The San Diego Real Estate BLOG:
Best San Diego Parks
This week on the San Diego Real Estate BLOG, we share our picks for the 5 best parks in all of San Diego!!!
Photo: DavidCollier.com
BALBOA PARK
Map and Directions
BalboaPark.org
No surprise here as our top spot goes to the granddaddy of them all: Balboa Park. This green oasis is considered by many as the living heart of America’s Finest City.
Ever changing. Always amazing. Balboa Park is where culture, science, and nature collide. Featuring more than 17 museums, multiple performing arts venues, lovely gardens, trails, and many other creative and recreational attractions, including the world class San Diego Zoo. With a variety of cultural institutions among its 1,200 beautiful and lushly planted acres, there is something for everyone.
You simply can’t do any better than Balboa Park.
Photo: RootsRated.com
SUNSET CLIFFS PARK
Map and Directions
Official Website
Sunset Cliffs Natural Park is a unique park, unlike anything else you will find in California. There are several points to access the trail, but the easiest is at the corner of Ladera St. and Sunset Cliffs Blvd. in the Hillside section. From here, there is easy access to the stairs leading to tidepools, and to the path that meanders along the coast. The trail extends 1.5 miles one-way, with viewpoints, the Sandstone Arch, and Cormorant Rock.
Sunset Cliffs is also a great place for experienced kayakers to paddle one of SoCal’s most beautiful destinations, and to have an even more intimate look at the seaside cliff formations. You can access the water from Bermuda Avenue or Orchard Avenue and paddle along the cliffside shore. There is an abundance of sea life to see as you paddle, including seals and dolphins.
Whether you hike or paddle around these iconic cliffs, you’re sure to have a memorable and worthwhile experience.
Photo: NPS.gov
POINT LOMA TIDE POOLS
1800 Cabrillo Memorial Dr.
San Diego, CA 92106
Official Website
The southern end of Cabrillo is one of the best-protected and easily accessible rocky intertidal areas in southern California. The word “intertidal” refers to the unique ecosystem that lies between the high and low tides along the shore. Tidepools are depressions where water is trapped during low tides, forming small pools that provide habitat for numerous plants, invertebrates, and fish. These depressions are formed over geologic time through a combination of biological, physical, and chemical processes. Although the whole rocky intertidal is often referred to as the “tidepool area,” it is important to note that shelves and boulder fields surround the pools, and these also provide a great habitat for the multitude of organisms that call this zone home.
For many people, visiting the tidepools is the only direct experience they have with marine ecosystems. Cabrillo National Monument is an extremely popular destination for tourists, and it is estimated that more than 215,000 people visit the tidepools annually. Compared to sandy beaches, the diversity of life in the rocky intertidal is impressive. People go to the beach to swim, sunbathe, or surf, but they come to the tidepools to explore, experience, and learn.
Photo: PhotoClasses.com
COAST BOULEVARD PARK
La Jolla, CA 92037
OutdoorProject.com
Coast Boulevard Park is a small stretch of grass and sand overlooking the sea. It is situated between Coast Boulevard and the Pacific Ocean, and if you head north you will quickly come upon beach access. Just steps away is Cuvier Park, dubbed the “Wedding Bowl” due to its popularity as an outdoor wedding venue. The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego is just down the street from Coast Boulevard Park, and Mount Soledad is less than 2 miles away.
Harbor seals are attracted to the nearby Children’s Pool, which is comprised of a seawall that dates back to 1932. Ocean water fills the space behind the wall, forming a perfect place for children to splash around without being inundated by waves. The contractors who built the pool were probably not considering the fact that seals and sea lions would love the pool as much as the children would. Some seal pups have even been born in the Children’s Pool. Because they are wild animals, it is inadvisable to approach the seals and sea lions. Coast Boulevard Park is an ideal place to snap some pictures of the congregated creatures from a safe distance. The park also happens to be right near some tide pools. San Diego’s beaches are full of these pools, and you can often find acorn barnacles, periwinkle snails, limpets, mussels, lined shore crabs, and even lobsters at low tide. You will also find seaweed, which acts as shelter for some creatures and food for others. Whether you are a resident of San Diego looking for a nice place to take in the view of your city’s coastline, or a visitor encountering San Diego’s beauty for the first time, Coast Boulevard Park is well worth a visit. The best time of day to visit is just before sunset so that you can watch the sun sink into the horizon.
Photo: CoronadoIslandVisitorGuide.com
CENTENNIAL PARK
1101 1st St.
Coronado, CA 92118
CoronadoVistitorCenter.com
A spacious park with lots of green grass, a rose garden and spectacular views of downtown San Diego. This is the location where cars used to board a ferry to cross the bay before the Coronado-San Diego Bridge opened in 1969. An old toll booth from the ferry days sits at the edge of the park. Located on San Diego Bay at First Street and Orange Avenue at 1153 First Street.
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