Coastal Trail Southern Clearing View
in California · centroid 6 mi from San Diego
This accessible location offers views of many of our parks’ attractions such as the Rocky Intertidal Zone, the coast of the Pacific Ocean, and many of the local birds flying overhead. This is a great spot to take in the view of our incredible resources. Visitors are invited to sit and take advantage of the seating opportunity before the paved portion of the trail ends.
If you are visiting the park during the winter months (or December-March), you may be lucky enough to spot the Gray whale migration. Whales can be identified by their waterspouts that spray above the ocean surface. These Pacific Gray Whales are on their journey from Alaska to the sheltered lagoons of Baja California to mate and give birth to the newest generation.
On the hillside up above, you can see an overlook. This area can be identified by the large, shade coverings. It is the best location for spotting whales during their migration! Did You Know? Whales migrate from the seas near Alaska to Baja California, Mexico each year to mate and give birth!
- States
- California
- Trail type
- National Monument trail
- Centroid nearest city
- San Diego, CA · 6 mi · ~10 min drive
- Centroid coords
- 32.6686°, -117.2444°
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/coastal-trail-southern-clearing-view.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 Coastal Trail Southern Clearing View 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
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0 miles from this trail's centroid
Chaparral View Between Coastal Trail Staircases
0 miles from this trail's centroid
Coastal Trail View of Shaw’s Agave Patch
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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.