10 Things to Do in San Diego: Best Outdoor Activities & Adventures
Searching for things to do in San Diego to enjoy the perfect weather? Well, San Diego is America’s Finest City and the best destination for a family vacation or a romantic weekend by the beach! There are plenty of outdoor activities to enjoy our sunshine or stay cool when the temperatures creep up!
In addition, with the cost of entrance fees at more popular destinations like the San Diego Zoo and Safari Park, Sea World, and Legoland being quite expensive, you might be searching for free or cheap things to do in San Diego to keep the kids cool and occupied.
Well look no further, here are our Top 10 Things to Do in San Diego outdoors so you can break out the swimsuits and bring on the smiles!
Top 10 Things to Do in San Diego
1. Visit Balboa Park’s Museums And Trails
Need to get some shade and cool off? Balboa Park is a great place to spend an afternoon exploring over 15 different museums, botanical gardens, and the Spreckels Organ Pavilion. It’s also home to the San Diego Zoo!
Are you more interested in trail running and mountain biking? Well then check out the miles of gentle rollers with wide-open trails or single track with rock gardens and steep switchbacks. You’ll cruise past oak groves, eucalyptus trees, dry stream beds, and lots of cactus gardens. Balboa Park is also dog-friendly, so enjoy walking, running, or biking with your favorite pup, on a leash of course!
Parking is free and the best spots that are the least congested are near Morley Field or the Golden Hill Trails Gateway. If you enter the park on Laurel, drive past the Prado and park in the large lot behind the Organ Pavilion. Balboa Park is also home to the Morley Field Sports Complex and Dog Park and the Balboa Park Golf Course. Here you will find a dog park, tennis, the San Diego Velodrome, Bud Kearns Pool, and a driving range!
Driving to San Diego? Before you roll out of the driveway to start your vacation, here’s our checklist of road trip travel essentials!
Sunset beach stroll by the Hotel Del Coronado.
2. Pedal Or Stroll Across Coronado
Do you prefer to get around town by bicycle? Well, it’s one of our favorite things to do in San Diego! Pedaling the Bayshore Bikeway and along the Silver Stand lets you see downtown San Diego and the sleepy beach town of Coronado. Start near Waterfront Park in Little Italy and head south on the Pacific Coast Highway to pick up the Bayshore Bikeway. The trip is a flat 24 miles on a mix of bike paths and surface streets that finishes up at the Coronado Ferry Landing. Ferries depart every 20-30 minutes for a 15-minute ride back to either the Convention Center or Broadway Pier.
Not too comfortable riding with traffic on surface streets? Take the ferry across to Coronado first. You can walk around by the harbor shops and restaurants, or catch a taxi to the Hotel Del Coronado. Cruise the beach or stay on the bike path all the way down the Silver Strand.
Need a bike or a scooter? Check out the dockless bikes and scooters from Bird, Lime Bike, and Ofo. Just make sure not to abandon them in Coronado as it’s prohibited!
Here are a few more options in San Diego where you can scoop a bike, helmet, or bike lock. And don’t forget lights if you plan to pedal until sunset:
3. Be A Kid Again At Waterfront Park and Explore the USS Midway and Maritime Museum
Do you have childhood memories of running through sprinklers? If so then you’ll love Waterfront Park. Set amongst downtown San Diego’s landmark buildings, you can play in the fountains, the kid’s zone, or come down for a picnic on the lawn to catch the sunset. Just perfect for summertime in San Diego.
In addition, Waterfront Park is within walking distance of the USS Midway Museum and the Maritime Museum.
La Jolla Shores is a great spot to surf, snorkel, kayak or just relax!
4. Kayaking, Surfing, And Snorkeling At La Jolla Shores
We love spending days along San Diego’s 70 miles of coastline. However, sometimes we want a little something more than sunbathing. If this sounds like you, then La Jolla Shores is the place to be for some of the best snorkeling and kayaking in Southern California. In addition, you can also try stand-up paddleboarding and surfing!
Here are a few of the best places to rent beach and surf gear:
While out on the water, be prepared to see California sea lions, brown pelicans, bat rays, bright orange Garibaldi, and harbor seals. The Leopard sharks, which get their name from the spots on their skin, congregate in the calm, shallow waters on the south end of Kellogg Park. Don’t worry, they feed on invertebrates in the sand and are harmless to swimmers and surfers.
For the easiest swimming and best visibility to snorkel, go at low tide and little to no wind. Check the surf conditions and the tide before you go.
