While hiking along a trail in Torrey Pines State Reserve I crossed paths with a lady who hikes in the reserve every day.
She was a little surprised to see me there when I told here I was from Canada. Curious as to how I found the reserve, I told her that when I travel I tend to check maps and look for nearby “green” areas. So on my trip to San Diego I added Torrey Pines to my must-visit list after seeing it on google maps.
That’s one reason why I travel – to see and experience nature different than what I can enjoy at home. I don’t really mind if I miss the newest, trendiest restaurant or bar in the city. Sure, I love trying great food, but I can eat great food in Toronto, I can’t hike amongst Torrey Pine Trees at home though!
It was a sunny San Diego day in January, the temperatures were set to reach 20C. What a great place, which is actually named for the Torrey Pine Tree, which is an endangered species only in this reserve and on some nearby islands. They provided some great contrast to the dry desert ground, especially with the crashing waves of the Pacific in the distance.
Wanting to get to the beach at Torrey Pines, I took the Broken Hill Trail route on the way down and Beach Trail on the way back, creating a nice 2 mile circuit trail. The trails are largely well groomed and marked, not rugged at all. Unless yo’re jogging the trails it is more about the scenery than the exercise on these trails.
Winding through some hilly shrub lands, scattered with the occasional pine tree, it was a popular hike that seemed mostly frequented by locals out for a jog. Despite numerous rattlesnake sign warnings…no wildlife was spotted.
At the beach, it was a big staircase down to the welcoming Pacific waters. I headed south towards a spot known as flat rock, which was once used as a bathing pool by Native Americans. Most people who head to the beach stop at the seaside cliffs beside flat rock, but if you do a bit of climbing and venture around the cliff wall, an entire beach can be all yours! I spent an hour on this other side, enjoying my own personal beach. I also had to show that I was Canadian by getting wet in the water…nobody else was swimming or even getting their feet wet.
To me, the water wasn’t that cold, it was like any lake back home in early summer. So I waded in almost waist deep to get some photos and walk along the shoreline.
It was a really enjoyable hike and I could understand why that lady hiked here every day. She said the colour of the ocean changes every day, so her daily hike was always different. I highly recommend taking a trip to Torrey Pines beach if you’re looking for some nearby nature while in San Diego.