Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Torrey Pines State Reserve - San Diego, California

This afternoon I took a walk at Torrey Pines State Reserve in San Diego. I parked for free at the Torrey Pines State Beach about 5 minutes walk from the entrance of the reserve. Admission to the reserve is also free if you do not take a vehicle in. Once in Torrey Pines State Reserve I walked along Torrey Pines Park Road for about 10 minutes until I reached the North Grove Guy Fleming Trail. Though this trail is easy and short (10-20 minutes round trip) it is has some great views of the ocean as well as some interesting coastal geography and flora and fauna. Arguably the most famous of flora in the reserve are the namesake Torrey Pines. Not all of the pines in the reserve are Torrey Pines, which number only in the thousands worldwide, but a few of them along the trail have signs clearly marking them as Torrey Pines. From parking my truck to driving away, I walked under an hour. Parking at the beach is more difficult on the weekends. My party has parked on Carmel Valley Road twice before on the weekend which adds about 30-40 minutes total of walking just to get to and from the entrance of the reserve. Here are some pictures from this afternoon:

Looking back at Torrey Pines State Beach and the entrance to Torrey Pines State Reserve from Torrey Pines Park Road.
Looking at N. Torrey Pines Road while walking on Torrey Pines Park Road.
Walking up Torrey Pines Park Road to get to the North Grove Guy Fleming Trail at Torrey Pines State Reserve.
Along the North Grove Guy Fleming Trail at Torrey Pines State Reserve in San Diego, California.
Torrey Pine on cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
View of a Torrey Pine with the Pacific Ocean in the background.
Opuntia Prickly Pear Cactus.
Sun setting over the Pacific Ocean on Wednesday, November 13, 2013 at Torrey Pines State Beach in California.

 

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