Torrey Pines Hike

I love hiking at Torrey Pines State Reserve. It is 2,000 acres of undeveloped land right on San Diego's beautiful coastline.  It is covered with Torrey pines, an endangered species that only exists in the wild in San Diego county, and on one of the Channel Islands. 

My friend Amy joined me for a hike at the reserve this weekend. 

We took Broken Hill trail to the beach. I had never been on the trail before, and was surprised by the history I learned from this kiosk along the way. 

In 1940 the U.S. Army leased 710 acres of this land to build a training camp to defend the west coast against a Japanese attack during WWII.  5 years later the camp was dismantled and returned back to nature.

The rock layers are a highlight of Torrey Pines. The sandstone rocks have eroded to create natural artwork. The oldest layer is 48,000,000 years old. 

These caves are created as rainwater dissolves the sandstone as it runs through it, and then redeposits the compounds below. 

The best layer of all is the one found at the beach, it is full of shells!