Walking Tours
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Shelter Island
a walking tour by Carol Mendel
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Once, for a period lasting at least a million years, it was nothing more than a mud bank, a submerged shoal, lying off Point Loma. In 1934, however, the City of San Diego began dredging the bay and dumped some of the surplus material on the shoal. Similar additions occurred in the late '30's and in the '40's. In 1950 the City added a 2000-foot causeway, along with enough dredgings to raise the former mud bank comfortably above sea level, began landscaping the island with palm trees, and allowed commercial development to begin.
This self-guided walking tour is especially nice on a Saturday or Sunday, for then San Diego Bay is speckled with small sailboats, the launching ramps are busily catering to motorboats, and the park along the bay is bustling with picnickers. But on a weekday you will find a lot of activity in the marine yards, so take your pick. Either way, you're in for a pleasant adventure.
Distance: Two miles. Time: An hour and a half. Note: This walk does not bring you back to your starting point, so plan either to walk or to get a ride back.
MAP of the walking tour
Terms of Use
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Follow the shoreline, and walk along the bay side of Shelter Island. As you start out, you pass a mosaic tile fountain designed by local artist James Hubbell. (See photo at the top of this page.)
You can see out past the entrance to San Diego Bay to the Pacific Ocean. Across the entrance to the bay is North Island Naval Air Station. Look for its fleet of planes on the ground.
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Continuing on, you pass the Shelter Island Gazebo, also designed by local artist James Hubbell.
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Leaving the pier, walk a few yards farther, and then go around to the right on Shelter Island Drive. Shelter Island Drive is lined with small shops that sell marine products and services to the boating community. Stop at the edge of a marine repair yard to see the boats in dry dock for repairs.
On the left side of the road you will find the weighing station of The Marlin Club. The marlin season runs from late July to early November. During these months the scales are put to heavy use when the marlin boats come back to port with their catches in the late afternoon. A good-sized marlin weighs 150 pounds and, including its sword, is six to seven feet long.
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If you are taking this walk on a Saturday afternoon, you might want to stop in at the Portuguese Historical Center, across the street from the chapel.
Return to Shafter Street, and continue along it. Cross Shelter Island Drive and walk to the right. Just past the Intrepid Boat Works, turn left onto the concrete path that leads out to the water. Follow the path around to the left along the water's edge.
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Alternatively, you may be able to schedule a whale-watching trip. From December through March, day trips take whale viewers out to watch whales as they make their way past Point Loma.
In any case, end your walk by going out onto the docks to look at the fishing boats.
Return to top.
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Enjoy this walking tour?
Check out the others in this series Balboa Park Cabrillo National Monument Downtown San Diego The Embarcadero La Jolla La Playa Mission Bay Park Mission Beach Old Town Shelter Island Sunset Cliffs |
Enjoy full-color illustrated maps? Check out the ones below. Some can be purchased as laminated maps, some as folded maps, some as wooden trays, and some as all three. San Diego Los Angeles Palm Springs Santa Barbara San Francisco Bay Area Las Vegas Salt Lake City Oregon Washington DC |
