Walk the La Jolla Coast: Great Hiking with Spectacular Shoreline & Wildlife

Many a tourist have passed through La Jolla (pronounced La-HO-ya) in San Diego, California, being contented with high-end boutique shopping, visiting the oozing seals at the famous Children's Pool and testing the Pacific water at scenic La Jolla cove before having a good gourmet lunch or dinner at the cute and ritzy restaurants of downtown - and miss out on some of this little Jewel by the sea's most wonderful natural asset; the San Diego-La Jolla Underwater Park Marine Life Refuge and Ecological Preserve, and the coast walk above it.

The 6000 acre Underwater Park extends from La Jolla cove in the south all the way to the boundary of Torrey Pines State Reserve to the north. Distinctive buoys mark a 'Free Swimming Zone' where you can brave the waves, scuba dive, kayak, hike up and down the coast line, or just ooze along with the seals and water birds. It is also a 'look but don't touch' area where no fishing and other souvenir-collecting (plants, shells, rocks included) activities are allowed. Motorized boats are also bound by the 5 mph speed limit.

The park houses two artificial reefs at the depths of 70 ft and 500 ft under the water. They are responsible for the gentler surf in the area, providing a good habitat for the kelp forest and many marine lives. The water is deep enough just off the shore that during the late winter months, you can sometimes spot migrating whales from the cliffs above it.

Click here to see a slide show of the area

There are several things you can do to really enjoy this awesome area:
1. See the area from the sea via a kayak tour. There are 7 sea caves in the area: the Clam's Cave, Arch Cave, Sea Surprise, Shopping Cart, Little Sister, Sunny Jim, and White Lady. Only one of them, Sunny Jim's cave, is accessible by land via a claustrophobic set of 144 lighted steps through a hand dug tunnel from the Cave Store (there is a $4 fee for using it) above it on Coast Blvd. Frank Baum, the author of The Wizard of Oz, christened the cave after a 1920's cartoon mascot for British Force Wheat Cereal, since the opening of the cave is shaped curiously like its head. There are a few competing local companies that offer kayaking tour of these caves along with the surrounding area for around $50. Money well spent, really, since these guys know the area's current, features, and wildlife well.

2. Visit the Scripps Institution of Oceanography's Birch Aquarium at 2300 Expedition Way (off La Jolla Shores Dr). Established in 1929, this is the amazing treasure chest of knowledge regarding all things marine showcasing roughly 60 fish tanks, 3 interactive tide pools, a small museum, and a gift shop.

The Tode Hall of Fishes exhibit is an absolute must see. This is a really intimate place where you can wander around watching fish from different habitats swimming in their tank via the windows on the wall. There are benches strategically placed through out the place. The main attraction here, though, is the 70,000-gallon kelp forest tank (you can have a peek at the aquarium's famous Kelp Tank via this live KelpCam). My favorite exhibit here, though, is Robbins Shark Reef, a 13,000 gallon tank that houses sharks, wobbegongs, and the aquarium's pair of resident Houdini, the spotted octopi (they occasionally escape from their tank and get into all sorts of trouble trying to eat the aquarium's other featured exhibits).

Admission is $11 per adults (less for senior, children, students, military). The Aquarium is open daily from 9AM-5PM (last admission at 4:30PM), and has its own parking lot (free to patrons for the first 3 hrs).

3. Hike the Coast Walk. Starting from Prospect and Park Row just south of N. Torrey Pines Rd, there is a narrow stairway on the ocean side of the intersection (the road has a big shoulder that serves as compact parking lot there) that you can take to get to the shoreline where you can walk the short and relatively level trail along the spectacularly eroded coastal bluff south to Children's Pool (where the oozing seals are). The view is absolutely gorgeous. On a clear day you see all the way up to Del Mar to the north (beyond the Torrey Pines sandstone bluffs that overlook Black's Beach (formerly the only clothing-optional beach in the area) and the Scripps Pier (where Birch Aquarium is)). The water is so clear you can see the top of the gigantic kelp underneath, along with many marine life. Seals oozing on the rock overhang just yards away from pelicans and other sea birds. Wild flowers accentuating the shoreline. A little trip down to Sunny Jim's Cave (about midway through the walk via the Cave Store, 1325 Cave St, off Coast Blvd. Opens daily from 8AM-Sunset). Stopping for a swim at intimate La Jolla Cove and sun dry yourself on the green lawn of Ellen Browning Scripps Park above it. The only stinky aspect of this scenically pleasing excursion is, actually, the stink (seals and sea gulls really have the worse bathroom habit!).

Click here to see a slide show of the area

To really see La Jolla properly, you really need to set aside a whole day here rather than just a few hours. On a clear day you can enjoy spectacular panoramic view of the entire area from 800 ft tall Soledad Mountain, along with its controversial cross (erected as a memorial to the veterans, it's location on a public land puts it in jeopardy with the Establishment Clause that bars the state from endorsing any specific religion). Aside from the attractions highlighted above, there is good swimming to be had along the La Jolla Shores beach, good surfing further north along Torrey Pines State Beach, paragliding or hang-gliding from Torrey Pines Gliderport on the bluff above Black's Beach, visit the Mormon Temple on La Jolla Village Dr (you can't go inside, though. Heck, even the common Mormons can't go in, but the ranked ones), or catch a play or a concert at the La Jolla Playhouse.

The La Jolla coast is serviced by the MTS bus #30 ($2.50 one way, $5 round trip), which runs from UTC to downtown San Diego and back, passing through the highlighted area on scenic La Jolla Shores Dr, N. Torrey Pines Rd, Silverado, Girard, Pearl, and La Jolla Blvd.