Must Visit in San Diego

If you can bring rope to anchor, I recommend it. There's a certain area to anchor your rope which will help you get through if the tide comes up. You definitely want to check the tide charts before going on this hike. You want to do it at a negative-to-low tide or a very low tide. And make sure that you check how long the tide is going to last so that you don't get stuck. The tide can come in really fast and it can get really dangerous. A lot of people go around the cliff which can be really scary when the tide comes up. The tides are usually the lowest during the summer. This is a really popular sunset hike. At a certain time of the year, the sun will go directly down through the hole in the cave. It's really popular for photography. A lot of people come here to take wedding photos also. Do this at your own risk and be careful.

If you type "Hidden Swing" into Google maps it will show you exactly where the swing is. I included the link in this Place card. You can park near the aquarium and walk right up to the swing. Super easy to find and easy to get to!

We parked on Lot 16 at UCSD, then you’ll walk down to the right and see the tunnel. We got lucky and didn’t get a ticket. If you enter through the neighborhood you risk someone calling the police because it is considered trespassing. This place is a hidden gem but go at your own risk 🤭. From the parking go down the side of the road to where the sewer is. You'll see it, it's covered in graffiti. There's a tunnel there that you'll go through. It's a little bit hard to find at first, but just keep following the water & rocks, and you'll finally reach it. Some of the trails were overgrown, but just keep following the water and graffiti and you'll get there.

This is a beautiful scenic trail near San Diego! If you get there early you can park outside the parking lot if not there will be a fee. Look out for the heart shaped cactus 🌵🥰

You park at the south mission beach lot and walk on the rocks on the left and you’ll see the hut (:

Park at the spot included in the links on this Place. It's not really a parking lot & felt a little sketchy, but you can park there. It's a really long hike if you go the original way, so parking here will shorten it for you. You can fit 5-6 cars here and it doesn't say "no parking". The first train is pretty soon once you start hiking. I didn't go super far to the big bridge, I only went to see the abandoned trains. The first train is less than a mile from the start. To go to the next ones, you go through a few tunnels. One of the tunnels is closed, but you can go around it. It's obvious where you can go around it. After that, it's a straight shot on the train tracks until you get to the other trains. This hike is super exposed and can get really hot, so I recommend not doing it in the summer & make sure you bring a lot of water. I suggest also going early to get parking.

This is more of a photo spot than a hike. We parked right outside. It PRIVATE PROPERTY so go at your own risk! It’s dope definitely a cool spot to take pictures. I heard the owner of the property sometimes gives tours and sometimes they run people off the property.

This is a short & easy hike! The views are amazing! There's a cool little slot canyon. A lot of people engrave their names in it. It's a great photo spot & good for kids. It's not dog-friendly. You can do this hike at any time of the day because it has shade. Park on the street.

This hike is rated hard. It’s not bad if you hike often though, but please take enough water because it gets hot fast here. Don’t recommend taking your dog unless you go early to avoid heat or go on a cooler day. Since it gets hot fast and your dog can overheat. Check the recent AllTrails reviews before going to see if there's any water in the falls. The waterfalls in San Diego tend to dry up pretty quickly.

You will park at the Torrey Pines Gliderpoint lot. You will walk down and follow the citizens trail, at some point you will walk towards the right, IT IS NOT A MARKED TRAIL to get to the bench. We went down alittle after the black beach stairs, we saw some footsteps and decided to head there. What helped us was walking towards the red flag and following the footsteps. When you pass the slot shown in the video you are close! Good luck I will upload a picture of the map with my approximation location of the bench so you can kinda get an idea on where to walk it will be the red pin on the left. These are the coordinates: 32.886130, -117.252206

You will park near the address provided, the lot is small so go early and I will post the other side you may enter as well in a photo. Once you get to the white boardwalk you will hop over and see the rope to get down and get to the swing. Super easy to find, good luck!

The swing is near Scripps Institute. You could easily park across the street of La Jolla Shore Dr and Discovery Way! I inserted a picture of the map with the approximate location (:

You need a permit to do this trail. You can get the permit at Recreation.gov (link provided). I think the permits only cost around $5, and you'll just have to list how many people you have with you. They do check the permits, so definitely get one before going. If you don't have a permit and they ask to check they might site you or make you leave. The waterfall can get pretty dry unless there has been raining. The pond always has water though. A lot of people go swimming and cliff jumping here. There are signs saying no cliff jumping, and if the ranger catches you, you'll get in trouble. You can also climb above the waterfall to see the top view. The hike itself is pretty exposed, so I don't necessarily recommend it during the summer. They have built sun huts that you can sit at if you need shade.

This is a more moderate hike. I did it during the day and it was really hot, which kind of sucked because there wasn't a lot of shade. I recommend taking a lot of water or doing it for sunrise or sunset. There's a 360 view at the top. Finding the actual peak at the top was a little bit difficulty because it's pretty rocky, but just follow the AllTrails map. The parking lot isn't super big, so it's a good idea to get there early, but this also isn't a super popular hike, so you should be fine. It's a good hike for a workout.

This hike definitely has limited parking. You'll park on the side of the road near a fire station. Once you've parked, cross the street to start the trail. The trail is pretty flat. It's family-friendly and dog-friendly. The Eagle Rock looks just like an eagle which is cool.