California – Outdoorsy Things to do in San Diego
San Diego, the world of sun! If you’re not outdoors enjoying the beautiful weather… then you must have a good reason. Haha, I don’t want to shame any vacation or travel. However, if you’re looking for somewhat casual outdoorsy things to do in San Diego, then I’ve got a great list for you. Overall, there was a similar vibe to my home base of Santa Barbara. Still, San Diego is MUCH BIGGER with diverse little pockets to explore with seemingly endless opportunities to be outdoors. San Diego was one of the most outdoorsy urban areas I’ve ever been to, and I loved it!
In September 2021, I visited San Diego for a week with my family. It was a lovely little getaway with many small activities. Instead of doing in-depth blog posts, I would like to share everything we got up to and what I looked into before going. If I write separate blog posts about any of the following items, I’ll link them in the appropriate section. See the Torrey Pines Hike as an example!
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Hiking Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve
To kick off the outdoorsy things to do in San Diego, let’s start with a hike! Torrey Pine trees only grow naturally in two locations on the entire planet, and I visited them both in 2021! The prominent location is in Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve, which has hiking trails and beach access. We opted to make a hiking loop to see Red Butte, Razor Point, and Yucca Point. It took a few hours and was a great mix of Torrey Pine Trees (at the beginning), rock formations, ocean views, and succulents. The trail is almost entirely in the sun, so wear sunscreen and bring enough water to keep you cool.
Head to my Hiking Loop in Torrey Pines State Reserve blog post for a more detailed description of the hike and thoughts on the reserve in general.
Other Hikes:
- Potato Chip Rock! I’ve seen this rock formation all over social media. It looks like a great little hike that I would be interested in doing the next time I’m in town. It’s about an hour from downtown San Diego.
- Hike Cabrillo National Monument! There are hiking trails at the tip of Point Loma. You’ll get views of San Diego, the Pacific Ocean, and the mountains straight ahead are actually in Mexico, crazy!
- Cowles Mountain gives a great view of San Diego but can get busy!
- Mission Trails Regional Park has a 5-peak summit challenge, which sounds fun!
- 7-Bridges Walk is a unique urban hike or bike ride.
- The Elfin Forest is a little further away but has fun trails. Be careful with the inland trails, as they will have higher temps and can become boiling throughout the day.
Mountain Biking AND Casual Biking
My boyfriend and brother-in-law discovered fun mountain biking trails in PQ Canyon. I’m not a mountain biker, but Mountain Bike Project (MTB Project) is a great resource to find new routes. For a more casual biking experience, I recommend Mission Bay. There is a designated bike path on parts of Mission Bay, so you can bike, run, or walk with gorgeous views of the water. The bike path stretches 12 miles, so you can pick and choose where to explore!
Other areas with a protected bike path:
- Carlsbad Coastal Rail Trail – .7 mile stretch (great for families)
- Solana Beach Coastal Rail Trail – 1.7-mile stretch
- Bayshore Bikeway – 9 miles from Coronado Ferry to Imperial Beach
- Mission Trails Bike Path – Couple of different options here, including a 3.2-mile ride around Lake Murray or a 2.5-mile out-and-back from the visitor’s center
Paddle Boarding Mission Bay
Next up on the outdoorsy things to do in San Diego: water activities! Over the summer, my parents invested in some inflatable paddle boards, so we pumped them up and took them for a spin on Mission Bay. Mission Bay is a man-made saltwater bay created in the 1940s to 1960s to increase the recreational options in San Diego. It’s a bit of a bummer because the county fundamentally changed the area’s ecology and removed wetlands. Mission Bay is now fully developed and has become a nice recreational area.
Depending on where you are in the bay, the water can be very calm, especially in the mornings. The flat water makes excellent conditions for paddleboarding. We took turns on the paddleboards and had fun searching for shells on the sandy shore. Also, contrasting our beach day in La Jolla, it is tranquil without the surf.
Other Mission Bay Activities:
- Kayaking
- Sailing at the Mission Bay Yacht club
- Bike around Mission Bay (see Biking Section below)
- Rent an electric boat, speed boat, or jet ski
Sunset Beach Bonfire
We did this for my Mom’s birthday on Mission Bay! Although we probably could have figured out how to do it ourselves, why should we? We utilized a company called Beach and Bay Bonfires, which we initially found on Airbnb Experiences but ended up booking directly through their website (don’t tell Airbnb). We chose the #1 Party Package service, which included the bonfire, four chairs, four tiki torches, and S’mores ingredients for $110. The company helped us choose a location and timing (we opted for sunset!) and ensured we followed proper bonfire rules and regulations. Some practices included being on Mission Bay instead of Mission Beach for the evening, having a fire pit holder, and proper clean-up. If I lived in San Diego, I might think this is expensive. However, as a visitor with eight people, using a company reduced the hassle and ensured proper fire handling, making it worthwhile.
We were able to walk to the designated location on Mission Bay with a rolling wagon that carried extra chairs, libations, snacks, and extra jackets. Our bonfire guy arrived and set everything up for us, including getting the fire started and instructions on putting it out. He even left us extra wood if we wanted to extend the party (the extra wood costs more). The best way to contact and communicate with Beach and Bay Bonfires is via text!
The sunset was gorgeous, but be sure to bring extra jackets! Once the sun went down, it got chilly. My nieces had a blast trying to roast marshmallows and, of course, eating s’mores! We had many laughs and created memories at our sunset bonfire.
La Jolla Beach Day
La Jolla is darling. Rolling hills surround a large white-sand beach, and everything feels pristine. La Jolla is an affluent area worth visiting, especially if you’re headed up to Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve. We stopped by the beach after the hike, and there was free parking and plenty of space on the enormous beach. There are also public restrooms available and showers on the far side of the bathrooms.
