Torrey Pines SR and SB12600 N. Torrey Pines Rd.

San Diego, CA 92037(858) 755-2063

(Reserve and mailing address)

© 2003 California State Parks (rev. 5/2006) Printed on Recycled Paper

Our MissionThe mission of the California Department ofParks and Recreation is to provide for thehealth, inspiration and education of thepeople of California by helping to preservethe state’s extraordinary biological diversity,protecting its most valued natural andcultural resources, and creating opportunitiesfor high-quality outdoor recreation.

For information call: 800-777-0369916-653-6995, outside the U.S.

711, TTY relay service

CALIFORNIA STATE PARKSP. O. Box 942896

Sacramento, CA 94296-0001

California State Parks does not discriminateagainst individuals with disabilities. Prior toarrival, visitors with disabilities who needassistance should contact the park at the phonenumber below. To receive this publication in analternate format, write to the CommunicationsOffice at the following address.

Cover and intro panel photos by David Rightmer

www.parks.ca.gov

isit Torrey Pines...painted

cliffs and rugged canyons...

green groves and flowered

hillside...the wonderful

panorama of mountains...

the sweeping shoreline and

the blue sea...will continue

in its primitive beauty to

be admired and loved by

all who visit it.

—Guy Fleming

Torrey PinesState Reserve

and State Beach

V“

”

Kumeyaay olla (pot)

Kumeyaay dwellingSketch by J.W. Audubon, 1849

beach invites swimming, surfing andfishing. Low tide—when the red-tingedbluff is reflected in wet sand—is a goodtime to stroll the beach. Across the high-way from the beach, the Los PeñasquitosMarsh Natural Preserve provides aprotected breeding ground formany species of birds and fish.

PARK HISTORY

Human HistoryThe Kumeyaay that lived atTorrey Pines traveled inbands of extended familiesthroughout the coast,mountains and desert foothills.Their lands extended from thePacific Ocean, south to Enseñada,Mexico, east to the dunes of theColorado River, and north through theWarner Springs Valley to what is nowOceanside. They lived in small dwellings

and shade ramadas, which were made ofwillow, oak, manzanita, deerweed, tule,chamise and other local plants.

The Kumeyaay were seasonal huntersand gatherers. They gathered roots,

berries, nuts and seeds—someof which were used for

medicinal purposes—andpracticed limitedhorticulture. Usingfishhooks and nets, theycaught a variety of seaanimals, and picked upgrunion, shellfish andmollusks from the

beaches. The Kumeyaayhunted such game as rabbits,

quail and deer with bows andarrows, throwing sticks and

snares. Today, descendents of theKumeyaay still reside in many of thesame areas, including San Diego County.

orrey Pines State Reserve is a majes-tic wilderness in the middle of an increas-ingly urban area. Its fragile environment ofhigh, broken cliffs and deep ravines over-looking the sea is home to one of theworld’s rarest pine trees—Pinus torreyana.The Torrey pines are believed to be theremnants of an ancient woodland that onceflourished along the southern Californiacoast, but now they grow naturally only onthis small strip of San Diego coastline andon Santa Rosa Island. Here, the tree clingsto the face of the crumbling sandstone orstands tall in sheltered canyons.

Torrey Pines State Beach, adjacent to thereserve, stretches four and one-half milesfrom Del Mar past Los Peñasquitos MarshNatural Preserve to the base of the sand-stone cliff at Torrey Pines Mesa. The sandy

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Ellen Browning Scripps

Torrey pine oncoastal bluff

NATURAL HISTORYThe landscape of the reserve is stillchanging. Nearly a million years of risingand falling seas, heavy rains, and erosionby streams and creeks gradually formedthe sandstone terraces that make up thepresent reserve. Some geologicalformations are more than 45 million yearsold, and some rocks have traveled from asfar away as central Mexico. The continuousmotion of the surf creates a changingseascape, challenging artists andphotographers to record its latest look.Varying elevations have produced habitatsthat range from salt to fresh water, fromcoastal strand to sage scrub, from salt marshto chaparral to riparian. The area’s mildtemperatures range from a January low ofabout 45 degrees to a typical August high ofbetween 75 and 80 degrees. In June andJuly it is not uncommon for coastal fog to

last all day, enabling the Torrey pinesto survive in this unlikely

environment.

