But, Cabrillo Beach isn’t just about relaxing on the sand or swimming in the Pacific. It’s also about:

A leisurely stroll along the pier

“Going, Going Gone Fishing”

Windsurfing at Warp Speed

Bird Watching or Bird Watching you

With all the fun and relaxing activities to do at Cabrillo Beach, it’s hard to leave.

Although I had to leave and get back home, I’m going back. If you’d like to “Meet the Grunion,” come to Cabrillo Beach this upcoming Thursday evening. It’s sponsored by the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium and will make for both a fun and educational evening.

By Travelin’ Local, Life’s a Beach!

Case in point: Point Fermin State Marine Park.

Never heard of it? Point Fermin is located within Cabrillo Beach Park, which has many places to experience nature, including the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, a coastal native plant garden and a salt marsh.

The tide pools at Point Fermin are home to all different types of marine plants and animals. During our visit, we saw all kinds of sea crabs, chitons, muscles, sea urchin shells, seaweed and much more that local ocean life in the tidepools. For free of course!

Our recent visit was shared with other members of a family nature club I started earlier this summer. Through our club, we hope to show people how easy (and fun!) it is to get kids outside exploring nature – even in Los Angeles, where it’s vital that they learn more to life than crowded roads and other big city distractions.

Our trip to Point Fermin didn’t disappoint.

Our Notes From the Field

The toughest part about tide pooling is timing your visit just right. We scheduled our excursion during low tide, which makes the marine life much more accessible. (You can check Point Fermin’s tides here.)

The path from the Cabrillo Beach Park to the tide pools is a short, flat walk, but once we got there, we realized we were in for some serious rock hopping to reach the pools.

It took us a few minutes to get used to maneuvering, but once we did, we moved quickly. As soon as we reached an area with some water trapped in it, we all stopped to take a look.

There are also kelp beds teeming with sea life.

I never thought seaweed could look so beautiful!

While my oldest was most thrilled by his discovery of this huge sea slug,

he was pretty proud of finding this chiton, too.

That’s part of what makes tide pooling so much fun. It’s a real-life nature treasure hunt. And everyone discovers something.

Even our youngest found plenty of creatures small enough for him to grab.

I encouraged the kids to touch their discoveries carefully, but leave everything where they found it. We explored the tide pools for almost about an hour and a half, moving from one pool to another, taking care to stop and peek inside to see what we could discover in each one.

What better way to pass an afternoon than being outdoors exploring nature with family and friends?

Planning Your Visit

• Time your visit during a low tide (check the tides at Point Fermin here)
• Parking is free for 20 minutes, then costs $1 per hour with a maximum of $9 per day; cash only
• The tide pools are not a stroller-friendly spot, so wear comfortable shoes & be prepared to maneuver over some rocks
• Practice sun safety – wear a hat and sunscreen and bring along plenty of water
• If you’ve got a little explorer–3 years old or younger–bring along an extra set of hands
• There are no food services available at the park, although there are ample picnic tables available for use
• There are no restrooms at the tide pool areas (the closest is at the nearby Southern California Bathhouse)

Point Fermin State Marine Park is just steps from Cabrillo Beach Park at:

3720 Stephen M. White Drive
San Pedro, CA 90731
Directions to Point Fermin State Marine Park

Debi Huang is a Los Angeles-based wife, mom and adventure guide for two young boys. Her blog at Go Explore Nature is all about getting kids and families outdoors and connecting then with nature. For more information about her family nature club adventures, send her an email at tdj2004 [at] gmail [dot] com.

As you can see from this vantage point shot, San Pedro is a mixture of international shipping, a massive breakwater and harbor, beaches, commerce, housing, and much more. San Pedro, Wilmington, and Terminal Island are the locations of the Port of Los Angeles—one of the nation’s busiest ports and around the world.

If “Russia is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma,” than San Pedro certainly qualifies as a distant cousin–It’s definitely a colorful, playful, and inscrutability different blend of Southern California’s past, current and future—where world’s literally cascade and collide, and the culture and surroundings are amazing, quite startling at times, and inexorably peaceful as well. Its history well runs deep–it was originally used by the Spanish starting in the 1540s.

San Pedro has many marvelous places to check out, including fabulous beaches bordering the Pacific Ocean, the Port of Los Angeles, parks, historical monuments, museums, aquariums, restaurants, shopping, and the historical downtown area.

The culture is eclectic; many working class families live here along with a vibrant youth crowd mixed with the zest and zeal of being one of Southern California’s iconic and ubiquitous beach towns, replete with its own swagger and atmosphere. It’s also a culturally rich area featuring artists’ galleries and theatrical venues.

The vantage point atop the rugged bluffs affords some of the most breathtaking views of the coast toward Santa Catalina Island. This scenic hilltop–Point Fermin Park–was given its name by the British explorer George Vancouver, who visited here in 1793 and decided to thank Father Fermin Francisco de Lasuen for his hospitality at the mission in Carmel. Source: SanPedro.com

From high atop the hills, Point Fermin Park provides spectacular views of the coast and the nearby Channel Islands.  It has everything—picnic tables, a playground, stage events, tropical and bountiful plants and shady trees for a hot day.

Looking south, the blue hues of the ocean are because of the deeper ocean depths; and the contours in the water are from the offshore winds howling from the opposite directions. Its cliffs are massive and awe inspiring. The tide pools and beaches below are full of sea life, shells, and quite a few rocks strewn about.

Looking below there are two trails west of the area which lead to the beach and tide pools from the Park. However, do not, I repeat do not attempt to climb down to the beach and tide pools from the park’s cliffs–as the cliff’s are unstable, and many deaths have occurred from people attempting to do so.

The Point Fermin Lighthouse—on the 4^th of July, 2009. Historical Information courtesy of United States Coast Guard include:

• Point Fermin Light was built in 1874 with lumber from California redwoods.
• In 1941 the light was extinguished due to the bombing of Pearl Harbor. There was fear that the light would serve as a beacon for enemy planes and ships. Later, the lantern room and gallery were removed. They were replaced by a lookout shack that remained for the next 30 years, and was referred to as "the chicken coop" by locals.
• In 1972 the light was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
• The light fell into disuse and disrepair. A new lantern room and gallery were built in 1974.
• The building has now been restored to its original beauty and is open to the public as the Point Fermin Lighthouse Historic Site and Museum.

The park consists of 37 landscaped acres of tree-shaded lawns, sheltered pergolas, colorful gardens and an esplanade along the edge of the palisade.

The view through the decorative walls that surround the Point Fermin Park.

What better way to celebrate this Holiday then by Travelin’ Local at the beach. What did you do for the 4^th of July? If you took any pictures you’d like to share, choose your favorite, email it to Travelin’ Local, and ’we’ll feature them in an upcoming story.