Other La Jolla Activities:
- Snorkeling
- Walk the Scripps pier
- Explore the sea cave
- Watch the La Jolla seals at the Children’s pool
- Explore the restaurants and shopping
Sunset from the Sunset Cliffs
Wow, is this location aptly named, or what?! The Sunset Cliffs neighborhood location features an uninterrupted sunset view over the Pacific Ocean if you have clear skies. Truly breathtaking. The view is excellent along the road, so don’t feel obligated to be at the end, where the road curves. You can watch surfers at the end of the road, but it can be bustling, so it’s not exactly a peaceful experience. Instead, I recommend bringing a picnic blanket, takeout food, and finding a quiet spot that is not near the end of the road for a lovely evening activity.
We checked out the cliffs and ended up going on an adventure to find my partner’s grandfather in the Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery. The sun was setting as we hastily drove around to find the right section. The cemetery itself is gorgeous. On one side, you can look out over San Diego. On the other side, you have the Pacific Ocean and sunset. We found the spot before the sun completely disappeared behind the clouds. It was a beautiful moment.
San Diego Zoo
If you plan to go to the famous San Diego Zoo, you might as well plan a whole day there! It’s a fantastic zoo that is well-developed and interactive. I’d recommend getting there early, so it is still cool enough to walk around, plan to spend about $20 – $30/per person on lunch (because you will need a break), and take a ride on the double-decker bus if you need a break from walking.
I was most impressed by the bird enclosures, which had exotic birds and different levels that you could walk through — it was crazy to see them in flight at eye level. I also loved that the animals’ natural environment extended into visitors’ areas. The trees and flowers are from the same region as the animals, so it truly felt like you were walking through a different part of the world. It’s little details like this that make the zoo feel established. Also, there were many exotic animals that I’d never seen before. Many I cannot name, but this was my first time seeing Kohala and a Red Panda. The Red Panda completely stole my heart, and I’m not sure I’ll ever be the same – it was SO DARN CUTE!!
Included in the admission price, be sure to take the hour-long bus tour to revisit some of the main sights. We did this near the end of the day when our energy was waning. We stayed from 9 am to 3 pm, and didn’t get to see everything. Instead, we left some things to come back to!
Coffee Latte Flight + Walking Around Balboa Park
If you know me personally, you’ll know that I LOVE trying new things, so tastings are right up my alley. At Communal Coffee near Balboa Park, you can have a latte tasting!! Each flight includes three lattes, which are the typical small size, so watch out! For four adults, we got two flights, and they allowed us to choose any flavors on the menu. We went with the classic flight on the menu (Rose, Vanilla Bean, and Lavender) and created the second (Lemon Coconut, Orange, and a sweet Caramel one). Overall, it was SO much fun to try all of the different flavors and how they worked with the coffee. I’m not sure I could handle a full cup of the floral ones, but I enjoyed my few sips. Although it’s not a super outdoorsy activity for my outdoorsy things to do in San Diego, we did enjoy the flight outdoors and utilized the energy to explore more.
After being FULLY caffeinated, we utilized our energy by walking around Balboa Park. Now, I have only scratched the surface of everything at Balboa Park because it is massive!! It’s a 1,200-acre urban park that contains museums, gardens, attractions, venues, playgrounds, and open space. Some websites call it the “cultural heart” of San Diego. We simply walked around and enjoyed the sights, but you could also take a look at what exhibitions, shows, and events are running during your trip. The bird-cage-looking botanical building is FREE, so even if you’re not into museums, it’s fun to stop by this unique structure.
A Few Ideas to Explore Balboa Park:
- Visit the FREE botanical building and lily pond
- Climb the California Tower
- Japanese Friendship Garden
- The Inez Grant Parker Memorial Rose Garden
- Hike/trail-run the larger park
Vegan Delights
Oh my goodness, there are so many vegan options in San Diego! Eventually, I will do a deep dive into the vegan eats of San Diego, but I don’t feel that I got to try all of the goodness yet. We did a fair amount of cooking at our Airbnb, so I look forward to coming back to try more.
- Yasai Vegan Japanese Food: This is the best vegan ramen I’ve ever had. And the sushi was delectable. Sometimes I ask my boyfriend if we should make the 4-hour drive to San Diego JUST to eat at Yasai.
- Plant Power Fast Food: This chain is ever-growing, and they even have one on the UCSD, which we stopped by on our way to Torrey Pines. I recommend the breakfast burrito if you can make it there in the morning!
- People’s Organic Food Market: This store has been around for ages and has a nice selection of grab-and-go foods, salads, and made-to-order sandwiches upstairs. We stopped by here on our way to the Sunset Cliffs.
Overall Thoughts: Outdoorsy Things to do in San Diego
Oh my goodness, there are so many outdoorsy things to do in San Diego. The city and smaller surrounding cities were much bigger than I had anticipated, making for an overwhelming amount of things to do. You could probably Google anything you’re interested in doing, and someone will be doing it, whether that be on Airbnb Experiences or elsewhere. One thing that struck me while doing all of these outdoor activities was the air traffic in San Diego. Not only is San Diego a significant military and/or navy base, but the international airport is also located kind of in the center of the city. It seems like everyone is used to it, and it was fun to see what type of aircraft was passing by. But something I noted.
I hope that this list of outdoorsy things to do in San Diego encourages you to explore the city’s outdoor activities. And don’t forget to check out my Hiking Loop in Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve blog post!
What are your favorite outdoorsy things to do in San Diego? As I mentioned in the introduction, I found the city to have diverse areas to explore. Let me and other travelers know in the comments what I should look forward to in the future!
Happy Travels,
Hanna
