Tourmaline Surfing Park is a beach access point and a surf spot in North Pacific Beach, San Diego, California, USA. The park is situated at the northern end of Pacific Beach, a short distance south of where the sand beach ends and the rocky promontory of La Jolla begins. There are cliffs to the north and south of Tourmaline Surfing Park, but the park itself lies in Tourmaline Canyon, which cuts down through those cliffs to the beach.
This region of San Diego County, from San Elijo to San Clemente, offers some of the best beach backpacking in Southern California because of the abundance of appropriately spaced campgrounds. A backpacker so inclined might consider strolling the seven miles of lovely bluffs and beaches that separate South Carlsbad from San Elijo. Beach Time for You and Your dog. Along the beach shoreline and Mission Bay, the City of San Diego has two designated leash-free exercise areas for dogs. Dogs are allowed at Dog Beach and on Fiesta Island. Dogs are restricted at other beach and bay locations. Annie’s Slot Canyon Trail in Solana Beach, California Annie’s Canyon Trail is a short hiking trail in San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Reserve between Solana Beach and Encinitas. This trail leads to a unique slot canyon that seems out of place in San Diego County not far from the Pacific Ocean. San Diego could be disrupted for years. Yet most people in San Diego either know nothing about the Rose Canyon fault or think it’s still not active, even though it has been 30 years since.
Slot Canyon is a 7.5 mile lightly trafficked out and back trail located near Mecca, California that features beautiful wild flowers and is rated as moderate. The trail is primarily used for hiking, walking, and nature trips and is best used from October until May. Length 7.5 miElevation gain 912 ftRoute type Out & back.
Tourmaline Surfing Park is less than 1000 feet west of the point where Tourmaline Street crosses La Jolla Boulevard. Reaching the park involves a steep, palm-lined descent through Tourmaline Canyon to a fairly large parking lot, which is slightly elevated but situated right beside the beach. There are showers and restrooms, as well as railings and places to sit.[1]
Tourmaline Memorial[edit]
Tourmaline Surfing Park also features 'Tourmaline Memorial' a monument celebrating surfers who have enjoyed the surf at Tourmaline, in the past and the present, including Skeeter Malcolm.
Although surfers have surfed the area since the 1930s, Tourmaline Surfing Park first opened in May 1963; the idea for the memorial was conceived in 2006, and the memorial itself was completed in 2008. The motto is 'Surf Well, Spread Aloha, Share Waves Without Judgment'[2]
List of honorees[edit]
The list of honorees on the memorial is as follows:
- Individual surfers
- Larry Gordon
- Floyd Smith
- Bobby 'Challenger' Thomas
- Mike Hynson
- William ' Hadji' Hein
- Emil Sigler
- Don Okey
- Skeeter Malcolm
- Norm Polonski
- Ralph Dawson
- Doc Blankenship
- Bo Smith
- 'Captain' Dan O'Connell
- Alexander 'Bud' Caldwell
- Billie 'Goldie' Goldsmith
- Ralph Barber
- Joe Gann
- Robert 'Black mac' Mc Clendon
- Holly 'Papa Smurf' Jones
- Ron St. John
- Surfing clubs
- Kanakas Surf Club
- WindanSea Surf Club
- Pacific Beach Surf Club
- Tourmaline Tailgater's Surfing Association
Slot Canyon San Diego Beach Resorts
See also[edit]
| To the North: Windansea Beach | California beaches | To the South Pacific Beach, San Diego |
References[edit]
- ^sandiego.gov website Lifeguards, Beaches, North Pacific Beach [1] Accessed 2014-5-3
- ^tourmaline memorial.com website, Tourmaline Surfer Memorial, San Diego, California [2] Accessed 2014-5-3
| To the North: Windansea Beach | California beaches | To the South Pacific Beach |
Coordinates: 32°48′17″N117°15′44″W / 32.80472°N 117.26222°W
Slot Canyon San Diego Beach Camping
Whoever thought that a gorgeous, easy to hike slot canyon existed just a fraction of a mile away from California’s Interstate 5 freeway, less than a mile from the beach? Luckily for all of us, in mid-2016, this slot canyon opened for all of us to enjoy: Annie’s Canyon Trail.
Annie’s Canyon Trail
I had the chance to check out Annie’s Canyon Trail, and I highly recommend it! Annie’s Canyon Trail is a separate trail within the San Elijo Lagoon. See below for details on how to get there. There are two ways to hike the slot canyon. When you arrive at the base of the slot canyon and see the signs for Annie’s Trail, head right if you’re in the mood for an adventure! Head left if you prefer to hike up a trail to the lookout platform.
I headed right, and enjoyed the short hike/climb up the slot canyon. It is a mere 0.25 miles to hike the slot canyon, and it is a lot of fun! Beautiful sandstone walls surround you while you make the climb upward. Be prepared for some tight spots; you’ll need to use your hands to hoist yourself up in a couple of spots!
Below is a gallery of my mini adventure in San Elijo Lagoon and Annie’s Canyon Trail:
Slot Canyon San Diego Hike
How to Get to Annie’s Canyon Trail
From the I-5 freeway, take exit 37 (Lomas Santa Fe Drive). Head west on Lomas Santa Fe Drive to N. Rios Avenue. Park at the end of the street. This takes you to a trailhead for San Elijo Lagoon. From the N. Rios Avenue Trailhead, it is approximately half a mile (one way) to Annie’s Canyon Trail.
There is another trailhead that has even closer access to Annie’s Canyon Trail, but it was closed at the time of my visit (May 2017). You take exit 37, and also head west on Lomas Santa Fe Drive. Drive a mere 0.2 miles and turn right onto Solana Hills Drive. The trailhead is at the end of the street, about 0.3 miles.
A Virtual Hike of Annie’s Trail
Spoiler alert: if you watch this video, you get to see the entire 0.25 mile slot canyon hike.
Slot Canyon San Diego Beach House
Happy trails!