With its year-round near-idyllic climate, varied terrain and abundance of outdoor activities, San Diego County offers recreationalists a vacation experience like no other. Along its 112 kilometers of coastline, water enthusiasts can surf, snorkel, scuba dive, sail, kayak and discover hidden and colorful tide pools. Appealing to the more rugged vacationer, the vast Anza-Borrego Desert State Park and the rolling hills, canyons, lakes and mountains in the north and east of the city offer a completely different outdoor experience.

In San Diego, nature lovers can camp under the stars, fish in sparkling, freshwater lakes, mountain bike and hike in the Cuyamaca Mountains and trek through the open desert in a four-wheel jeep. The region's great outdoors beckons guests to explore and exercise year-round with a scope of sporting activities as varied as its topography.

PARKS AND NATURE RESERVES

Visitors can bask in sunshine and take a breath of fresh air while exploring the various parks and reserves spread throughout San Diego County. The following points of interest provide diverse opportunities for endless outdoor adventures like hiking, bicycling, horseback riding, birding, boating, fishing, rock climbing and camping.

The Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is the largest state park in California with over 500 miles of dirt roads, 12 wilderness areas and numerous hiking trails. Amid 600,000 acres of untouched wilderness, guests encounter soothing warm desert breezes and a beautiful barren land teeming with wildlife like roadrunners, golden eagles, kit foxes, mule deer, bighorn sheep, iguanas and red diamond rattlesnakes.

Within minutes of downtown San Diego in Mission Valley, Mission Trails Regional Park—the largest contiguous urban preserve in the continental U.S.—provides outdoor enthusiasts with over 40 miles of trails, boating, camping, informative guided hikes and a state-of-the-art Visitor & Interpretive Center. Guests can explore nearly 5,800 acres of both natural and developed recreational land on rugged hills and valley by foot, bike and horseback.

Located just north of La Jolla, Torrey Pines State Reserve spans 2,000 acres and preserves its namesake, the Torrey Pine tree, and other indigenous wildlife in its native environment. Among the eight miles of trails, guests can encounter native chaparral plants, wildflowers, birds, reptiles and butterflies. The reserve also includes a visitor center and hosts guided nature walks on weekends and holidays to view points overlooking nearby Peñasquitos Lagoon and the Pacific Ocean.

COASTAL BIKING

San Diego's varied terrain is a cyclist's paradise.  East County's desert trails and rocky mountain paths provide the perfect mix of challenging and leisurely rides, and for rides along the region's scenic waterfront, coastal bike paths also provide varied opportunities for cyclists of all skill levels.

Pacific Coast Highway, or PCH, stretches up the San Diego coastline alongside the Pacific Ocean and passes through some of the area's most beautiful beach towns like Del Mar, Leucadia and Encinitas. Cyclists can begin their journey at any location north of the Mexican border, but the most popular rides start in La Jolla or Del Mar, as cyclists travel north to Oceanside before turning around and heading south again. The route combines miles of flat surface along with challenging hills like the Torrey Pines incline, most with picturesque ocean views.

The Bayshore Bikeway is a 25-mile ride along San Diego Bay. The majority of the ride runs along bike lanes or separated bike paths, and the scenery varies en route. Riders generally start at the Embarcadero in downtown San Diego and head south through National City and Chula Vista, before looping around San Diego Bay into Imperial Beach, and then catching the Silver Strand into Coronado. At that point, riders have the option of turning around and following the trail back or hopping on the Coronado Ferry to cross over San Diego Bay back into downtown San Diego.

CLIMBING

San Diego's year-round near-perfect climate and short rainy season make it an ideal place for rock climbing. With over 25 million boulders in the County, bouldering is a San Diego specialty, but climbers can also free climb, sport climb, multi-pitch climb and trad climb among hundreds of vertical rocky paths.

Mission Gorge Mountain is San Diego's oldest and most popular climbing area for climbers of all skill level. Climbs average 30-70 feet with opportunities for guests to free climb along custom made paths. The mountain is divided into three parts: the Main Wall, a complex arrangement of short walls and large ledges; Limbo Area, the broad central region consisting of small isolated cliffs, and Middle Earth, made of small cliffs and canyons.

Sitting 3,000 feet above El Cajon and Lakeside in San Diego's East County, El Cajon Mountain, nicknamed “El Cap,” promotes challenging and steep climbs with rewarding panoramic views of the ocean and valleys below. Varied rock formations of walls, ridges, slabs, dihedrals and quarries offer over 25 different routes that climbers can follow or improvise on their upward-bound journey.

COASTAL TREASURES

San Diego is undoubtedly one of the most popular destinations in the world for water sports and activities.

Surfing

Opportunities to "hang ten" are abundant up and down San Diego's 33 public beaches, from Oceanside in the north to Imperial Beach in the south.

