Last week, my New Year’s Day hike almost didn’t happen.
The forecast called for rain, and for most of the day, I stayed indoors, putzing around — albeit appreciating the holiday where nothing was required of me.
But by late afternoon, the sky had cleared, and it would have been unkind to the day to not enjoy its final hours of light. So I made my way to the Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve Extension, located slightly northeast of the main reserve on North Torrey Pines Road, for a relaxing meander along its short trails through Torrey pine trees.
There are a few key benefits of the reserve’s extension. It’s free to park, since the trailheads are located within neighborhoods with street parking. The extension is a bit off the beaten path, so it’s also likely that you’ll find some solitude with fewer people hiking there.
And until March, the extension is the only place open to hike at the reserve as it undergoes a project to modernize its utilities and make the area more accessible to people with disabilities.
To begin, park along the street at the trailhead located at the northern end of Del Mar Scenic Parkway. Consider consulting a map before setting out, in case you want to start the hike at another trailhead. You can find one at the reserve’s website: https://torreypine.org/wp-content/uploads/maps/mape.pdf.
The Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve Extension trailhead on Del Mar Scenic Parkway. (Maura Fox / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Note that dogs are not permitted on the trails.
From the trailhead, I began walking north on the Mar Scenic Trail. It is initially flat, but erosion has washed out significant sections of the trail, making it more narrow as it gradually inclines. Some areas are sandy, too, making it more of a trudge.
After 0.2 miles, I came to an intersection with the Daughters of the American Revolution Trail, known on signs and maps as the DAR Trail. The Daughters of the American Revolution is a national nonprofit women’s organization that focuses on patriotism and historical preservation, open to women ancestors of those who supported independence in the Revolutionary War.
From the Mar Scenic Trail, hikers will reach an intersection with the DAR Trail that heads west. (Maura Fox / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
This trail climbed southwest for just 0.2 miles, including some wooden stairs, before intersecting with the West Ridge DAR Trail. I went left, or south, on this trail that led to an overlook with a few benches, and the view faced out to the ocean and main preserve.
From there, I retraced my steps along the West Ridge DAR Trail and continued to the DAR Memorial, where there was a plaque from 1971 with a pledge to protect the country’s natural resources.
I continued north along the trail before intersecting once again with the Mar Scenic Trail, on which I traveled south. But when I reached the trailhead again at 1.4 miles, I wanted to keep going, opting to follow the Margaret Fleming Nature Trail as it went northeast, first on a gradual incline and then up a set of steep stairs. (Margaret’s husband, also a naturalist, has a trailed named after him in the adjacent Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve.) I saw remnants of the wildfire that tore through the preserve in 2024.
I thought I would be able to hike every trail in the preserve, but unfortunately I started my hike too late, so I stopped at a plateau along the Margaret Fleming Nature Trail after about half a mile and made my way back, ultimately doing just over 2.3 miles.
I’m excited to return to the eastern side of the preserve to hike the Red Ridge Trail, which looks like it promises rewarding views from its high sandstone cliffs.