San Diego's Jewel
Balboa Park!
|
|
Getting Outdoors In san diego's best park
There are certainly a million and a half things to do in San Diego, and it goes without saying that a lot of people enjoy the hell out of San Diego, California. This is a city that is frankly pretty stunningly beautiful overall - like a clean, neat, well cut Los Angeles, but with a bit of a small town feel. And without a doubt, one of the biggest reasons for this is because if you've been to San Diego, you know and understand that it has some of the best weather in the world. So, when people in the Southern United States are looking at 100 degree plus temperatures, terrible humidity and ridiculous weather changes where they live, they tend to go to San Diego for a vacation.
And, because it has some of the best weather in the world, you'll definitely want to spend as much time outside as you can. The city itself is coastal, and the further inland you get, the hotter the temperature creeps. But, during peak vacation season you're usually talking about 80 degree temperatures, which are bearable to the point of being lovely for almost every human being. This is what makes the outdoors crown jewel of San Diego - Balboa Park, such an awesome place for every visitor that checks it out.
Balboa Park Rules!
Much like many larger cities around the world, the city of San Diego set aside 1400 acres of land in 1868 in order to create what they called at the time, "City Park". The park has shrunk by 200 acres since then, but it is still a formidable walk and has a lot of cool biking and walking trails to check out. Around 1915, the city changed the name to Balboa park, basically naming it after the first European to see the Pacific Ocean while exploring Panama.
Great Museums
Although many city parks around the world are your classic "nature only" parks, with trails and mountains and mesas or whatever natural topographic details that make up them up, Balboa is kind of a hybrid. Not only does Balboa Park reside next to the world famous San Diego Zoo, it also sports quite a few museums, including the San Diego Museum of Art, which is a classic spot for all of those interested in art. The San Diego Natural History Museum, meanwhile, is a classic place that lets you check out just how San Diego started, and how awesome it is in general.
Additionally as part of the main areas of Balboa park, there are also a few other attractions that you'll want to check out while there. The Palisades Building, as an example, holds some of the oldest buildings in town, including the San Diego Aerospace Museum, the California State Building and the renowned Old Globe Theatre. The main Balboa park area has a ton of interesting buildings to check out, as well as a few really decent restaurants that work both for kids and for adults.
Walk It, Man (Or Lady)!
If you're at Balboa Park, you're gonna want to walk around. There are a lot of astonishing parts, including the Cabrillo Bridge. The Cabrillo Bridge has just recently as of 2021 been renovated and renewed, and it overlooks California 163, which is always rated as one of the most beautiful freeways in the country. Alongside the bridge there are hundreds of different kinds of plants and trees, and it really is a structure to be seen, if not walked across.
More Outdoors-y Spots
Because we're mainly trying to concentrate on the outdoors at Balboa Park, it is important to mention a few other areas that you'll want to check out, including a place called Bird Park. Bird Park at Upas is a beautiful little spot where you can get together under the shade of giant trees with friends and family and just have a good ol' time. A few picnic tables are located around there, as well as a few different really cool play structures for children.
Then, of course, we would be remiss if we did not talk about the Morley Field Sports Complex, which has quite a large pool and plenty of "free swim" time for folks that don't want to head out to the ocean for their swimming. Right beside Morley Field Sports Complex is of course the Balboa Park Tennis club, where you can pay a few bucks and play some excellent hard court tennis in the sweet, sweet San Diego sunshine.
Trails-ing It
Easily one of the best parts about Balboa Park in San Diego has to be the trails, which enable you to take a rather long walk through the more isolated "natural" parts of the park, as opposed to the center area where there are a lot of museums, old buildings and activity. There are three different gateways onto the trails, including the Park Boulevard Trails Gateway, off of Park in and around the superb neighborhood of Hillcrest, as well as the Sixth and Upas Trails Gateway (to be fair, the side of the park with all of the sports action tends to be on Sixth Street). The hiking tends to be quite nice and not very challenging, with the hills being a little tricky in some spots, but never really agonizing.
One trail warning I would provide is definitely when one is walking on the Florida Street Canyon section of the trail. Because in this area it's mostly Mesa, with not a ton of grass and an almost desert like vibe to it, you will want to always ensure that you have a good supply of water on hand. Even in nice, mid-80s weather (25-30C for people using the metric system), it can be pretty seriously hot, and if you're hiking in the Florida Canyon area, there is not a lot of shade, or trees.
