Guajome County Park

Guajome County Park offers its visitors a unique blend of history and outdoor experiences. At one end of the park stands an historic adobe ranch house built in the 1850s. From there the park stretches two miles westward and encompasses some of the most diverse habitats to be found in any county park. You’ll enjoy opportunities to hike, picnic, ride horses, fish, and camp. Its mild climate and convenient location, 40 miles north of San Diego, make Guajome an ideal place to visit year round.

Guajome County Park is located at 3000 Guajome Lake Road in Oceanside Ca.

2905 San Luis Rey Road

Oceanside, CA 92054

(760) 435-5041

Cuyamaca Rancho State Park:

Location – Directions East of San Diego, the park is on Highway 79, five miles north of I-8. Latitude/Longitude: 32.9547 / -116.6014 Just forty miles east of San Diego, Cuyamaca Rancho State Park offers beautiful pine and oak forests, broad meadows, and little streams that are a special delight in the generally dry Southern California landscape. The park is easily reached using Highway 8 from downtown San Diego. The park is located in the Peninsular Range of mountains; from Cuyamaca Peak, at 6512 ft the second highest point in San Diego County, you can see Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in the Colorado Desert to the east and the Pacific coast west. The park encompasses 25,000 acres through which over a hundred miles of hiking, horse and mountain biking trails provide visitors a rich view of Southern California forests. Park exhibits include the Stonewall Mine site offering a pictorial history of the greatest of Southern California gold mines, and the park museum telling the story of the native people who lived here for centuries.

Palomar Mountain State Park

Location-Directions The park is off Highway 76, up Highway S6, then left on Highway S7 at the junction near the mountaintop. Palomar Mountain State Park features spectacular views of the Pacific, camping, picnicking, hiking, and fishing (trout) in Doane Pond. Coniferous forests cover much of the 1,897, in contrast to the dry lowlands surrounding the mountain. This is one of the few Southern California areas with a Sierra Nevada-like atmosphere.

Old Town State Historic Park:

Location-Directions The park is located on San Diego Avenue and Twiggs Street in San Diego. Old Town San Diego, CA Latitude/Longitude: 32.7542 / -117.1961 Old Town San Diego State Historic Park recreates life in the Mexican and early American periods of 1821 to 1872. Five original adobes are part of the complex, which includes shops, restaurants and a museum. La Casa de Estudillo is a mansion built around a garden courtyard. La Casa de Machado y Stewart is full of artifacts that reflect ordinary life of the period. Other historic buildings include a schoolhouse, a blacksmith shop, San Diego's first newspaper office, and a stable with a carriage collection. (San Diego became California's first Spanish settlement when a mission and fort were established in 1769.) Robinson-Rose House Visitor Center James Robinson came to San Diego from Texas in the Spring of 1850 and developed a successful law practice. He built this two-story structure in 1853 to serve not only as his family residence but also as the home of the San Diego Herald, the San Diego and Gila Railroad office, as well as other private offices. Robinson died in 1857 and his widow Sarah Robinson sold the building to Louis Rose, who probably purchased it as a family residence. Fire destroyed the roof in 1874 and the building fell into ruins by the turn of the century. The reconstructed building now serves as Old Town State Historic Park's visitor center and has on display a model of Old Town as it looked in 1872, created by Joseph Toigo. Silvas-McCoy House Currently under construction as a Visitor's Center for Old Town. State Park archaeologists excavated in Old Town San Diego in 1995 to recover information needed to reconstruct a large residence built in 1869 by James McCoy, a well-to-do Irish immigrant who served as San Diego's sheriff and state senator. Prior to 1851 the property belonged to Maria Eugenia Silvas, descendant of a Spanish Colonial soldier who came to Alta California in the 1770s.

San Elijo State Beach

The beach extends along old Highway 101 (Route S21) 3/4 mile north from San Elijo Lagoon's entrance channel, near the community of Cardiff-by-the-Sea. Located on the San Diego Coast, San Elijo State Beach offers swimming, surfing and picnicking. The narrow, bluff-backed stretch of sand has a nearby reef popular with snorklers and divers. Torrey Pines State Beach Location-Directions The Beach is located one mile south of Del Mar on North Torrey Pines Road. State beaches are areas with frontage on the ocean, or bays designed to provide swimming, boating, fishing, and other beach-oriented recreational activities. This wide, sandy beach stretches 4 1/2 miles from Del Mar past Los Peñasquitos Lagoon to the base of sandstone cliffs at Torrey Pines Mesa. Swimming, surfing and fishing are popular. Red-hued bluffs and wet sand make strolling on the beach popular at low tide. A picnic area and parking lot are near the entrance on North Torrey Pines Road. The beach can also be reached by trail from the Torrey Pines State Reserve. Torrey Pines prohibits dogs anywhere within the reserve and beach boundaries (even within a vehicle).

