20220618_093327Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve (June 2022)

Prior to reaching San Diego during our holidays last June, my family and I made a stop at Torrey Pines State Reserve and Beach, a large 2000-acre stretch of coastline and home to various flora and fauna, including the namesake tree, the Torrey pine. It’s a popular spot for locals and out-of-town visitors (like ourselves) to hike and enjoy the beach, especially on a lovely day.

Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve is located at the very north of San Diego County, particularly in La Jolla. As mentioned, it’s home to the Torrey pine, a tree which is actually very rare and endangered– it grows almost exclusively along the coast of San Diego, as it requires very-specific weather and soil conditions to grow. While hiking in the area, you can see plenty of these trees lining along the cliffs, making for a unique and breathtaking sight.

20220618_102057Torrey pines in the distance

I’d gone to Torrey Pines for a quick jaunt prior to this visit, and while my first visit in 2021 had been chilly and overcast skies, my second most-recent visit welcomed my family and I with plenty of sun and cloudless blue skies. That said, we were ill-prepared for the great weather, as we didn’t apply sunscreen, nor wore any covering for that matter– as a result, I got horribly sunburned on my face, especially my forehead, which I had to deal with for the rest of the trip in San Diego!

Any case, we’d parked about a quarter of a mile away from the beach/hiking entrance, as the few, free spots right by the entrance were all taken and there was no way we were going to pay $20 USD to park at the paid parking lot. Given we were only going to spend a half-day at Torrey Pines, we opted to park a bit further away, which ended up being a much more-affordable $3 USD.

We started by taking the incline path up the cliffs and began our hike on and along the cliffs over the beach. There are several paths to choose from, but all are well-paved and perfect for family and casual hikers to do– all the while enjoy and admire the beautiful stretch of the Pacific Ocean blue, the Torrey pines, and my personal favorite, the sandstone cliffs themselves, etched and carved from years of erosion which evoke a sort of Badlands in South Dakota. Overall, incredible scenery up and through the canyons in Torrey Pines.

20220618_105026The “Badlands”-like cliffs

My family and I hiked perhaps two to three miles (3.2 to 5.0 kilometers) before we took the steep, descending path to the water. It’s about 100 steps down, which can get slippery, and usually gets closed off starting 14h00 due to high tides. Thankfully, we were there around 9h00 or 10h00 that day, so we were able to descend and walk along the beach during low tide.

20220618_105551The Pacific Ocean

Seeing the ocean from above during our hike was one thing, but it was another to see and feel it down below. To start, the sand was mesmerizing in its grey, almost blackened hue– it reminded me of the sand in Iceland, although the one in Torrey Pines also glittered in the sunlight. Absolutely stunning!

20220618_110426Walking on the sand

It was about a one-mile (1.6 kilometers) walk along the sand, and then we exited off back onto the road. After a quick bathroom break and pouring sand from our shoes, we returned to our car just as the parking meter was about to end. It’s important to arrive back on time, or else parking enforcement will pounce– I saw a few officers giving out tickets!

That concluded our visit to Torrey Pines during our time in San Diego and its surroundings. Stay tuned for the last post of my trip soon! 🙂

— Rebecca

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Published by Rebecca

Blogger, world traveler, poet, foodie, part-time penguin. Welcome!

44 thoughts on “Destination: Torrey Pines State Reserve, California”

  4. Good reminders about parking meters and also sunscreen – I always forget! Beautiful photos, especially the one of the cliffs! Sounds like Torrey Pines is a great place for quality time with family!

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    1. Yes! I hadn’t gotten horrifically sunburnt in a while, and it was a pain (literally and figuratively) to deal with it during our weekend in SD. But you live, and you learn!

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  9. Wow, what a fantastic place for those that love hiking and relaxing at the beach, Rebecca! Your photos are beautiful and so is the Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve with its stunning ocean views. I would love to visit one day in order to see the rarest pine tree in the entire United States. Thanks for sharing and have a wonderful day 🙂 Aiva xx

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  17. Oh Rebecca, this looks so lovely! I do have to get out to the California Coast someday. I was in the Newport beach area a few years ago, but did not do much exploring along the coast. You are giving me inspiration!

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  19. It’s been nice to read you again Rebecca, have been leafing through your recent articles with much interest. Recently in Yerevan we found ourselves striking up a conversation with a Californian couple in a restaurant. They reminded us of just how much there is to see and do in the state, giving us much food for thought on our own potential trip one of these years. Torrey Pines is clearly another consideration, such hypnotic shades of blue and would love to see those trees up close. Sunburn can be hell, I got a little burnt recently here in Armenia.

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    1. Super happy to hear from you again, Leighton! Yes, us Californians are everywhere, haha. There’s so much to do in my home state that even I haven’t seen it all! Hoping everything’s well in Armenia (minus the sunburn)!

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