Cabrillo National Monument
Come Check Out The Cabrillo National Monument
Cabrillo National Monument offers tremendous views of the San Diego region. Looking South there is Tijuana and the Big Bay straight ahead is Coronado Island and the City of San Diego. Mission Bay and the coastline is your view to the North. Truly one of the nicest vistas our city has to offer. It also has excellent opportunities to explore the natural and cultural history of the area. Along the paths of Cabrillo sit the remains of coastal defenses built to protect the approaches to San Diego Bay. While visiting the park, you will find base-end stations, fire control stations, searchlight bunkers, a radio station which now houses an exhibit, and other remains of troubled times. These lonely sentinels that now serve to guard our memories of the past.
How Did Cabrillo Get Its Name?
Juan Rodriquez Cabrillo departed from the port of Navidad, Mexico on June 27, 1542. He climbed out of his boat and onto shore approximately three months later. Cabrillo made history as the first European to set foot on a “very good enclosed port,” today known as San Diego Bay. In addition to telling the story of 16th-century exploration, the park is home to a wealth of cultural and natural resources. Proudly standing in Point Loma and offering visitors an astounding view of the Pacific is a statue of Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo erected in 1913. Nearly four hundred years after his expedition. Today, the habitat Cabrillo saw is among the rarest in the world with only a remnant of that biologically diverse ecosystem remaining. Cabrillo National Monument, established in 1913, commemorates Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo’s voyage of discovery. A heroic statue of Cabrillo looks out over the bay that he first sailed into on September 28, 1542. At the Visitor Center, the film “In Search of Cabrillo” and an exhibit hall present Cabrillo’s life and times. Ranger-led programs about Cabrillo are usually available on weekends and on many weekdays during summer months.
The entire park is open from 9 am until 5 pm. The only exception are the tide-pools which close at 4:30 pm. Park passes are available at the Entrance Station until 4:20 pm.
