hiking – Tori Churchill

Hello my beautiful travel friends! – here is a list I have been working on all year from my many visits to San Diego in 2020!

It is my top 10 things to do in San Diego during quarantine!

1. Hike South Fortuna Trail

South Fortuna is part of Mission Trails Regional Park and it is the 2nd most popular hike compared to North Fortuna -BUT it is just as beautiful ! & WAY less people. Honestly it is the same view, if not better! It is around 4.6 miles, & has no shade so bring extra water.

2. Visit Hotel Del Coronado (Hotel Del)

A lot of people stay or visit this hotel when in San Diego! The outside of the hotel with it’s white walls and red roof is gorgeous. It is great place to stroll around the grounds or along the beach.

The view of the hotel behind you & ocean in front of you make for a great place to watch the sunset or take a photo on the massive black rocks along the sand.

3.Hike Potato Chip Rock

This hike is seriously gorgeous. Most people go for the cool rock formation (like I did), but truly the views were nothing short of incredible & I would do this hike again.

I do not reccomend doing this shot ^ it was a little risky. The initial drop below is at least 40 feet & then hundreds of feet below that. Many people don’t climb it but stand further away & pretend they are eating the rock (like a potato chip).

4. Climb Ho Chi Minh Trail.

Ho Chi Minh Trail is SUCH a fun little adventure. This mini trail is located in the La Jolla area. You can take this trail all the way down to Black’s Beach. It is less a hike in my book and more of a climbing escapade!

It is not the easiest to find.

But type in Ho Chi Minh Trail or 9883 La Jolla Farms Rd, La Jolla, CA in whatever maps you use. You will park in a neighborhood & the entrance is a little path between two private properties with wooden fences. There is no sign but the address above will take you right near it.

If at the beginning of the trail you rear to the left it will take you into the main part of the trail & into these cute sand colored rock formations.

If at the beginning of the trail you rear to the right & start to go up a little path on a hill you will have this awesome view of the beach!

5. Go Surfing at Del Mar

Rent a board & enjoy the water. This picture was my first & only time I have gone surfing thus far. I got eatn by ALL the waves, but it was still a blast to try! I would recommend trying at Del Mar Beach!

6. Visit the 1935 Old Cactus Garden

This place is pretty awesome for a fun photoshoot ! There was no one there when I went & it was just a fun little patch of Cacti !

7. Swim to Sunset Cliffs Open Ceiling Sea Cave

This cave is hard to reach but such a fun escapade. Type in Sunset Cliffs at Luscomb Point to take you there. When you arrive look for the rocky area to the right of the cove & that is where you can maneuver down to be able to swim into the cave (I used the local rope that is always there to climb down).

No one is usually here because it is that hard to get to. You should not try to reach this spot unless it is extremely low or negative tide. I went when the tide was lower & just a few feet high and it was rough getting in as the waves can hit you against the rocks pretty harshly. Go with someone & only if you are a great swimmer!

8. Find La Jolla’s Secret Swing

This little gem is also not easy to find. Type Prospect Place La Jolla, CA in your phone to get here. There is a curve of parking spots near some neighborhood homes & behind the parking is a little path. Go down the path & take a right, eventually you will see white fencing. This is where you stop off to the left to start down the path to the swing.

You can also go even further down this hill (using the rope) to get yourself all the way down to the beach.

9. Visit the La Valencia Hotel for brunch & pictures! They have COVID practices implemented & the restaurant is mostly outdoor seating!

Trust me, this adorable hotel will make all your pink travel dreams come true!

LAST BUT NOT LEAST…..

10. Buy a pizza & take it anywhere on Sunset Cliffs to watch the sunset for dinner!

Trust me it will be SO much better than a night in watching Netflix.

If you have any question, leave a comment or DM me on Instagram: tori_churchill

X O X O

– D O L L

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Virgin Falls State Natural Area is the perfect place for a quick weekend trip in Tennessee.

Virgin Falls Trail is a massive waterfall at the end of 3 other mini falls located in Sparta, Tennessee. This trail is 8.7 miles round trip & is rated difficult, but it seemed more on the mild side to me!

Before starting our hiking & camping – we kicked off our trip by staying at an Airbnb the night we all drove to the little town of Sparta, TN.

We knew it would be too late to set up camp so we found this cute gem of an Airbnb – & it slept 5 of us for $168 total! We paid like $30 each!

The kitchen had everything you would need & a washer & dryer!

If you were trying to go GLAMPING instead of camping – I would suggest hiking Virgin Falls Trail all day & then staying at this Airbnb!

For a great start to your morning stop by The Coffee Collective.

Then head to the trail head.

Remember if you want to camp here over night you have to make reservations.

We did not make reservations & got lucky. The worker on site allowed us to stay at a campsite for a donation.

I would recommend camping at Bill Laurel Falls. There were 2 or 3 campsites right near this minier waterfall & it was so peaceful to fall asleep to! I would call & ask for this campsite to reserve !

This was our view from our campsite! Big Laurel Falls is a little over halfway to the biggest waterfall, Virgin Falls. We safely set up camp (brought our expensive items with us) & continued on.

We reached Virgin Falls & it was beautiful!

There is a great rock situated across from the top of the falls for a great view & pic!

Getting close to the bottom you could feel how powerful the waterfall was! It was pretty awesome for such a short hike in!

Once you reach Virgin Falls it is time to turn around. There were a few waypoints to stop at like Sheeps Cave & a few great places for some climbing along the way.