Where to Find Fall in San Diego

Dec 11

Fall is a pretty foreign concept to the average San Diegan. But Christmas Card season is among us and the fall colors make for great pictures. Soo, I have taken it upon myself to go and find some places where the struggling San Diegan can take some epic pictures.

The Rancho Peñasquitos Preserve

This one is very near and dear to my heart as I grew up close by. Inside the preserve there is a plethora of spots available. My go to is the woods right next to the Ranch House. If you follow the trail going southward from the parking lot you’ll hit an adorable little creek. The trees on the way to the creek fold over the trail making beautiful golden archways. The closer to the water you get, the more vibrant the fall colors get. In addition to the awesome fall tones, the winter is the prime time to see the water flowing in the creek. The water is still shallow enough to walk through for the perfect shot and for those less water inclined there are bridges in place. If you’re willing to trek a little bit, you can find fall colors close to the Los Peñasquitos Falls as well. Foliage surrounds the falls and the leaves right now are beautiful and golden. All in all the preserve gets an A+ from me.

Est. Walking Time to Spot: 5 minutes to creek, 45- 60 minutes to waterfall

Best Time of Day: In the morning between 8 and 10

Entrance Fee: Free

Elfin Forest Recreational Preserve

The Elfin Forest provides a total of 11 miles of trails, but don’t worry we’re only walking for 5 minutes before we hit the creek. The trail that I most often use is the Botanical Trail. It’s only a short walk until you can actually see some evidence of fall. Catching the Preserve in “golden hour” (golden hour begins approximately an hour before the sun sets) gives you the opportunity to catch the perfect shot with your loved ones. That and you can actually pretend for a minute that we actually have seasons here in San Diego. It’s really a win-win situation.

Est. Walking Time to Spot: 5 minutes

Best Time of Day: An hour before sunset

Entrance Fee: Free

Ok, I’m going to break the mold a bit here, but if you’re looking for fall colors but not necessarily the leaves, I got you. This next spot will give you the orange tones you’re looking for and the beach.

Torrey Pines State Reserve

This is by far my favorite spot in San Diego. The cliffs have a beautiful orangey-yellow tone to them that no matter what makes a beautiful picture. It might not be the fall that everyone pictures, but it’s the fall every San Diegan is familiar with.

Torrey Pines gives you the best of both worlds and in my opinion makes for the best and most diverse pictures. On top of the cliffs there are groves of pine trees as well as open spots like the spot in this picture. Trails wrap through the cliffs and offer many diverse looking locations. In addition to this, the hike may be as long or as short as you would like it to be. The price can also vary between $0 and $10 depending on what you are looking for. Free access to the cliffs may be found here. There aren’t trails leading down to the beach here though. If you wish to have access to the beach as well, the entrance fee into the park is $10. The link to my preferred parking lot for pictures is here.

Est. Walking Time to Spot: 10-30 minutes

Best Time of Day: An hour before sunset

Entrance Fee: $0-$10

There’s plenty of fall in San Diego. Whether that be a fall with the literal yellow and orange leaves or the San Diegan fall with the dramatic orange cliffs. When it comes to pictures for your elopement or your family, you can’t go wrong with any of these three locations!