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Hello everyone! This is a friendly reminder that any of these fun places we may visit, we are a guest at. Please treat both businesses and trails with the utmost respect. We here at Hidden San Diego follow the 'Leave no Trace' mantra, meaning whatever you bring with you comes back with you. If you see trash on a trail, please do your part to help remove it. Remember, we are not picking up trash from another person but instead cleaning up for Mother Nature. Happy adventures!


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Cabrillo National Monument hidden san diego

1800 Cabrillo Memorial Dr.
San Diego, CA 92106

Phone: (619) 557-5450
32.673714, -117.242541

**Open Every day from 9am-5pm**

Admission: Check current rates here

Hike: There are many trails on this land    Level: Each hike varies in level of difficulty

Dog-Friendly: No    Kid-Friendly: Yes

Website

About Cabrillo National Monument

Cabrillo National Monument commemorates the landing of Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo at San Diego Bay on September 28, 1542. The site was designated as California Historical Landmark #56 in 1932. This exact area actually marks the first time Europeans would set foot on the west coast, which also began colonization of the west.  We have written more in depth on this topic in our page on Presidio Park.

The park offers gorgeous views and on a clear day, can be seen all the way to Tijuana. The main points of interest are the visitor’s center/museum, the tidepools below, the Old Point Loma Lighthouse and the bunkers which are scattered around the park. There are many great trails so wear your hiking shoes!

Cabrillo National Monument hidden san diego

 

Controversy

There is a lot of controversy surrounding Juan Cabrillo and the park that is named after him as well as the statue that sits in his honor at the park. Cabrillo is at the forefront of the process that reduced the Indigenous population of California from 250,000 in 1800 to less than 20,000 in less than a century.

It appears that Juan Cabrillo may have been at the head of some heinous acts such as partaking and allowing his soldiers to rape Indigenous and  Mexican women, slave labor, theft and much more.  I’m including a few paragraphs below, but check out the article by the OB Rag to get more insight. This was in response to a San Salvador ship replica being built.

“How accurate are we going to get with the San Salvador? Are we going to use African and indigenous slave labor to build it? Are we going to use human tallow? Cabrillo, of course, caught his big break when he melted indigenous Mexicans for their body fat to use in constructing the canoes that served to carry conquistadors in a surprise attack on Tenochtitlan that left hundreds of thousands dead.

Are we going to fund the project with gold from Guatemalan mines? Are we going to enslave indigenous Guatemalan men to work the mines? Are we going to give indigenous Guatemalan women and children over to our soldiers to be raped as thanks for good service? I mean, that would be the historically accurate version of the Women of the San Salvador, right?”

We truly cannot celebrate a person without first knowing ALL sides of their history. If all the accusations are true, then I personally feel we need to rename the Cabrillo National Monument to something far more sensitive.  Just my opinion!

Check out this cool map from their website:

 

We first stopped by their museum before heading down to explore the tide pools:

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There are many different hiking trails you can take, all of which are interesting in my opinion.  You will come across a lot of old history on these trails!

Look out for bunkers!

I am actually super curious about this little cave I saw in a ditch.  Obviously completely overgrown with brush now but I wonder how deep it goes and if it is actually an old mine?  Impossible to tell!  This shot was majorly zoomed in btw:

Filled in mine:

We spotted an osprey!

We found an old gun position.  From what I was told, the military built cannons on circular mini railroad-like tracks in multiple locations along the west coast.

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4 Reviews

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4 Reviews

Comments

  • To Baxter
    Rating Overall Rating Difficulty Finding

    Read our slogan: For all hidden, haunted and amazing spots in San Diego. This area has a lot of history, therefore goes under the category of amazing (to us).

    October 4, 2015

  • Baxter
    Rating Overall Rating Difficulty Finding

    This is one of the biggest tourist attractions in San Diego, certainly a beautiful place but in what possible way is it “hidden”?

    October 4, 2015

  • Paking fee
    Rating Overall Rating Difficulty Finding

    too bad they charge for parking now. This is one of my favorite all time views in San Diego.

    March 19, 2017

  • Anonymous
    Rating Overall Rating Difficulty Finding

    Faze rug and his cuz went the sherven the verman

    April 27, 2017

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