The American Southwest
Home | Parks | Trails | Plants | Canyons
Maps | Landscapes | Site Map | Whats New? |
More...
Follow americansouthwest.net on Facebook
×
General Pages
Home
Parks
Trails
Plants
Slot Canyons
Maps
Landscapes
Itineraries
Site Map
What's New?
More pages...

States
Arizona
California
Colorado
Idaho
Nevada
New Mexico
Oregon
Texas
Utah
Wyoming



ARIZONA
CALIFORNIA
COLORADO
IDAHO
NEVADA
NEW MEXICO
OREGON
TEXAS
UTAH
WYOMING
CALIFORNIA
MAPS | PARKS | TRAILS | HOTELS

Coastal Trail, Cabrillo National Monument


California > Cabrillo National Monument > Coastal Trail
Breaking waves
Coastal agave

Coastal Trail

Popular path across sandstone terraces on the Pacific side of Point Loma Peninsula, past cliffs, bluffs and tidepools. Also encounters varied plant life

Length: 0.5 miles

Elevation change: 80 feet

Difficulty: Easy

Type: One way, or loop returning along the road

Usage: High

Season: All year

Trailhead: Parking area along Cabrillo Road

Rating (1-5): ★★★★★
Pinterest
There are only two trails in Cabrillo National Monument - the Bayside Trail, descending the bluffs along the east edge of Point Loma Peninsula, while staying some way above the sea, and the half mile Coastal Trail, also known as the Point Loma Tidepools Trail, which crosses flat terraces on the western, Pacific side of the peninsula, passing cliffs, pools, and varied plant life. The path is easy, mostly level, and has two trailheads, linked by a road which can be used to make a 0.9 mile loop.

Rocks in the area are sandstone, shale and siltstone from the Cretaceous-era Point Loma Formation; thin-layered, inclined at a low angle, and colored rich shades of gray and brown; they form sandy bluffs, banded cliffs and marine terraces, which have been eroded by the waves to create many tidepools. Some parts of the strata are fossiliferous, with ammonite fossils the most common specimen.

Strata
Strata; view north, at the end of the easily-explorable section of the coast

The tidepools are one attraction of the hike, together with the dramatic cliff and ocean scenery, and the plants - there are several rare species found across the bluffs including golden cereus, San Diego barrel cactus and coastal agave. The area is particularly rich in wildflowers in the spring, while gray whales, dolphins, seals and sea lions may be observed at some times of the year.


Location


Map of Cabrillo National Monument.

Rock formation
Circular rock formation, possibly an ammonite fossil


Marine terrace
Marine terrace - Point Loma Formation

The Trail


The usual start point for the Coastal Trail is parking lot 1 along Cabrillo Road, as it turns northwards after descending from the center of the peninsula, next to some fenced buildings from the Coast Guard Reservation that occupies the peninsula's southern tip. The publicly-accessible portion of the road extends another half mile to an alternative parking area at the north end of the trail, beyond which it continues a short distance to a waste water treatment plant. The path runs at the edge of the bluffs, generally on the rim of cliffs around 30 feet above sea level, though there are plenty of places to climb down, and, at low tide, explore the terraces and pebble beaches below. The tidepools are not especially widespread; the best ones are around the middle of the route, as the coastline further north becomes steadily more cliff-lined, while the southern portion is mainly pebbly.

View south
View south
Sandstone promontory
Sandstone promontory
Boulders
Boulders



Cliffs
Cliffs
Bluffs
Bluffs
Wrecked boat
Wrecked boat


Coastal Trail Wildflowers

Strawberry cactus
Strawberry cactus

Golden cereus
Golden cereus

Fringed linanthus
Fringed linanthus

More plants on the trail


Coastal Trail - Similar Hikes


Alamere Falls and Wildcat Beach
Alamere Falls and Wildcat Beach

Point Reyes National Seashore, California
★★★★★
Blacklock Point Trail
Blacklock Point Trail

Floras Lake State Park and Blacklock Point, Oregon
★★★★★
Harmony Headlands
Harmony Headlands

Harmony Headlands State Park, California
★★★★★
Lost Coast National Recreation Trail
Lost Coast National Recreation Trail

Lost Coast, California
★★★★★
Tomales Point Trail
Tomales Point Trail

Point Reyes National Seashore, California
★★★★★

Back to Top
Arizona | California | Colorado | Idaho | Nevada | New Mexico | Oregon | Texas | Utah | Wyoming | Slot Canyons | Travelogue | SOUTHWEST

All Contents © Copyright The American Southwest | Comments and Questions | Contribute | Affiliate Marketing Disclosure | Site Map