Swami Beach in Encinitasis one of San Diego County's prime surf spots.  Made famous by the Beach Boys' hit song “Surfin' USA,” big waves break off the narrow, cobblestone-strewn beach challenging experienced surfers.  Stone Steps Beach,another popular surf spot in Encinitas, is accessible by a staircase that leads from the cliffs to the beach. From the cliffs, spectators have great views of daredevil surfers below and the surrounding area's magnificent scenery.

Shore Diving/Snorkeling

A popular place for underwater exploration is La Jolla, the stunning Mediterranean-like community located just north of downtown San Diego.

Underwater explorers often refer to the 6,000-acre marine habitat of the La Jolla Underwater Park, part of the La Jolla Ecological Reserve, as the "jewel of the sea." Located between La Jolla Cove and Torrey Pines State Reserve, the park was the first coastal underwater preserve on the U.S. West Coast and is home to a plethora of marine life.

Boat Diving

Local dive and snorkel companies offer boat trips to amazing locations out in the Pacific where the distance from the shore increases visibility and marine activity.

A short boat trip from Mission Beach, divers can find themselves in Wreck Alley, an area named for the sunken boat wrecks found below. Divers can see fascinating remains of ships like the HCMS Yukon, a 366-foot Canadian destroyer ship, which is located two miles off-shore. This spectacular 600-acre, world-class dive site also includes a sunken kelp cutter, Coast Guard cutter, barge and sports fishing boat; military wrecks include a WWII P-38 bomber, a more modern F-14 aircraft and two submarines. Advanced diving certification is recommended but not required. www.scubasandiego.com

Kayaking

Guests can kayak along San Diego's tranquil waters on their own or with many local companies that offer instruction.  

Just off the coast of La Jolla Shores and La Jolla Cove,kayakers routinely glide over the clear blue waters of the Pacific, paddling up to tidal caves and small inlets, as curious sea lions swim alongside and bright orange Garibaldi dart in and out of the kelp beds below. Protected since 1929, The La Jolla Ecological Reserve offers kayakers an up-close experience with marine animals.

Sailing
Sailing in San Diego Bay and the blue waters of the Pacific Ocean is another favorite local pastime. 

Dennis Conner's Americas Cup Experience offers a unique experience aboard the America, a historic replica of the world's first America's Cup winner.  One of the most widely recognized names among American sailing vessels, the America is available for charter on San Diego Bay.  Located on the Embarcadero in downtown San Diego, the company offers 2-hour public sailing excursions aboard the 139-ft. racing yacht.

Sportfishing

Sportfishing off the San Diego coast or in neighboring Baja California allows guests to experience the thrill of the catch. Leisurely boat excursions depart daily from Shelter Island and Harbor Island marinas, offering half-, full- and multi-day fishing trips.

Fisherman's Landing's fleet of 16 vessels, ranging in length from 57 to 124 ft., offers open party, chartered and long-range trips throughout the waters of San Diego and Mexico. Trips last 1 - 23 days, and guests fish for albacore, yellowtail, yellowfin tuna, wahoo and more. Fisherman's Landing holds the all-tackle yellowfin tuna world record at 388 pounds.

AIRBORNE

Soaring over the blue Pacific can be a truly exhilarating and often daring experience for many.

Located just south of the Torrey Pines Golf Course in La Jolla, Torrey Pines Gliderport is a world-class flying site and one of the most successful paragliding schools in North America. Guests can experience tandem hang gliding with a certified instructor seven days a week, year-round, weather permitting. A lesson includes 5-10 minutes of ground and safety school instruction and 20-25 minutes of flight over the beautiful coastal cliffs of Torrey Pines and scenic Blacks Beach. www.flytorrey.com

FOUR-WHEEL EXCURSIONS

San Diego's spacious desert terrain is the perfect location for fast-paced adventure. Guests can speed through sand dunes and zip around cacti in large SUVs or individual ATVs. Visitors can experience the thrill of off-roading through the Anza-Borrego Desert and Baja California.  

CAMPING

The great American enthusiasm for camping is alive and well in San Diego. From Mission Bay to the Anza-Borrego Desert, visitors can experience a change of pace from San Diego's urban setting and enjoy the solitude and adventure of the great outdoors.

The Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, one of the richest and seemingly boundless living museums in the country, offers a wealth of camping opportunities, from full-service campgrounds to find-your-own-spot settings. In fact, Anza-Borrego is one of the few places in San Diego County where camping is allowed outside designated campgrounds. Desert camping enthusiasts can also enjoy auto touring on 4x4 routes, as well as biking, hiking, horseback riding and sightseeing. One of the most popular times to visit the park is during March and April when a kaleidoscope of colorful wildflowers splash bold colors across the desert dunes, creating a spectacular floral display.

Happiness is calling in San Diego. For more information on San Diego's offerings, visit the San Diego Tourism Authority's website at www.sandiego.org.