Cabrillo National Monument: First European in the West Coast

Point Loma of San Diego is filled with history and many amazing places to visit; Cabrillo National Monument is definitely the most visited by tourists and locals alike. It is located right at the end of Point Loma Peninsula giving it a beautiful panoramic view of the pacific ocean, occasion whales spotting during certain seasons, and a stunning skyline view of San Diego.

cabrillo statue monument

Nearby Places
1. Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery for Veterans
2. Sunset Cliff

Stunning view of the ocean and San Diego, occasion whales watching, historic light house, beautiful cliff, hiking trails, and historic statue monument

Daily: 8am to 5pm.
Cost: minimal per car. $5 per regular size car.

1800 Cabrillo Memorial Drive, San Diego, CA. Only 30 minutes drive from downtown San Diego. 

entrance to the park


Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo was the first European to step on California land! This is a pretty big deal. If you’re interested in learning more about the history of California, then this is definitely a place that you should consider visiting especially it is such a short drive from San Diego, which makes it a quick weekend get away from the busy city.

the lighthouse

Someone told me that from the point of Cabrillo Monument, you can look out into the ocean and actually see Mexican. Well, not sure how true that is because it tends to be either foggy or cloudy down there. This place was awesome to visit. It has everything from a great viewing spot good for picture taking, a historic monument, a really awesome lighthouse that you can take a self-guided tour in. The light house is tiny so we had a bit difficult time walking around inside especially it was toward the end of the day and it was quite crowded.

the cliff view

I recommend that you walk around the ground and not just stop at the monument and the visitor center. For me, the lighthouse and the cliff were the what made it all worth it for me. You take a short walk around; paved walkway pretty much the entire way. A little bit to the right close to the lighthouse is this open rocky ground that a lot of people tend not to go to. You should stop here and sit on the cliff and just stare out into the ocean. It was so peaceful and the wind was blowing on my face really cool me off after a hot summer day.

bright blue sky on a nice summer day

Yes, remember to visit the visitor center! it has a lot of cool historical stuff and items. Overall, this is really worth especially it costing only $5 and if you have a car full of friends then it really is a $1 per person. This makes a great spot on your travel down to San Diego. You may want to check in with the park for whale watching season because you literally can sometimes spot a huge group of whales swimming down to the gulf of baja california during winter.

Let me know what you think of this place, and if I missed anything just comment or email me and I will correct them!


What do you think about this cool place?


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