Top 20 Natural Monuments in San Diego County

A great place to relax and a central point for exploring the park.

The beach trail leads you right down to where you'd expect. One of the things people love to do is to 1) park at the beach parking lot right after the paid entry, and then walk the road all the way up to the top, then hike down the beach trail back to the beach where your final stroll along the beach leads you right back to your car. I highly recommend this. It's a unique thing to be able to do. But there's a catch... If the tides are high, or there is big surf, you won't be able to make it back to the beach parking lot from where the beach trail hits the beach. The tides and/or surf sometimes close down the section of beach along the bottom of the cliffs, meaning you'd have to hike all the way back up the beach trail and then walk the road down again (not as fun, unless you're looking for the extra work and miles). Pro tip: Check the surf and tides for when you'll be doing the hike. That way you'll have a better idea of where you should park (beach lot down at the bottom or trail parking lot up top), and know what kind of hike to expect.

Balboa Park began as 1400 acres of land set aside in 1868 by San Diego civic leaders. Known then as “City Park”, the scrub-filled mesa that overlooked present-day Downtown San Diego sat without formal landscaping or development for more than 20 years. (Today the Park’s total land parcel has been reduced to 1,200 acres.) The first steps in Park beautification were made in 1892, largely due to the contributions of Kate Sessions. Sessions offered to plant 100 trees a year within the Park as well as donate trees and shrubs around San Diego in exchange for 32 acres of land within the Park boundaries to be used for her commercial nursery. Several popular species, including the birds of paradise, queen palm, and poinsettia were introduced into the Park’s horticulture because of Sessions’ early efforts. In fact, many of her original trees are alive and visible today. Just after the turn of the century, a master plan for Park improvements and beautification was formally introduced. Supported by a City tax levied in 1905, the process began in 1903 and continued through 1910. Water systems were installed, planting continued, roads were built, and the Park began to take on much of the familiar look of today. As San Diego was set to play host to the 1915 Panama-California Exposition, and “City Park” was a less-than-memorable or distinctive name for such an internationally prestigious event. In 1910, Park Commissioners announced plans to re-name City Park and the public was eager to throw potential names into the hat, including San Diego Park, Silver Gate Park, Horton Park, and Miramar Park. After months of discussion and great public interest, the Park Commissioners decided on the name Balboa Park, chosen in honor of Spanish-born Vasco Nuñez de Balboa, the first European to spot the Pacific Ocean while on exploration in Panama. https://balboapark.org/about-balboa-park/

This broad, sandy beach stretches for 4-1/2 miles and is a very popular place for swimming, surfing and fishing. The bluffs above the beach are particularly pretty, but they sometimes collapse or release rockslides. Officials recommend staying at least 10 feet away from the bottom of cliffs and bluffs.

One of the most famous attractions in the area is Seal Rock. Most of the time, you can see the seals or sea lions playing or sleeping on the seashore. Just remember that even though they're cute, they're still wild animals, so keep your distance.

Extending over 4-1/2 miles, this expansive sandy beach draws crowds for swimming, surfing, and fishing. The scenic bluffs overlooking the beach add to its allure, although occasional collapses or rockslides occur.

This overlook on the trail offers a cool bird's eye view of the Old Mission Dam. You can tell just how wide the structure spans when you get this higher perspective.

Daley Ranch is a conservation area owned by the city of Escondido. It is 3,201-acres and has about 25 miles of trails.