On our last full day in California, we set out towards Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve. This is one of Nicole’s family’s favorite hikes near San Diego and I was so excited to visit here. The pictures I saw online were stunning and I could not wait to hike here. Fast forward to where we are pulling up to the entrance station and there is a sign stating that all trails are closed today due to the recent rain and to protect the trails from erosion….=( So bummed. So thinking on the fly, Nicole and I pulled up our All Trails app and looked for a hike nearby. Luckily, we found the Ho Chi Minh Trail just down the road from Torrey Pines. This trail starts out from the Gliderport and after a steep 0.7 mile descent, you arrive at Black Beach. (Side note: this beach is a nudist beach in case that changes your decision LOL).

From the parking lot, head towards the left to find the trail. It is not the trail that goes behind the metal fence; it is just to the right of that. The hike down is not bad, just have to watch your footing on the uneven ground. This hike might not be suitable for young kids since there are a lot of drop offs.

Once you reach the beach, you can walk forever! We took our time exploring and marveling at the towering cliffs. This was my first time seeing the Pacific Ocean (besides Hawaii)!

The hike back up can be challenging so take your time and enjoy the view!

From here, we headed to La Jolla Cove to see the sea lions! There is a set of stairs straight out from the street that lead down to the rocky coastline. If you are lucky, you can see the sea lions relaxing and sunning on the rocks!

This guy was showing off for the crowd!

I liked the old box this bird was sitting on. FYI – He really does have two legs! He sure fooled us!

We walked along the coastline and took in the views!

What a beautiful day! I was sad that we did not get to hike at Torrey Pines, but looks like I will just have to go back one day! From here, we still wanted to hike so we headed up to the Cleveland National Forest. Stay tuned for my post!