Cabrillo National Monument, San Diego

Having been invited by some friends to attend the Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego, we thought we would take the time to see some sights as well the morning before the game.

I vaguely remember my mom taking me to Cabrillo National Monument when I was a child and have found many pictures of her going there without me. So to visit it again was great not just for the spectacular vistas, but to also relive memories from my past.

Because Cabrillo National Monument is operated by the National Park Service, there is an entry fee to get in. We have a National Parks Pass since we live so close to Zion National Park so entrance for us was free but normally it is $10 per car which is well worth it. Here are some pictures from our visit in December, 2016:

Heading down the covered walkway to the Visitor Center.

The view looking north, towards Shelter Island where we stayed at the Kona Kai Resort.

After taking in the views from the top of the cliffs, we drove down to the Tide Pool area to get a closer look.

The views were amazing and my whole family from my 2 year old to my 17 year old loved watching the waves crash up against the rocks.

There were trails and stairs that could take you quite a ways down the shore line.

An excited visitor...

The family.

Marine biology lessons...

Overall we spent about two hours at Cabrillo National Monument which was about the perfect amount of time for us to see all that there was to see. I would have loved to have hiked on the Bayside Trail, a 2.5 mile round trip trail that descends about 300. But with my family in tow, I'll have to save that for another time.