Cabrillo National Monument: Bayside Trail (Blog Hike #998)

Trail: Bayside Trail
Hike Location: Cabrillo National Monument
Geographic Location: west of San Diego, CA (32.67349, -117.2405)
Length: 2.5 miles
Difficulty: 4/10 (Moderate)
Date Hiked: February 2024
Overview: An out-and-back with great views of San Diego and interesting history.
Monument Information: https://www.nps.gov/cabr/index.htm
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=956373
Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: (coming January 31, 2025)

Directions to the trailhead: From the west end of I-8, take Nimitz Boulevard south 0.8 miles to Catalina Boulevard.  Exit and turn right on Catalina Blvd.  Drive Catalina Blvd. south 5 miles to where it dead-ends at the entrance to Cabrillo National Monument.  Pay the entrance fee, and park in the main parking lot near the Visitor Center.

The hike: The year was 1542 when Iberian explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo became the first European to land on what is today the United States' west coast.  Cabrillo set sail on June 27 from Navidad, New Spain in present-day Mexico, heading north along the Pacific coast with 3 ships.  He landed on the shore of today's San Diego Bay on September 28 before heading further north.

            Though the descriptions of his northern-most point are vague, most people think he reached at least the Russian River in northern California and maybe even the Columbia River in Oregon before being forced to turn back due to bad winter weather.  Interestingly, he completely missed famous San Francisco Bay, an error European mariners would continue to make until 1769.  Cabrillo's 1542 journey up the west coast would be his last: he died on January 5, 1543 due to infection from a broken shin.

            Today the place Cabrillo first set foot in what would become the United States is protected as Cabrillo National Monument.  The monument started as a 0.5 acre reservation in 1913, but today it consists of 143 acres at the southern tip of Point Loma, the peninsula of land that separates San Diego Bay from the Pacific Ocean.  The monument is quite popular due to its proximity to San Diego and nearby naval bases, and it receives over 700,000 visitors in a normal year.

            The monument is open for day-use only, but it features an excellent museum with several films about Cabrillo, a lighthouse that dates to 1855, some interesting World War II history, and 2 hiking trails.  The trails are aptly named: the Coastal Trail explores the west side of the peninsula facing the Pacific Ocean, while the Bayside Trail explores the east side of the peninsula facing San Diego Bay.  Both trails are interesting, but there is no connecting trail that would allow you to explore both trails in one hike.  This hike features the Bayside Trail, which is the longer of the two trails.

Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo statue

            From the front of the Visitor Center, walk back to the parking lot and turn left to reach a famous statue of Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo.  Commissioned in 1939 by the Portuguese government, the handsome sandstone statue occupies a scenic spot with San Diego Bay and the San Diego skyline in the background.  Next walk out the south side of the parking lot following a paved road that is closed to vehicles.  Climb slightly to reach Old Point Loma Lighthouse at 0.3 miles.  Built in 1855, this lighthouse seems to occupy the highest ground in the Monument, and it adds a nice historical element to this hike.

Old Point Loma Lighthouse

            After visiting the lighthouse, continue to follow the asphalt road as it winds and descends.  You can actually see our eventual destination, the lower end of the Bayside Trail, if you look downhill to the left.  Just past 0.6 miles, you reach the signed upper end of the dirt/gravel Bayside Trail.  Turn left to leave the pavement and begin a moderate descent on the Bayside Trail.

Descending on the Bayside Trail

            One of the great things about the Bayside Trail is that San Diego Bay stays in full view for the trail's entire length.  The numerous naval bases in this area ensure a steady flow of naval planes, helicopters, and ships entering and leaving the area; you will get to see all of that traffic on this hike.  During my hike, I watched what looked like a destroyer enter the bay...and numerous other smaller yachts and boats scrambling to get out of its way!

Navy ship entering San Diego Bay

World War II spotlight shed

            At 0.85 miles, the grade lessens as you begin heading in and out of 2 small ravines.  The nice bay views with San Diego across the bay continue, but some old World War II military structures on the land also attract your attention.  What looks like a railroad tunnel with a lid on it is actually an old spotlight storage shed: the spotlight was wheeled out at night to scout for invading ships and planes.  Interpretive signs give information about this area's military history, and they also tell about the hardy shrubs that inhabit this treeless hillside.

San Diego Bay

            At 1.3 miles, you reach the viewpoint at the lowest elevation on this hike.  This viewpoint is kind of anticlimactic: it gives the same fantastic view across San Diego Bay you have enjoyed the whole way down.  The Bayside Trail ends here, so your only option is to retrace your steps back uphill to the parking lot to complete the hike.  If you want to do more hiking, check out the Coastal Trail, which offers equally impressive views but from the other (ocean) side of the peninsula.