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 features sweeping views that showcase the San Diego coastline, the Pacific Ocean, and Mexico, and they allow visitors to witness the majestic grey whale migration to Mexico's Baja peninsula in the winter.

Cabrillo National Monument is the home of the Old Point Loma Lighthouse, which is one of the eight original lighthouses on the West Coast and has been converted into a museum. Once the site of a strategic military outpost, the park's grounds contain military installations such as gun batteries, base-end stations, fire control stations, and searchlight bunkers that were used to protect San Diego Harbor. Cabrillo National Monument also boasts one of California's most pristine rocky intertidal areas; the beautiful tidepools brim with sea life ranging from starfish to crabs to limpets to anemones.

The park is supported by the nonprofit corporation Cabrillo National Monument Foundation (CNMF), which was founded in 1956. CNMF functions as one of the National Park Service's cooperating associations, enhancing visitor experience by funding and promoting the park's cultural, historical, interactive science, and education programs and activities.