The La Jolla Natural Park is a hidden gem in La Jolla, CA. It’s a small park with amazing views of La Jolla, the cove, and the ocean. Although the trail is short, it’s quite challenging and can be accessed from two areas – Al Bahr Dr or Encelia Dr. We like to start the hike at Encelia Dr because you get to see the views at the start and end of the hike.
In 2019 we visited the La Jolla Natural Park with Karlie. It was a foggy day so the views weren’t quite as spectacular as they are on a clear day. Despite that we had fun exploring this park for the first time. We started at the top and hiked down to Al Bahr Dr. and then hiked back up to the top. Karlie was quite the billy goat that day leading the way and today was no different with Sunny.
We started by walking past the entrance gate and finding one of the dirt trails that leads to the overlook with the bench. We found the best views of the ocean, cove, and La Jolla at this vantage point. After enjoying the views we started to climb down the hill. The trail is quite narrow, covered with stones, and really steep. It does not flatten out much making it a challenging hike that requires hiking shoes or sneakers. The trail is also out in the open with little shade and leads down to Al Bahr Dr. There’s not much to see at this area so we turned around and headed back to the top. Total distance of this hike is just over 1M, but it is extremely challenging.
Our Rating
Karlie, Sunny, and I rate the La Jolla Natural Park 3.5 out of 4 paws up. Although it’s a short hike, it is one of the most challenging hikes that we’ve done and we love that. Both Karlie and Sunny love to billy goat up and down hills so this is perfect for them. We also love the views of the ocean and La Jolla. It really is amazing. The only downsides are parking at the top is challenging, there is no restroom, and there is no water feature. Despite that this is a fun place to visit and a not to be missed spot.
How Do I Get There?
The trail can be accessed via Al Bahr Dr or Encelia Dr. We always start at the top and hike to the bottom so we park on the street near 7333 Encelia Dr. From Prospect St. near the cove turn left on Girard Ave. and then left on Wall St. After .1M turn right onto Ivanhoe Ave and then turn left onto Silverado St. After .2M turn right onto Exchange Pl. and then turn right onto Country Club Dr. Veer left onto Romero Dr and follow it until Brodiaea Way veers left. Follow that until it ends at Encelia Dr. The entrance to the park is to the left, but you will need to drive on Encelia Dr to the right, park on the road, and walk back to the entrance.
For more information about La Jolla Natural Park check out LaJolla.com