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Top 10 Surprising Facts About the Torrey Pines State National Reserve

This is a natural reserve in the United States of America,  located in the which was discovered by Spanish sailors in the 1500s. They marked it as Punta de Los Arboles in English called Wooded Point.

The special and unique trees were identified many years later in the mid-1800s. They are special in that there is a separate species of pine and one that grows naturally only along a small coastal strip of Del Mar to La Jolla and on Santa Rosa Island.

The actual location is the strip which lies off in the sea about a hundred and seventy miles to the northwest. The Torrey pine is a very rare pine, not only in the United States but globally.

The terrain of the Reserve is quite varied. The sand and clay of beaches and lagoons of fifty million years ago have become sandstone and have been raised far above sea level by tectonic forces.

The main entrance road, from the Coastal Highway to the Lodge, rises three hundred feet in 0.8 miles and has become part of the exercise routines of many walkers, joggers, and bikers.

As the sea rose and fell over the past million years, shelves or marine terraces were cut into the sandstone at various levels and other sediments were deposited on these shelves.

Many artists and photographers come to the Reserve to enjoy and record these changing scenes.

During a series of ice ages, the sea level has been as much as three hundred feet lower than it is at present.

This forms beautiful beach walkers of the constituent sedimentary layers. Sediment grain sizes, layer thicknesses, and directions are created.

The history of when the rocks were formed is right at the surface giving the researchers a way to collect data. This is so because of the plant and animal fossils contained in these layers.

When it comes to tourism, the place is already well-formed for hiking. The trails which parallel the bluff edge high above the sea form several viewing platforms built right at the bluff edge.

They are excellent sites for observing the yearly migration of the gray whales and the dolphins who patrol the shores year-round.

It is home to various living things like different types of Torrey pine woodland, salt marsh and coastal scrub, and other plant species.

A classic example of a geologic fault, the Carmel Valley Fault, can be seen in the road cut on the highway south of the entrance to the Reserve.

1. The Road to Torrey Pine Natural Reserve offers a Magnificent View

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As you drive or hike through the road leading to the Torrey Pine Natural Reserve, the beauty of the ocean view and the terrace is one that is captivating.

The view from the road exposes a lkjrange of elevations, from sea level and below to 300 feet; soils that vary from silt and mud to sand and eroded sandstone; varying exposures to salt water, fresh water, tides, wind, and fog.

These high viewing sites also allow one to look down at a steep angle and see beneath the sea surface.

2. The Beautify Scenery

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The terrain of the Reserve is quite varied. The sand and clay of beaches and lagoons of fifty million years ago have become sandstone and have been raised far above sea level by tectonic forces.

There is a monocular telescope set up at one of these spots. It allows people to view the leopard sharks swimming several feet beneath the surface and could clearly see the creatures and the spotted markings that explain their names.

This view is amazingly awesome!

3. The Glorious Bridge

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The bridge connects the sea and the coastal highway. The Lagoon portion of the reserve can be seen near the glorious bridge.

A river flowing from the inland mountains through what is now the Reserve cut a deep channel through the raised sandstone formation to reach the sea.

When the sea rises to a certain level, the deep channel became a bay.

Nevertheless, the sea continues to cut shelves and beaches into the sandstone.  It has eroded the western side of the sandstone rise into steep bluffs which provide excellent cross-sectional views. 

4. The Spectacular Adobe Structure

There is a genuine adobe structure built by Mexican labor which has been in continuous use for more than seventy-five years.

The structure serves as a Visitors’ Center. It also houses the museum,  offices for Rangers, docent volunteers, more importantly, scientists carrying out research work at the Reserve.

The Reserve or a large part of it can be considered as a set of shelves or ancient beaches. These shelves and their sediments have in turn been eroded, gouged, stained, and carved by rain and drainage streams.

There are views along the hiking trails which wind through these terraces and combine wind-bent trees, abstract sandstone formations, wildflowers, and the sea or lagoon below – prospects that constantly change with season and weather.

5. The Golf Course

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Torrey Pines Golf Course is a 36-hole facility owned by San Diego City. It is famous for the victory of Tiger Wood in the United States open in 2008.

 

The Golf Course is originally designed by William F. Bell. The South Course was redesigned in 2001 by Rees Jones in preparation for the 2008 U.S. Open and is currently 7,698 yards with a par of 72.

 

However, the North Course is 7,258 yards in length with a par of 72. This is incredible!

6. It Houses a Research Institute

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From the Western view, the Institution is seen together with the Pacific Ocean making it splendid. Due to its being home to many inhabitants, Salk Institute is ideal for Biological studies.

7. The Beautiful Layers

The sea continues to cut shelves and beaches into the sandstone.  It has eroded the western side of the sandstone rise into steep bluffs which provide excellent cross-sectional views. 

8. Splendid Natural WalkWays

This forms beautiful beach walkers of the constituent sedimentary layers. Sediment grain sizes, layer thicknesses, and directions are created.

When it comes to tourism, the place is already well-formed for hiking. The trails which parallel the bluff edge high above the sea form several viewing platforms built right at the bluff edge.

9. Site for Biological Anthropology Research

The history of when the rocks were formed is right at the surface giving the researchers a way to collect data. This is so because of the plant and animal fossils contained in these layers.

There is a museum already where research findings have been displayed.

10. Super Hiking Scenery

There are views along the hiking trails which wind through the terraces and combine wind-bent trees, abstract sandstone formations, wildflowers, and the sea or lagoon below – prospects that constantly change with season and weather.

The Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve is a beautiful place to visit especially if one is searching for a natural beauty created naturally by the sandstone.