Journeys›Photograph

Carlsbad Lagoon Trail and Bluff Camping

·Carlsbad, California·#hiking#summer#camping#San Diego#coastline
An orange dirt trail extends through dry brown hills with distant peaks and an electrical tower.

Out on the lagoon trail in Carlsbad in the afternoon — everything up on the ridge is browned off now, the brush crackling dry along both sides of the path. From the high point you could see all the way down to the lagoon and the water beyond it, hazy but there. We came back up around sunset and watched it go down over the marine layer, the whole basin going orange.

Then down to the bluffs to camp for the night. Site right on the fence line above the water, fire ring in the middle, chairs already scattered by the time anyone thought to sit in them. The dog came along, still pink across the head from whatever got into her fur.

Strung the paper lanterns under the awning of the pop-up and got the fire going once it went gray over the ocean. Smoke kept drifting back toward the trailer no matter where we sat.

View from a dry hill overlooking a city, a lagoon, and the ocean under a hazy sky.A bright orange sunset shines over hazy hills, illuminating distant water and clustered buildings.A bright sunrise illuminates dark hills and a wide city view, with a soft moon visible in the upper right sky.A small dog with a pink stripe on its head sits on a person's lap in a chair outdoors under a blue sky.A campsite with a fire pit, several chairs, a cooler, and a table overlooking the ocean.Six yellow lanterns hang over a chain-link fence overlooking a cloudy ocean with breaking waves.An evening campsite with a campfire, a pop-up camper with lights, a table, and a yellow chair.A night campsite with a glowing fire pit, a pop-up camper, string lights, and a yellow chair.

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