Created in 1913, the 160-acre Cabrillo National Monument is the only unit of the National Park System in San Diego County. Located at the southern tip of the Point Loma peninsula, a narrow, six-mile long peninsula, the park overlooks the entrance to San Diego Bay. From its 420-foot elevation, the monument offers commanding views of San Diego, the bay, and nearby communities to the north, east, and south; Mexico to the far south; and the Pacific Ocean to the west.
The monument was established to commemorate the voyage and exploration of Juan Rodr�guez Cabrillo in 1542-1543. Cabrillo and his men were the first Europeans to explore San Diego Bay and what is now the West Coast of the United States. Today the monument protects and preserves unique natural and cultural elements of San Diego and U.S. history. The major park themes are the voyage and exploration of Juan Rodr�guez Cabrillo and the Native American Indian peoples he encountered along the way, particularly those of the Kumeyaay Nation, and 16th century Spanish Exploration; the 1855 Old Point Loma Lighthouse (one of the first eight lighthouses constructed on the West Coast of the U.S.) and the lives of its keepera and assistant keepers, and their families; The rocky intertidal area on the Pacific Coast; Coastal Mediterranean Ecotype Ecology; The World War I and II fortifications and military use of Point Loma; North Eastern Pacific Gray Whale migration and ecology; and the development and growth of San Diego and the Ongoing Relationships between People and their Terrestrial and Marine Environments.
Interpretive facilities and media at the monument, include a visitor center complex comprised of a view building (containing a staffed information desk, temporary exhibits, and cooperating association sales area), auditorium (showing several different audiovisual programs), and an exhibit room interpreting the life and voyage of
Juan Rodr�guez Cabrillo; an overlook with the Cabrillo statue; the Old Point
Loma Lighthouse and exhibits in the Assistant Lightkeeper�s residence; the
Whale Overlook shelter; Ocean View overlook; Ballast View rest area; World War II exhibits in a former military radio station building; other military structures; and interpretive trails to the tide pools and through portions of the coastal Mediterian community. The park also offers a wide variety of personal services interpretive and educational programs and special events throughout the year. Junior Ranger and Deputy Ranger Program Booklets are available at the visitor center with activities to engage younger audiences.
The San Diego coastline generally offers a sunny and mild climate year-round. However, the ocean can have a strong influence on weather conditions. Visitors should be prepared for cool and windy conditions, even if it is hot and dry further inland. A gray marine layer can develop near the coast at any time of year, but is most common in the late spring and early summer.