THE TORREY PINESEarly Spanish explorers named the groveof trees in the area Punto de Los Arboles, or“Point of Trees.” Thetrees served as alandmark for sailorsnavigating off thecoast. In 1850—theyear of California’sstatehood—botanistCharles C. Parryidentified this pine asa unique species andnamed it after hisfriend John Torrey, aleading botanist ofthe time.

When Dr. Parryreturned to the areain 1883, he wasdistressed over thelack of protection for the trees, and heurged the San Diego Society of NaturalHistory to save them from extinction. By1885 there was a $100 bounty on anyonecaught vandalizing a Torrey pine tree.

Possible later threats included clear-cutting the trees so the land could be

used for cattle grazing. In 1899 theSan Diego City Council passed

an ordinance that set aside369 acres to be used as a

public park.

Concerned newspaperwoman andphilanthropist Ellen Browning Scrippsdonated the North and Parry Groves to

the people of San Diego inthe hope of protecting theTorrey pines. In 1916 GuyFleming, a botanist workingfor the San Diego Society ofNatural History reporteddamage to the trees byheavy public use.

Miss Scripps got the publicinterested in protecting thetrees, and in 1921 she and theCity Park Commissionappointed Mr. Flemingcustodian of Torrey PinesReserve. By the time of herdeath in 1932, Ms. Scripps hadcontributed significantly to theestablishment of the reserve.

THE RESERVEThe 2,000-acre reserve’s setting todaycontains approximately 300endangered and protected species ofnative plants. The plant communitiesof the reserve and lagoon areas includecoastal strand, coastal sage scrub,chaparral, and Torrey woodlands. Thesevanishing habitats are home to sandverbena and beach primrose in thecoastal strand areas, as well asCalifornia sagebrush, Californiabuckwheat, black sage, and

Brown pelican

Sandstone cliffs

coastal barrel cacti in the coastalsage scrub community. The mesasand other high elevations are hostto the chaparral community ofplants, including chamise,manzanita, ceanothus, Californiascrub oak, toyon and mountainmahogany. The Torrey woodlandsare defined by the generally poorsoil and arid climate that cause thetrees to have extensive rootsystems. The trees take on avariety of shapes as dictated bythe elements—dwarfed andgnarled where most exposed towind and salty air, or taller andmore upright in sheltered areas.

NATURAL PRESERVESTwo outstanding areas have beendesignated as Natural Preserves by the

State Park andRecreationCommission. EllenBrowning ScrippsNatural Preserve isthe area aroundParry Grove andGuy Fleming trails.Los PeñasquitosMarsh NaturalPreserve is one ofthe last remainingsalt marsh areasand waterfowlrefuges insouthern

California. Thearea is home toseveral rare andendangeredspecies of birdsand provides avital stopping ornesting place formany migratorywaterfowl.Portions of thereserve may beclosed at times toallow the naturalfeatures torecuperate fromabuse, overuse ornatural disasters.

WILDLIFEThe intertidal zones are rich in sea life:limpets, shore crabs and hermit crabs,mussels, barnacles, sea anemones andvarious species of snails and shells. Highabove the sea, the bluffs offer excellentvantage points to watch the annual migra-tion of gray whales. Dolphins, seals, sealions and several species of porpoises maybe seen year round.

About two hundred species of birds areprotected at the reserve. Shore birdsinclude brown and American white pelicans,black-bellied and snowy plovers, severalspecies of gulls and terns, American avocets,western sandpipers, willets, whimbrels,sanderlings, great egrets and longbilledcurlews. Farther inland western scrub jays,

California quail, brown towhees, sparrows,Nutall’s woodpeckers, Anna’shummingbirds, ravens and mockingbirdsare often found. Here brush rabbits andother small rodents are common, withoccasional gray foxes, bobcats, coyotes,and mule deer. Reptile residents includerattlesnakes and a variety of other snakes,and several species of lizards, includingthe endangered horned lizard.

RECREATION

Trails• 0.6-mile Guy Fleming Trail in the

North Grove offers two scenicoverlooks with panoramic views.This trail has the greatest variety ofwildflowers, ferns, cacti and pinetrees in the reserve.

• 0.4-mile Parry Grove Trail has dramaticocean views, but most of the matureTorrey pines fell victim to a bark beetleinfestation in the mid-1990s. A con-trolled burn has allowed natural reveg-etation and spectacular seasonalwildflowers. Steepstairs form the headof this trail.

