SAN DIEGO VACATION RENTALS, CALIFORNIA

Apart from being famous for its amazing array of attractions, San Diego is popular with vacationers as a recreational paradise as well. A diverse landscape, which ranges from beaches and mountains to deserts, complemented by the near-perfect climate year-round, enables San Diego to invite the participation of the tourists as well as local visitors in a variety of outdoor sports and fine recreational facilities. Moreover, the majority of these recreational activities can be enjoyed within a short distance from your vacation home and in some cases, even just a few steps away from your San Diego beach house rental. Some of the more popular outdoor recreational activities available in San Diego are listed below: 

With a location along the Pacific Coast and coastline that is thriving with fish and other marine life, San Diego is an angler’s delight. Be it freshwater lake fishing, bay fishing, fly fishing, or deep sea fishing that has lured you to San Diego, your fishing vacation is bound to be one which you will cherish for years. Even if you have not planned to fish during your stay in a San Diego vacation rental, you can enjoy fishing from any California municipal pier anytime you want, as there is no requirement for a fishing license for pier fishing. For all other types of fishing, anglers above 16 yrs of age require a California fishing license.

Sports fishing can be enjoyed anytime and anywhere on the Pacific Coast, and San Diego offers the world’s largest sport-fishing fleet, which includes numerous private charter yachts in addition to over 75 commercial sports fishing vessels. You can embark these deep-sea fishing charters from landings near Harbor Island, Shelter Island, the Imperial Beach Pier, Point Lama, and Quivira Basin in Mission Bay Park and enjoy single as well as multi-day fishing trips aboard these charters. You can catch bonito, bass, and barracuda in the waters surrounding Point Lama; and if you have chosen a multi-day trip, then you can even explore the waters of Baja California. Summer and Fall are the most popular seasons for salt-water fishing, with the season being marked off with the traditional Port of San Diego Day at the Docks each Spring.

You can base your vacation in a San Diego condo and enjoy freshwater fishing at the numerous freshwater lakes dotting the landscape of San Diego County as well. A trip to the 110-acre Lake Cuyamaca is worth the drive just for its scenic surroundings and certainly for trout fishing. Closer home is the 85-acre Lake Jennings, which enjoys a location between Lakeside and El Cajon and offers great opportunities for catching blue catfish, bluegill, bass, as well as trout. You can also take your kids for an exceptional fishing experience amid their peers at the 16-acre Chollas Lake, which allows only kids under 15 to fish.

You can also enjoy fishing from the pier, which can be as much if not more fun. Public fishing piers in San Diego are located at Ocean Beach, Imperial Beach, and Shelter Island where a statue has been dedicated to anglers. The Ocean Beach Pier, Oceanside Pier, and Pacific Beach’s Crystal Pier are the most popular sites for fishing from the pier. Surf fishing can be enjoyed from the sandy beaches of Oceanside, Silver Strand Beach, and Ocean Beach. For more information on fishing in San Diego, California, you can contact the city’s Lake Line: 619/465-3474 or contact the California Department of Fish and Game.  

Hiking in San Diego can be a pleasurable experience, especially due to the diverse landscape of the city that ensures picturesque surroundings of varying levels of beauty. Home to several hiking trails in the state parks, historic parks, and preserves, San Diego offers you the chance to stop your race against time and enjoy a rendezvous with nature and its marvelous creations. You can savor the beauty of the surroundings; listen to the music made by the birds; and observe the birds and wildlife as you hike along.

Some of the best hiking trails occur in the Torrey Pines State Reserve that has retained its original state of wilderness despite its proximity to the well-developed San Diego city. Located along South California’s coast in the outskirts of San Diego City, the 2000-acre Torrey Pines State Reserve can be easily accessed from the majority of the San Diego condos and other vacation homes. Hikers can enjoy 8 miles of trails meandering through the reserve, all of which offer exquisite views. The longest trail is the Broken Hill Trail, which features fewer trees than the rest of the trails but offers a breathtaking view of the “broken” hill, but the most scenic trail is the Razor Point Trail. Other scenic trails in the Torrey Pines State Reserve include the High Point Trail, Guy Fleming Trail, Beach Trail – a difficult trail with a popular beach access, and Discovery Trail, which has the advantage of being wheelchair-accessibility. Visitors to the Torrey Pines State Reserve are requested to bring along their food and water as there are no facilities for either within the park.

Vacationers in San Diego can also enjoy hiking in the 5,800-acre Mission Trails Regional Park, where 40 miles of trails await them in addition to boating and informative hikes. For a more challenging experience, you can try hiking up the Cowles Mountain, a part of the Mission Trails Regional Park and the highest point in the city of San Diego, for 360-degree scenic views. You can also enjoy hiking at Balboa Park apart from visiting its many attractions.

Now that you have explored the land of San Diego, its time to check out the world, which exists beneath the waves of the ocean surrounding this coastal city. And, what better way to do this than don your scuba diving gear and dive to the depths. Diving spots along San Diego’s coastline can range from kelp forests, shipwrecks, and artificial reefs to the caves, rocks, and reefs along the coastline of La Jolla.

One of the most popular spots for kelp and reef diving in the San Diego area is the La Jolla Cove, a part of the La Jolla Park Ecological Reserve. Although the reserve has banned fishing and boating activities, diving to say hi and meet the marine life is definitely allowed. Here, you can meet a wide range of marine life, get accompanied by a seal as you dive, and even spot the Californian State Fish – garibaldi and even the giant black sea bass.

Another popular diving spot is the HMCS Yukon, located less than 2 miles from San Diego’s coast. A 366-foot Canadian destroyer, the HMCS Yukon was sunk intentionally in July 2000 to act as an artificial reef and is now a popular attraction for scuba divers who can explore almost all parts of the sunken and now deteriorating ship. You can also enjoy a dive to the Ruby E, another popular wreck that lies within easy reach from the San Diego coastline. Other popular diving spots easily accessible from San Diego city include Mission Beach’s Wreck Alley and Point Loma.

An excellent surfing destination and the venue for many surfing championships, San Diego offers beginners as well as experts with equal opportunities to navigate the waves. Of the most famous surfing spots in and around San Diego are Swami’s, Pipes, Del Mar, and Seaside Reef. Although San Diego is a year-round surfing destination, you should bring or rent a wet suit during the winter months. Surfboarding is possible along San Diego’s beaches round the year. Out of the number of beaches popular among surfers, Windansea Beach, Mission Beach, Black’s Beach, La Jolla Shores, and Tourmaline Surfing Park are the most famous ones. Surfboards and wet suits are available for hire at several places in the city.

Proximity to numerous inland lakes and the expansive coastline of this Californian city offer the vacationers staying in San Diego’s oceanfront cottages and other vacation homes many memorable moments of boating and exploring the seas. One of the most popular areas for boating in the area is the San Diego Bay. Here apart from enjoying the cool surf and the warm sunshine, you can utilize the dock and dine facilities offered all around the bay to enjoy an exceptional waterfront dining experience.

Apart from recreational boating there are several boating events of interest at San Diego that you can attend and participate in, including the America’s Schooner Cup held in March or April every year and the Annual San Diego Crew Classic rowing competition, held at Mission Bay. You can also attend the Wooden Boat Festival held on Shelter Island every year in the month of May.