Torrey Pines State Reserve

Torrey Pines State Reserve is located between La Jolla and Del Mar, California, north of San Diego. From Hwy 5, exit on Carmel Valley Road and drive west for about 1.5 miles till you reach the Coast Highway 101. Turn left and proceed along the beach for about a mile. The park entrance is on your right just before the highway begins to climb the Torrey Pines grade. State reserves have outstanding or unusual natural or scenic values. Torrey Pines State Reserve is a wilderness island in an urban sea. This fragile environment is the home of our nation's rarest pine tree - Pinus torreyana. Once this tree covered a larger area. It now grows only here and on Santa Rosa Island off the coast near Santa Barbara. The park preserves not only the trees, but also the last salt marshes and waterfowl refuges in Southern California. The reserve features high broken cliffs and deep ravines on headlands overlooking the ocean. Hikers can follow trails through stands of wind-sculpted pines. A picturesque, pueblo-style structure that served as a restaurant when it was built in 1923 houses the visitor center, featuring interpretive displays. Picnicking and camping are prohibited in the reserve. The reserve's rich plant community features wildflowers in the spring and visitors can see the California quail gathered in coveys in the early mornings of fall and winter. Torrey Pines State Beach can also be reached by trail from the Reserve. Torrey Pines prohibits dogs anywhere within the reserve and beach boundaries (even within a vehicle).

Anza-Borrego State Park

The Park is located on the eastern side of San Diego County, with portions extending east into Imperial County and north into Riverside County. It is about a two-hour drive from San Diego, Riverside, and Palm Springs. Many visitors approach from the east or west via Highways S22 and 78. From the coast, these highways descend from the heights of the Peninsular range of mountains with spectacular views of the great bowl of the Colorado Desert. Highway S2 enters the park from the south off of Interstate 8. With over 600,000 acres, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is the largest state park in the contiguous United States. 500 miles of dirt roads, 12 wilderness areas and miles of hiking trails provide visitors with an unparalleled opportunity to experience the wonders of the Colorado Desert. The park is named after Spanish explorer Juan Bautista de Anza and the Spanish name borrego, or bighorn sheep. The park features washes, wildflowers, palm groves, cacti and sweeping vistas. Visitors may also have the chance to see roadrunner, golden eagles, kit foxes, mule deer and bighorn sheep as well as iguanas, chuckwallas and the red diamond rattlesnake. Listening devices for the hearing impaired are available in the visitor center. More about the Park Most visitors approach from the east via Highways S22, S2, or 78. Visitors from San Diego via Highways 79 and 78 have the added pleasure of driving through the mountainous Cuyamaca Rancho State Park--quite a different experience from Anza-Borrego. The highways from the east climb to 2,400 feet or so and then descend about 2,000 feet to the valley. Where the highway breaks out of the high-country vegetation, it reveals the great bowl of the Anza-Borrego desert. The valley spreads below, and there are mountains all around. The highest are to the north--the Santa Rosa Mountains. The mountains are a wilderness, with no paved roads in or out or through. They have the only all-year-flowing watercourse in the park. They are the home of the peninsular bighorn sheep, often called desert bighorn. Few park visitors ever see them; the sheep are justly wary. A patient few observers each year see and count them, to learn how this endangered species is coping with human encroachment.

Border Field State Park

Border Field State Park contains much of the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve, an important wildlife habitat. The salt and freshwater marshes give refuge to migrating waterfowl and resident wading birds, such as black-necked stilt, avocet, teal, American widgeon and pelican. The park offers hiking, horse trails, surf fishing and birding. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was concluded on February 2, 1848, officially ending the war with Mexico. It provided that the new international border between the two countries be established by a United States and Mexican Boundary Commission. Both commissions surveyed and located the initial borderline at Border Field.

Cardiff State Beach

The beach is located one mile south of Cardiff on Old Highway 101. Latitude/Longitude: 33.0100 / -117.2783 Located on the San Diego Coast, which has been called the Riviera of the West, Cardiff State Beach has a gently sloping sandy beach with warm water. The site offers swimming, surfing and beachcombing.

Carlsbad State Beach

The beach is located on Carlsbad Boulevard, Highway S21 at Tamarack in Carlsbad. Latitude/Longitude: 33.1581 / -117.3497 Carlsbad State Beach is located on the San Diego Coast. It offers swimming, surfing, scuba diving, fishing and beachcombing. This small 14-acre beach is located at the foot of coastal bluffs, south of the town on Carlsbad.

Ocotillo Wells State Vehicular Receration Area

Eastern San Diego and in Western Imperial Counties. Access is via Highway 78, about 35 miles east of Julian or about 20 miles west of Highway 86. Adjacent to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, this area has over 42,000 acres of desert terrain, from below sea level to 400 foot elevations. It is a motorcycle, four-wheel drive, all-terrain vehicle, and dune buggy use area. The wash-and-ridge terrain includes a butte with dunes and a sand bowl, a blow-sand dune, springs and a camp on a former homestead site. The park has pay showers, picnic tables, shade ramadas, fire rings and a dump station available. No water. Seasons/Climate/Recommended clothing The weather can be changeable; layered clothing is recommended.

