Chaparral View Between Coastal Trail Staircases
in California · centroid 6 mi from San Diego
California’s Incredible Chaparral Biome The space just past the two Coastal Trail staircases provides an excellent opportunity to look east and take in our native Chaparral landscape. From above the trail you should be able to see the plants lining the cliffside where the Visitor Center sits. These plants predominantly look like bushes and shrubs.
Depending on the season in which you visit, it may also falsely appear as if many of the plants are dead! Cabrillo National Monument is home to a wide variety of plants that fall into the plant communities of Coastal Sage Scrub and Chaparral. Although these communities are made up by vast numbers of species, they have all adapted to thrive in this Mediterranean climate.
Common traits for these plants include having small, waxy leaves, and blooming only when rainfall occurs. Keep an eye out for these traits as you walk through the native plants. Resources: ‘Understanding the Life of Point Loma’ by the Cabrillo National Monument Foundation https://www.nps.gov/cabr/learn/nature/terrestrial-plants.htm
- States
- California
- Trail type
- National Monument trail
- Centroid nearest city
- San Diego, CA · 6 mi · ~10 min drive
- Centroid coords
- 32.6706°, -117.2450°
About Cabrillo National Monument
This trail is inside Cabrillo National Monument, a national monument managed by the U.S. National Park Service. Conditions, road status, trail closures, and reservation requirements are published on the park's NPS page — check it before driving in, especially in winter or during major weather events.
Entrance fee: $20 per vehicle (verify current rate on the park page). An America the Beautiful annual pass ($80) covers entrance to all NPS units.
Official NPS trail page: https://www.nps.gov/places/chaparral-view-between-coastal-trail-staircases.htm
Park homepage: https://www.nps.gov/cabr/index.htm
Plan your hike
Maps + permits: long-distance trails like this often require permits for through-hiking, backcountry camping, or specific sections (especially in National Parks). Check with the maintaining organisation listed above and the relevant land manager before booking travel.
Water + supplies: water sources vary seasonally on most U.S. trails. Carry a filter and consult current trail-condition reports — through-hiker journals (PCT-L, AT Reddit, etc.) and the maintaining organisation publish regular updates.
When to go: hiking seasons vary widely with elevation, latitude, and snowpack. Through-hikers traditionally start the AT in March-April (Springer northbound) and the PCT in late April (Campo northbound). High-elevation western trails (CDT, JMT, Wonderland) generally aren't passable until July.
If you've hiked Chaparral View Between Coastal Trail Staircases and have current notes (water sources, trail closures, permit changes), tell us at /contact — we update pages as we learn.
Stay nearby
Other trails within 50 miles
Coastal Trail View of Shaw’s Agave Patch
0 miles from this trail's centroid
Coastal Trail View of the Kelp Forest
0 miles from this trail's centroid
Coastal Trail Southern Clearing View
0 miles from this trail's centroid
South Poway Trail
23 miles from this trail's centroid
California Mission Trail
23 miles from this trail's centroid
Coast to Crest Trail
33 miles from this trail's centroid
Sources
Trail data on this page is compiled from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), the maintaining organisation's public-facing materials, and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA where excerpts are quoted). Distance, terminus, and descriptive text for nationally-designated trails are hand-curated from federal land-manager websites and trail-association sources. We do not modify the underlying data; this page presents what is already publicly recorded. To suggest corrections, see our methodology page.