• 0.1-mile High PointTrail offers a 360-degree pan-oramic view ofthe reserve andocean.

Wildflowers brighten the trails.

Visitor Center (Lodge) and Museum

• 0.7-mile Razor Point Trail meandersthrough coastal sage scrub, spectacularviews of sculptured sandstone, gnarledtrees and the surf 150 feet below. YuccaPoint Overlook, accessed from bothRazor Point and Beach Trails, featuresdramatic yucca flower displays in springand stunning examples of sandstoneerosion.

• 0.75-mile Beach Trail is a rustic footpaththrough the upper reserve to the beach300 feet below.

• 1.3-mile Broken Hill Trail offers abeautiful view of eroding sandstone,and its north fork leads through ElfinForest before connecting to Beach Trailnear Flat Rock.

• 1.5-mile Marsh Trail goes along thesouthern edge of Los Penasquitos MarshNatural Preserve. The trailhead is on theeast side of North Torrey Pines Roadopposite the South Beach parking lot.

Trails in the Extension• 0.5-mile Mar Scenic Trail follows the

seasonal creek through the extension.• 0.5-mile Daughters of the American

Revolution (DAR) Trail offers viewsacross the marsh to the main reserveand to the ocean.

• 0.75-mile Margaret Fleming Nature Trailis a scenic walk through coastal sagescrub.

• 0.3-mile Red Ridge Loop Trail offersviews of the lagoon, the main reserve,and spectacular geologic formations.

INTERPRETIVE SERVICES

• The visitor center (Lodge) featuresexhibits on local wildlife, flowers andgeology, and offers a selection ofinterpretive publications.

• Free trail maps are available at the visitorcenter or at most trailheads.

• The reserve has two native plant gardens,one at the front of the visitor center, andanother (the Whitaker Garden) at theParry Grove trailhead.

• Call for information on school groupactivities and a teacher’s guide.

Coastal horned lizard

• Information on park programs is availablefrom the visitor center. Make groupprogram requests at least two weeks inadvance.

• Docent led nature hikes for individualsand families are scheduled at 10 a.m.and 2 p.m. on weekends and holidays(call to confirm).

ACCESSIBLE FEATURES

• The visitor center is generally accessible.A captioned video is available. Nearbyparking and restroom are accessible.

• South Beach restroom and parking areaccessible. Slope of path from lot mayrequire assistance.

• North Beach parking, restrooms and pathto beach are usable with assistance.

• A beach wheelchair is available.

• Visitors with service animals shouldcontact park staff upon arrival.

Accessibility is continually improving.For current accessibility details, call thepark, or visit http://access.parks.ca.gov.

NEARBY STATE PARKS

• Cardiff State Beach, one mile south ofCardiff on old Highway 101 (760) 753-5091

• Old Town San Diego State Historic Park,San Diego and Twiggs Streets(619) 220-5422

• San Elijo State Beach, in Cardiff on oldHighway 101 (760) 753-5355/5091

• Carlsbad State Beach, in Carlsbad(760) 438-3143

Torrey Pines State Beach

This park is supported in partthrough a nonprofit organization.For more information contact:

Torrey Pines Docent SocietyP.O. Box 2414Del Mar, CA 92014-1714(858) 755-2063

Benches are sited at scenic locations.

• Stay on the trails. Walking off trailcauses erosion, tramples plants andfrightens animals.

• The cliffs are unstable and dangerous.Children must be supervised by an adultat all times.

• State laws protect all features in thereserve, including rocks, artifacts, flowersand pinecones.

• Picnicking is only permitted at thebeach, not in the reserve or on the trails(water canteens are okay). Place all trashin receptacles provided.

• Smoking is permitted in the parking lots.

• Fires are prohibited. Personal portablebarbecues are permitted only on thebeach. Place hot coals in the hot coalcontainers provided.

• Dogs and horses are prohibited at thereserve and on the beach.

• All types of vehicles are prohibited ontrails; bicycles may use only pavedroads.

• Due to the sensitive ecological environ-ment, it is occasionally necessary to limitthe number of visitors by limiting thenumber of vehicles in thepark. If the reserve isfull, visitors may beasked to check backlater or plan to visitanother day.

• Park only indesignated lots.Stopping on roadshoulders is notpermitted.

Torrey Pines is a state reserve set aside to protect its natural and cultural resources.Help preserve this beautiful area.

Torrey pine

Torrey Pines SR