La Jolla Shores is also a great place for young ones as the waves are smaller than other spots in San Diego. In addition, it’s a fantastic place to learn to surf along with another favorite spot of ours to the south, Tourmaline Surfing Park! All of the La Jolla Shores rental companies above can help you with everything you’ll need: wetsuits, surfboards, kayaks, and snorkel gear. In addition, you can also book guided tours and surf lessons! We love Surf Diva and the instructors are always top-notch.
You can park near the Marine Room Restaurant and walk down their beach access path. Or parking is free at Kellogg Park, and it’s just a short walk down the beach!
Pedaling to Oceanside Harbor Village.
5. Cruise The Pacific Coast Highway in North County
Are you staying in North County or want to camp along the coast? Well, first read our blog about camping at San Elijo State Beach! Then enjoy another one of our top things to do in San Diego and cruise the Pacific Coast Highway! The PCH, the 101, whatever you want to call it, it’s the best place in San Diego to pedal, jog, surf, and soak in the ocean views!
Start in at Torrey Pines or in Solana Beach and pedal north through Encinitas, Leucadia, and Carlsbad, and finish up at Oceanside Harbor Village. You can turn around whenever you’re ready, or ride all the way up and back. It’s 27 miles one way from Torrey Pines to Oceanside Harbor.
Even driving this stretch of San Diego’s coastline is incredible. Just make sure to pack the beach essentials- sunblock, hat, water, bathing suit, and a towel. This way you can swim at Fletcher’s Cove, Moonlight Beach, or Swamis!
Are you interested in surfing in North County? Well, Cardiff Reef, Swamis, and around Fletcher Cove all have good surf breaks! Cardiff Reef is within walking distance of the Patagonia Cardiff shop, just in case you need to stock up on surf gear!
6. Hiking and Trail Running At Torrey Pines
One of our favorite things to do in San Diego is to run through Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve. The best part? You can enjoy a swim after your run or hike! Trails at Torrey Pines are a few miles or less and the difficulty is from easy to moderate. We like hiking or jogging up to the Nature Center first, then making our way back down to the beach via the Razor Point Trail or the Beach Trail.
If you park in the North Beach Parking lot, off Carmel Valley Road, you can extend your hike to include the marshland trails around Los Penasquitos Lagoon.
Searching for more trails, especially for mountain biking? Read until the end to see our recommendations that are less than an hour’s drive from downtown!
You can jog along Torrey Pines State Beach from Del Mar to La Jolla. There’s also lots of hiking trails to explore within Torrey Pines State Reserve.
7. Visit Sunset Cliffs and Cabrillo National Monument
Sunset Cliffs is located south of Ocean Beach in the Point Loma area and is home to a gorgeous stretch of coastline! Over 2 miles of ocean views where you can hike, bike, run, or surf. Cliff jumping is also a thing when the tide is right. It’s a bucket list thing to do in San Diego!
However, just sitting on the railing, listening to the waves, and watching the surfers might be more than enough for you. However, if you want to get in the water and surf, the Sunset Cliffs area does have a few beach entrances. Most are not suited for little ones, so it’s better to take them nearby to Ocean Beach.
Cabrillo National Monument is located at the end of Point Loma, and it’s where Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo first landed when he explored this area in 1542. You can use your National Parks Pass to enter, or pay the day rate and explore the tidepools. In addition, the views from the Point Loma Lighthouse are good enough for whale watching from December through March!
There’s a large Visitor’s Center with bathrooms, and one of our favorite things to do is to pedal to Cabrillo on a road bike or e-bike from Ocean Beach. Why? The climb through the naval base and then the sweeping descent down to Cabrillo’s coastal trails and tidepools are worth every drop of sweat!
8. Visit Mission Beach And Pacific Beach
Pedaling, running, or rollerblading along Ocean Front Walk from South Mission Beach to Pacific Beach is another one of our favorite things to do in San Diego. Especially when we have visitors! This beautiful stretch of beach, home to the most summer rentals in San Diego, goes all the way from South Mission Beach through Pacific Beach to Bird Rock in La Jolla.
Our favorite surf spot in the area is Tourmaline at the north end of Pacific Beach. It’s perfect for sunbathing, learning to surf, SUP. In addition, Tourmaline has its own free parking lot, showers, bathrooms, and is great for beginners to advanced longboarders. If you’re seeking more shortboard action, try closer to the pier in PB.
In addition, beachfront fun is back at Belmont Park in Mission Beach! Originally built in the 1950s, Belmont Park consisted of the Plunge pool and the Giant Dipper roller coaster, which still stands today. The amusement park is filled with rides, arcade games, laser tag, mini-golf, and rock climbing. Adjacent to the park are tons of shops, bars, and restaurants like Draft and Cannonball where you can grab a beer, a burger, and catch the sunset.
