Off The Beaten Path In San Diego

A man shows his family photos. He is on the US side and his family is in Mexico

When you come to San Diego, you think of Sea World, The San Diego Zoo and the beautiful coastline. But here's something you might want to add to your sightseeing list Border Field State Park. 

It's a park right on the Mexico-US border. 

This is the Southwest corner of the US

In fact, the border fence goes right into the ocean at the end of the park. To get to Border Field State Park, take I-5 South, exit Dairy Mart Road, make a right and follow that road for about 3.5 miles all the way to the end. You will need to pay $5 per vehicle if the road is open to the park. If not, you can park outside and walk the approximately 1 mile to the park. 

The border fence trails into the ocean

On Saturdays and Sundays from 10am-2pm, the Border Patrol opens the no man's land between the two fences. That's right, there are actually two fences. It's an eerie feeling to be standing at the fence looking into Mexico. It's odd to see the fence trail down into the ocean and to watch the dolphins swim back and forth between the two countries. 

Border Angels Founder Enrique Morones

For me, I wondered whether we were locked in or they were locked out. Families on either side of the fence are visiting and holding hands. While we were there, Border Angels, a National Geographic photographer and a documentary film crew were there. A musical group started playing on the Mexican side as well and we could smell traditional Mexican food.
You can see the old bull fighting ring, the hotels and the church in Tijuana from the park.
If you want to experience something off the beaten path, this might be the one.