Cabrillo National Monument

Cabrillo National Monument was designated as a California Historical Landmark in 1932 to commemorate Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo's 1542 landing at San Diego Bay, making him the first European explorer to land on the future West Coast of the United States. The park offers sweeping views of the San Diego coastline, the Pacific Ocean, and Mexico — and of the majestic grey whale migration to Mexico's Baja Peninsula.

Cabrillo National Monument houses Old Point Loma Lighthouse, one of the eight original lighthouses on the West Coast and now a museum. Once the site of a strategic military outpost, the park's grounds contain military installations such as gun batteries and base-end stations that were used to protect San Diego Harbor. Cabrillo National Monument also boasts one of California's most pristine rocky intertidal areas: Tidepools brim with starfish, crabs, limpets, and sea anemones.

The park is supported by the Cabrillo National Monument Foundation, which functions as one of the National Park Service's cooperating associations, funding and promoting the park's cultural, historical, interactive science, and education programs and activities.