Did you forget flip-flops or feel like a new bikini? Well then walk one block east of the beach, to Mission Boulevard, where you will find plenty of bars, restaurants, bike, and surf shops. You’ll also find one of our favorites, Single Fin Surf Grill with the best bartenders at the beach serving up tasty breakfast burritos, craft beers, and cocktails. As you make your way north you’ll find a few more popular San Diego summertime bars, like Lahaina’s Beach House and World Famous.
Catching the sunset at Sunset Cliffs, nestled on the coastline between Ocean Beach and Point Loma, is one of the best ways to enjoy San Diego’s ocean views!
9. Go to Soccer Match at Snapdragon Stadium
One of our favorite things to do in San Diego is to go to a soccer match! We are supporters of the NWSL women’s pro soccer team, the San Diego Wave FC. Beginning in 2025, Snapdragon Stadium will also be home to the newest MLS team- San Diego FC! You can find both teams playing at Snapdragon between March through October.
If you’ve never been to a soccer (or football match for those of you reading that live outside of the U.S. and Canada), they are filled with chanting, singing, and lots of families wearing their home team scarves. You will see LOTS of kids wearing their team soccer jerseys or the jersey of their favorite player! In addition, going to a soccer match is nothing like going to an NFL match with drunken, rowdy fans. Tickets are very reasonable. Cheap seats start at $11 each, and great seats range from $40-75. Buy online through San Diego Wave FC, San Diego FC, or Ticketmaster. We have been long-time Wave FC supporters and season ticket holders and we try not to miss a match!
Pro tip: Park at McGregor’s down the street, have a pint or bite to eat before the match, and then pedal or walk over to the match! We bring our bikes to make it easy to get back and forth, and of course save on stadium parking, which can be almost $40 a match! In addition, the food and beverages at Snapdragon are not cheap, so stopping at McGregor’s before and after ensures you are well-fed and hydrated! With kids in tow, Snapdragon Stadium parking might be your best bet, but then it’s easier to tailgate and enjoy the Fan Fest before the match!
10. Swim Laps in the Sunshine
While we’ve mentioned lots of beaches where you can get in a swim, if you are like us, you might be searching for a place to get in a workout without having to worry about the waves or marine life. Here are our favorite places to swim laps in San Diego:
- Bud Kearns Pool- in Balboa Park
- The Plunge Pool- in Belmont Park, Mission Beach
- Open water swimming in Mission Bay (aim for the roped-off areas or where there are fewer boats), or at La Jolla Cove. If you’re new or still a beginner to open water swimming, go with a buddy! Check out La Jolla Swim Club or the San Diego Triathlon Club!
Catch the sunrise at Kellogg Park near Scripps Institution of Oceanography at La Jolla Shores Beach where you will often find perfect conditions for snorkeling, kayaking and surfing!
Things to Do Near San Diego, Within an Hour’s Drive
If you’re searching for more adventure within an hour’s drive of downtown San Diego and potential camping, here are our favorites!
La Jolla Indian Campground + Luiseño Bike Park
Just northeast of the city, nestled in the shadows of Palomar Mountain lies La Jolla Indian Campground. The nice bonus here is that in addition to camping by the river, the Luiseño Bike Park is located right in the campground. The bike park offers daily shuttle service to the top at almost 6,000ft, the views are incredible, and there are miles of fun flowy downhill trails.
You can even rent tubes to flow down the campground’s river and there’s zip-lining!
Mount Laguna + Lake Cuyamaca
Other areas we love for outdoor adventures in San Diego’s local mountains include Mount Laguna and Lake Cuyamaca. Both are about an hour’s drive east on the 8. You’ll climb up out of the warm desert scrubland and into the cool breezes of the pine forest at 6,000ft. There are several campgrounds including Laguna Campground, and dozens of trails for riding, hiking, or just relaxing with a view across Laguna Meadows!
If you love mountain biking, the descent down Noble Canyon is epic!
Things to Do in San Diego in the Summertime…Or Any Time of Year
There are a lot of things to do in San Diego outdoors year-round, so we hope this gets you excited! Remember to check out the Visit San Diego website for current events, weather, travel tips, and tons of other ideas for summer activities in San Diego County. We also invite you to share this blog with friends or check out some of our other travel blogs:
- Valle de Guadalupe, La Ruta del Vino in Baja, Mexico
- Costa Rica for the Adventure Traveler
- Oaxaca Mexico Travel Guide
- Adventure Travel in Spain
- Cuba Travel for Outdoor Adventurers
To learn more about what we do on the regular, follow Top Rope Media’s adventures on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter.
Until next time, happy adventuring!
– Meredith McConvill
What a great spot to enjoy so many activities. Love the sunset photos. Sign me up.
Thanks Barbara! We’ll continue to share our favorite places and local finds!