Torrey Pines Glider Port Hiking Trip

Hardly 3 days after moving from East Coast (New Jersey) to West Coast (San Diego), I decided to check out some of the more notable hiking spots closest to my new home. And I picked Torrey Pines Glider Port Park for my first hike in San Diego. And ohboy! I certainly wasn't disappointed.

The drive to the hiking spot itself was something to appreciate about, as I cruised along the Torrey Pines Scenic Drive Road. At the end of the road you arrive at the Torrey Pines Glider Port park which seemed to be a pretty popular area for handgliders, paragliders, beachgoers, surfers, and hikers alike. If you happen to be into paragliding, definitely check out this website (http://www.flytorrey.com). I found plenty of parking space at the gliderport despite a large crowd. However the road inside the park is unpaved and very dusty and its just too bad if you washed your car recently because it most likely is going to end up with a nice coat of fine dust when you leave.

The hiking trail, leading from the top of the cliffs at the north end of the gliderport down to the bottom of the cliff leading to the beach (Black's beach) is over 350 ft high (according to Brett). And the views, like Brett promised, was simply breathtaking. While it does not take much time to walk down the trail and back up, but do it a few times in a row and you'll know how challenging it becomes. There is a also a side trail that splits somewhere in the middle (I believe its called the goat's trail or something) that is way more challenging (I was literally walking on fours on my third trip up but via the goats trail).

Some pictures of the trail below:

Picture from top


A broad view



Sideview from top


Steep and rickety rickety


Paragliders at dusk, on top of the cliffs