Scripps Institution of Oceanography

The Scripps Institution of Oceanography was established over 100 years ago as the Marine Biological Association. Today, as part of the University of California system, it still honors those origins, not only as a research institution and school, but with the Scripps Coastal Meander Trail.

Featured in this video while a new portion was under construction (it's now completed and open), the publicly accessible walk serves as an alternative to walking the California Coastal Trail on the beach. That's important for two reasons. First, a stretch of beach becomes inaccessible at high tide, making the upland route the only option twice a day. Second, the CCT is meant to be a "braided trail," meaning there will be a variety of options to accommodate different experiences and types of users.

This upland route is about 2.25 miles between La Jolla Shores Beach at the south end of campus and Blacks Beach to the undeveloped north end. It mixes campus and public streets as well as the pedestrian-only sections (take note that official CCT signage is not in place yet). Hikers can also take a half-mile detour inside the Scripps Coastal Reserve on the Biodiversity Trail.