San Onofre State Beach

The beach is three miles south of San Clemente on I-5 (Basilone Road.) 3036 acres.; 100' elevation. San Onofre State Beach features 3.5-miles of sandy beaches with six access trails cut into the bluff above. The campground is along Old Highway 101 adjacent to the sandstone bluffs. The beach is popular with swimmers and surfers. The park includes a marshy area where San Mateo Creek meets the shoreline and Trestles Beach, a well-known California surfing site. Whales, dolphins and sea lions can be seen offshore from time to time. The park's coastal terrace is chaparral-covered. San Onofre includes San Onofre Surf Beach - a day use facility, San Mateo campground and day use facility, and a Nature Trail that starts at San Mateo Canyon and leads to San Mateo State Preserve/ Trestles Beach. Located between San Onofre SB and San Onfore Surf Beach is San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) provides nearly 20-percent of the power to more than 15-million people in Southern California. Trestles Beach is regarded as one of the premiere surf breaks in the United States. Many would say the best in San Diego County.

San Pasqual Battlefield State Park

The park is located next to the San Diego Wild Animal Park, at San Pasqual Valley Road, 8 miles south of Escondido on Highway 78. San Pasqual Battlefield State Historic Park, east of Escondido, honors the soldiers who fought in the battle between the U.S. and Californio forces on December 6, 1846 in the midst of the Mexican-American War. Generals Stephen Kearny and Andres Pico both claimed victory. The battle was only one of the military encounters in California in the war, but it proved to be the bloodiest and most controversial as to the outcome. The park has been set aside, not as a monument to war, but as a reminder of the human ideals, actions and passions that can drive nations to bloodshed. Annual and Special Events State Park volunteers conduct tours of the facility and stage living history programs. Reservations for group programs must be made at least three weeks in advance. Annual Living History Day -- (October through June) Annual re-enactment of the Battle of San Pasqual (December)

Tijuana Estuary NP

take Interstate 5 south to the Coronado Avenue exit in Imperial Beach (not the Coronado Bridge exit). Turn right onto Coronado Ave. and head west for approx. three miles (it becomes Imperial Beach Blvd.). Turn left onto Third Ave. at the four-way stop (you'll see the Reserve's concrete sign). Follow the road around the corner and the Visitor Center will be on the right. From the south: Take Interstate 5 north and turn left on Coronado Ave., then follow the directions above. Imperial Beach, CA Latitude/Longitude: 32.5839 / -117.1122 Tijuana Estuary is a small intertidal coastal estuary on the international border between California and Mexico. The estuary is primarily a shallow water habitat, though it is often termed an "intermittent estuary," as it is subjected to extreme changes in streamflow at different times of the year. Extended periods of drought leave parts of the estuary dry during some periods, while flooding inundates the same areas during others. For this reason, Tijuana Estuary is considered to be a very unique part of the National Estuarine Research Reserve System. The Tijuana River Estuary is one of the few salt marshes remaining in Southern California, where over 90% of wetland habitat has been lost to development. The site is an essential breeding, feeding and nesting ground and key stopover point on the Pacific Flyway for over 370 species of migratory and native birds, including six endangered species. The Reserve spans 2,500 acres and offers four miles of walking trails, taking visitors into prime bird watching areas and down to the river mouth where the Tijuana River meets the Pacific Ocean. Visitors may explore the park on their own or join one of the free guided nature and bird walks on weekends. The park has BBQ rings, restrooms, and beach access A marker on the bluff, first placed there in 1851 just after the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, delineates the western beginning of the International Border. Border Field State Park is located in the southwestern corner of the Reserve, on a bluff overlooking the ocean, the estuary, and the bull ring that lies just south of the U.S./Mexico border. Educational Projects Educational activities provided by the Reserve include site-based and classroom-based nature classes for elementary school students; after school/Jr. Ranger workshops; bilingual site visits for elementary, middle and secondary school students; nature walks/bird walks; several lecture series; bilingual site-based training for teachers and off-site teacher training workshops; and an Adopt-A-Watershed program. The Reserve provides bilingual (English and Spanish) curriculum for various grades. Managing Agencies The Reserve is managed jointly by a multiple-agency management authority. Primary managing agencies are the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the California Park Service. The US Fish and Wildlife Service is responsible primarily for management of the Reserve's resources; in particular the Tijuana Slough Wildlife Refuge component of the Reserve. The California Department of Parks and Recreation operates the Visitor Center, maintains Border Field State Park, and coordinates the Reserve's educational and interpretive programs.