Love Balboa Outdoors
Certainly the museums at Balboa will be a topic for another day. But for today, get yourself outdoors and really breathe in the San Diego climate. It's the best in the world, so don't waste your time here in San Diego by staying inside!
And, because it has some of the best weather in the world, you'll definitely want to spend as much time outside as you can. The city itself is coastal, and the further inland you get, the hotter the temperature creeps. But, during peak vacation season you're usually talking about 80 degree temperatures, which are bearable to the point of being lovely for almost every human being. This is what makes the outdoors crown jewel of San Diego - Balboa Park, such an awesome place for every visitor that checks it out.
Balboa Park Rules!
Much like many larger cities around the world, the city of San Diego set aside 1400 acres of land in 1868 in order to create what they called at the time, "City Park". The park has shrunk by 200 acres since then, but it is still a formidable walk and has a lot of cool biking and walking trails to check out. Around 1915, the city changed the name to Balboa park, basically naming it after the first European to see the Pacific Ocean while exploring Panama.
Great Museums
Although many city parks around the world are your classic "nature only" parks, with trails and mountains and mesas or whatever natural topographic details that make up them up, Balboa is kind of a hybrid. Not only does Balboa Park reside next to the world famous San Diego Zoo, it also sports quite a few museums, including the San Diego Museum of Art, which is a classic spot for all of those interested in art. The San Diego Natural History Museum, meanwhile, is a classic place that lets you check out just how San Diego started, and how awesome it is in general.
Additionally as part of the main areas of Balboa park, there are also a few other attractions that you'll want to check out while there. The Palisades Building, as an example, holds some of the oldest buildings in town, including the San Diego Aerospace Museum, the California State Building and the renowned Old Globe Theatre. The main Balboa park area has a ton of interesting buildings to check out, as well as a few really decent restaurants that work both for kids and for adults.
Walk It, Man (Or Lady)!
If you're at Balboa Park, you're gonna want to walk around. There are a lot of astonishing parts, including the Cabrillo Bridge. The Cabrillo Bridge has just recently as of 2021 been renovated and renewed, and it overlooks California 163, which is always rated as one of the most beautiful freeways in the country. Alongside the bridge there are hundreds of different kinds of plants and trees, and it really is a structure to be seen, if not walked across.
More Outdoors-y Spots
Because we're mainly trying to concentrate on the outdoors at Balboa Park, it is important to mention a few other areas that you'll want to check out, including a place called Bird Park. Bird Park at Upas is a beautiful little spot where you can get together under the shade of giant trees with friends and family and just have a good ol' time. A few picnic tables are located around there, as well as a few different really cool play structures for children.
Then, of course, we would be remiss if we did not talk about the Morley Field Sports Complex, which has quite a large pool and plenty of "free swim" time for folks that don't want to head out to the ocean for their swimming. Right beside Morley Field Sports Complex is of course the Balboa Park Tennis club, where you can pay a few bucks and play some excellent hard court tennis in the sweet, sweet San Diego sunshine.
Trails-ing It
Easily one of the best parts about Balboa Park in San Diego has to be the trails, which enable you to take a rather long walk through the more isolated "natural" parts of the park, as opposed to the center area where there are a lot of museums, old buildings and activity. There are three different gateways onto the trails, including the Park Boulevard Trails Gateway, off of Park in and around the superb neighborhood of Hillcrest, as well as the Sixth and Upas Trails Gateway (to be fair, the side of the park with all of the sports action tends to be on Sixth Street). The hiking tends to be quite nice and not very challenging, with the hills being a little tricky in some spots, but never really agonizing.
One trail warning I would provide is definitely when one is walking on the Florida Street Canyon section of the trail. Because in this area it's mostly Mesa, with not a ton of grass and an almost desert like vibe to it, you will want to always ensure that you have a good supply of water on hand. Even in nice, mid-80s weather (25-30C for people using the metric system), it can be pretty seriously hot, and if you're hiking in the Florida Canyon area, there is not a lot of shade, or trees.
Love Balboa Outdoors
Certainly the museums at Balboa will be a topic for another day. But for today, get yourself outdoors and really breathe in the San Diego climate. It's the best in the world, so don't waste your time here in San Diego by staying inside!
Now let's WORK |
|
