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