Everybody loves tidepools, and the ones at Cabrillo National Monument are some of the best in Southern California. There are only two things you need to do to optimize your trip:
First, check the tide chart in the newspaper so that you plan your visit during low tide. Second, stop in at the Cabrillo National Monument visitor center to pick up literature on how to explore the tidepools and identify what you see. T
here are two low tides and two high tides each day, so do your homework and then show up at the tidepool area at the optimal time. With proper planning, you can walk the farthest and see the most sea critters.
The tidepools are separate from the main part of Cabrillo National Monument-where the visitor center, lighthouse, and Bayside Trail are located-requiring a one-mile drive from the visitor center. It's often a bit more peaceful over in this section of the park.
From the parking lot, a fenced trail takes you along the tops of the bluffs for a few hundred feet, then you descend to the rocky beach and walk as far as you please. You'll get a peek at mussels, crabs, abalones, barnacles, starfish, anemones, snails, and limpets. If you're lucky, you might see an octopus or a sea urchin.
Getting there:
Cabrillo National Monuement
1800 Cabrillo Memorial Drive
San Diego California 92106
Directions
From Interstate 5 South (or Interstate 8 East or West) in San Diego, take the Rosecrans Street exit (Highway 209) and drive south. Staying on Highway 209, you will turn right on Caqon Street, then turn left on Catalina Boulevard, and continue to the monument entrance.
After paying the entrance fee at the kiosk, take the right fork (immediately following the kiosk) marked"Tidepools Parking Area." Continue down the hill to the parking area.More Information:
More Information:
Phone: 619-557-5450
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