Lazy Sea Lions and Cliff-side Views
We created a quick YouTube video for those of you who do not wish to read. The full blog post is located under the video.
La Jolla is a seaside community on the Northwest side of San Diego. The curving coastline offers beaches, bluffs, shopping, boutique hotels and sea caves.
We’re not into the shopping aspect of the community, but we were interested in taking a gander at the resident Sea Lion and Seal population. We were told that during descent weather, Sea Lions and Seals can be seen dotting the shoreline, specifically around the areas of the Children’s Pool and Point La Jolla.
We parked closest to the Children’s Pool area and decided to walk from there to Point La Jolla and then further down to the Coast Walk Trail (More on that below). When we arrived at the Children’s Pool Area, we were amazed. There we at least 40 Sea Lions, and a few Seals sleeping on the beach.
Why is the area called the “Children’s Pool” you may ask? The Children’s Pool area was built in the 1930’s and is protected by a crescent-shaped concrete sea wall as you can see in the picture above. It was supposed to be a safe place for children to swim. However, Seals and Sea Lions are attracted to calmer waters in order to raise their pups. They quickly took over the place. The waste on the beach and surrounding waters made it unsanitary for swimming. The beach area is completely closed off to the public December 15th to May 15th which covers “pupping season”.
Point La Jolla
While we were impressed by the amount of Sea Lions at the Children’s Pool, nothing could have prepared us for the amount found at Point La Jolla. The number of Sea Lions was easily over 100. And unlike the Children’s Pool area, you can actually walk out onto the point with the Sea Lions.
They have become so used to humans that most do not even move or wake up, even when you are mere inches away from them.
Coast Walk Trail
If you continue past the point, there is a small trail located just behind The Cave Store. This trail usually goes unnoticed to the crowds visiting La Jolla. It is sandwiched between rocky cliffs and homes that butt up to the ocean.
The trail offers some of the most spectacular views in San Diego. Its well maintained and easy to navigate. Benches are spread throughout the trail for gazing out at the ocean below. A rope railing is normally all that separates you from the trail and the hundred foot drop off the bluff.
Due to the trails minimal advertising, we often found ourselves alone with nothing but the view of the ocean and surrounding cliffs.
The trail is disappointingly short (0.5 miles in length), but we felt it was one of the best in the area.
As always, thanks for taking the time to read our Blog!
