorer to Arrive in California.

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Mission Bay Park Beach Activities

Location: Mission Bay (7 miles / 8 minutes North of Downtown San Diego)

Features: Largest Man-Made Aquatic Park in the Country; Nearly 20 Miles of Beaches and Paved Trails

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La Jolla Shores

Location: La Jolla Shores (12 Miles / 20 Minutes North of Downtown San Diego)

Features: Beach area offers Playground, Calm Surf, Kayaking, World-Class Ocean Swimming, Scuba Diving, Panoramic Views, Long Walks; Accessible on a Sightseeing Tour from downtown San Diego

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Torrey Pines State Park

Location: Torrey Pines (19 Miles/ 20 Minutes North of Downtown San Diego)

Open Daily: Dawn – Dusk

Cost: $8 per Vehicle / Free if You Park on Torrey Pines Road.

Features: Beautiful Landscape of Canyons and Beach-Side Cliffs; Panoramic Ocean Views; Beach; Hiking Trails; Popular Cycling Route; Dolphins, Whales

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Border Field State Park

Location: Imperial Beach (18 Miles / 25 Minutes South of Downtown San Diego)

Open Daily: 9:30AM – 5PM (Occasionally Closed Due to Conditions)

Cost: $5 for Parking on Weekends

Features: Most Southwest Corner of the United States; First Boundary Marker Established at the End of the U.S. – Mexican War; Border Fence; Hiking; Horseback Riding on the Beach; Picnics.

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San Diego National Wildlife Refuge

Location: South San Diego Bay (9 Miles / 12 Minutes South of Downtown San Diego)

Hours: Varies by Location

Features: Four National Wildlife Refuges; Two Nature Centers; 370 Species of Birds; Guided Nature Walks

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Borrego Badlands & Fonts Point

Location: Anza-Borrego Desert (100 Miles / 2.25 Hours East of San Diego Coastal Areas)

Best Time to Visit: September – May

Cost: None

Features: Spectacular Scenic Vistas; Hiking

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Carrizo Badlands

Location: Anza-Borrego Desert (102 Miles / 2 Hours East of Downtown San Diego)

Best Time to Visit: September – May

Cost: None

Features: Fossils over a Million Years Old; Caves; Hiking; Scenic Vistas
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Vallecito Stage Coach Station

Location: Anza-Borrego Desert (90 Miles / 2 Hours East of San Diego Coastal Areas)

Open Daily: Labor Day Weekend (September) – Memorial Day Weekend (May); Closed During Summer

Cost: $2 per Vehicle, Extra for Camping

Features: Restored Butterfield Stage Coach Station; 45 Camping Sites; County Park; Hiking; Scenic Vistas

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Agua Caliente – Desert Hot Springs

Location: Anza-Borrego Desert (94 Miles / 2 Hours East of Downtown San Diego)

Open Daily: 9:30 AM – 5PM from September 1 – May 31; Closed During Summer

Cost: $5 per Vehicle, Extra for Camping

Features: Indoor and Outdoor Mineral Hot Springs; 142 Camping Sites; County Park; Hiking; Scenic Vistas

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Anza-Borrego Desert State Park

Location: Anza-Borrego Desert (Visitor Center is 93 Miles/ 2 Hours from the Coastal Areas of San Diego)

Visitor Center Hours: 9AM – 5PM; Thursday through Monday From October to May; Weekends from June to September.

Cost: Free (Except for $6 per day parking at 3 Campgrounds)

Features: Sonoran Desert Meets the Peninsular Mountain Ranges Creating the Most Diverse Desert Landscape in the World and offering Hiking, Camping, Horseback Riding, Desert Wildflower Viewing, Stargazing, and Geological Exploration.

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