Three state parks within 40 miles of San Diego, and where to eat after

San Diego has eleven state parks within 50 miles, and three of them make three very different days. Old Town San Diego, about 3 miles from the city center, is where California’s first Spanish settlement began in 1769, and it holds a free Día de los Muertos celebration from October 31 to November 2. Torrey Pines State Beach, 16 miles north, is four and a half miles of sand under red-hued bluffs. Cuyamaca Rancho, 38 miles northeast in the mountains, has more than 100 miles of trails and a 6,512-foot peak. This is the outdoor half of the day. The eating half is at the end: one table near each park.

We run State Park Near Me, a directory of every state park in the country, and we are a guest here. Top of San Diego asked for the parks. They supplied the restaurants.

The day, in order

Pick the park by the day you have. Old Town’s visitor center and museums are open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., its lots are free for up to four hours, and on November 2 the celebration runs until 7 p.m. Torrey Pines opens its gates at 7:15 a.m. and closes them at sunset; dogs are not allowed anywhere in the park, not even inside a car. Cuyamaca Rancho’s day use runs 8 a.m. to sunset, so start early for the peaks. One park to skip for now: Border Field State Park, 13 miles south at the border, is closed because of flooding and contaminated flood water, according to California State Parks on October 21.

Old Town San Diego

This is the ancestral land of the Kumeyaay, whose story is told in an outdoor exhibit in the park. San Diego became California’s first Spanish settlement when a mission and fort were built here in 1769; it then passed to Mexico before California became a state. Five original adobe buildings hold museums, shops and several restaurants, and there is a working blacksmith shop. The visitor center and select museums are open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Día de los Muertos celebration is free and runs October 31 and November 1 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and November 2 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., with altars, folkloric dancers, parades, sugar skulls and thousands of marigolds. You can bring an item for a community altar. The candlelit procession starts at 6 p.m. on Monday, November 2, from Twiggs Street to El Campo Santo Cemetery. Free event parking is at the Caltrans headquarters, 2994 Sunset Street, two blocks away, and the park sits next to the Old Town Transit Center for the Coaster, the Trolley and MTS buses.

Torrey Pines State Beach

The beach runs four and a half miles from Del Mar, past Los Peñasquitos Lagoon, to the base of the sandstone cliffs at Torrey Pines Mesa. Swimming, surfing and fishing are the draws, and low tide is the time to walk the wet sand under the bluffs. The park asks you to stay away from the bottom of the cliffs and keep at least 10 feet from them, because of rockslides and collapses. There are two lots: the South Beach lot on North Torrey Pines Road costs $15 to $20 per vehicle, and the North Beach lot off Carmel Valley Road $10 to $25, both priced by demand. When the South Beach lot fills, a flashing light on the kiosk means head to North Beach. A beach wheelchair is free to borrow from 9 a.m. Gates open at 7:15 a.m. and close at sunset. The Halloween Creature Feature is on October 24.

Cuyamaca Rancho

On Highway 79, five miles north of I-8, the park has more than 100 miles of riding and hiking trails. The most popular hikes start at the Paso Picacho camp, at 5,000 feet: two miles up Stonewall Peak, at 5,700 feet, or three and a half miles up Cuyamaca Peak, at 6,512 feet, where the view takes in the deserts to the east, the coast to the west and Lake Cuyamaca below. The lake, two miles north of Paso Picacho and run by the Helix Water District, has boating and fishing. Lower down, Green Valley sits at 4,000 feet with cascades and shallow pools. Day use is $10 per vehicle, $9 for seniors 62 and over, and one receipt covers the whole park for the day. Day use hours are 8 a.m. to sunset. Dogs are allowed only in the campgrounds, picnic areas, on paved roads and on the Cuyamaca Peak Fire Road.

The full list

Directions, maps and the official site for each of these, plus the other state parks and beaches within 50 miles, are on our side. The state parks near San Diego page on State Park Near Me lists all eleven, closest first, with a page for every park.

Where to eat after

The parks sit in three directions, so here is one table near each, from three Top of San Diego lists: Point Loma, Del Mar and casual. The scores are theirs, not ours.

Steamy Piggy

Insider Score9.2

Chinese · Midway District

After Old Town, a mile and a half away on Ollie Street in the Midway District. A focused ramen and dumpling menu: the Steamy Piggy Ramen is the centerpiece, and the soup pork dumplings are a close second.

DirectionsCallSee the list

Market Restaurant and Bar

Insider Score8.6

New American · Del Mar

After Torrey Pines, about four miles north in Del Mar. A three-course prix-fixe room where the seasonal market fish and the roasted chicken are the anchors; the bar and lounge work for smaller parties.

DirectionsCallSee the list

Crafted Greens

Insider Score9.9

Salads and bowls · El Cajon

After Cuyamaca, in El Cajon on the I-8 drive back west. Counter service and a build-your-own format: fresh greens, filling grain bowls and the green smoothies that bring people back.

DirectionsCallSee the list

Scores are Top of San Diego Insider Scores. Restaurant photographs from Yelp.