After our morning visit to Cabrillo National Monument we visited the just re-opened Torrey Pines State Park. We were far from alone. It was bright and quite warm. As we slowly drove along the beach we saw scores of people walking by on the beach. Not the nicest walk with the traffic creeping by but they’re on a beach. Eventually we reached the parking lots at the top of the cliffs and figured out what we would do.
We would hike down to the beach and loop back up to complete a hike of perhaps 3 miles. We would pass by Razor Point. The trail is reasonably wide, sandy, and has many flattish slick rocks to step upon. The sand is what makes them trickier along with the fact that they tend to slope. For people with normal vision the trail and its grade shouldn’t pose much of a challenge. There are also a plentiful amount of steps to contend with. However, even though it was a bit tougher going than I thought it would be the views were quite fine and there was also plenty of bird activity to listen too.
The warning sign did give us a bit of pause. I am sure it was accurate about the number of steps. It also became clear that if you do go to the beach you’ll likely get a bit damp if the tide is much higher than the extreme ebb tide. We elected to not go all the way down because we were getting hot and we’re ready to climb back up. The climb up was a bit tiring with its numerous steps but less stressful than the descent. I think descending it would have been easier than what actually did descend. But we continued to enjoy the views and when we gained the cliff top we were ready for our snack break. The clementines hit the spot.
The hike, really a long walk with a bit of challenge,was 2.5 miles long with the bulk of the 310 feet of ascent and 310 feet of descent happening over 1.9 miles before we finished the last half-mile on the road.
A fly-over view of the walk.
Photos and Video
We see Prickly Pear all the time in Tucson. But I am pretty sure we have never seen it in bloom.
--March 1, 2026 at 1:01 PM.
Maps are centered on the photo: Google map, Apple map, CalTopo map
Heading down towards the beach in Torrey Pines. This trail would be easy except it’s far from even footing: full of lumps, slick rock, and steps. Photo by Jonathan.
--March 1, 2026 at 1:27 PM.
Maps are centered on the photo: Google map, Apple map, CalTopo map
Should we be worried? You certainly do not want to be at the beach at high tide. I’m pretty sure these cliffs are sandstone which is hardly the strongest of materials.
--March 1, 2026 at 1:33 PM.
Maps are centered on the photo: Google map, Apple map, CalTopo map
We didn’t go down to the beach ( sigh) but you can see how close to the cliffs it is.
--March 1, 2026 at 1:47 PM.
Maps are centered on the photo: Google map, Apple map, CalTopo map
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