Torrey Pines Gliderport

The Torrey Pines Gliderport is a City of San Diego park at 2800 Torrey Pines Scenic Drive in La Jolla, on the cliffs above Black's Beach and south of Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve. The City says it was first used as a soaring site in 1930. Today paragliders, hang gliders and radio-control gliders launch from the bluff edge, and visitors can book a tandem flight. It is not part of the State Parks reserve and is not affected by the reserve closure.

A Historic Flying Site

The City's archive lists the Gliderport as a National Landmark of Soaring, San Diego City Historical Site No. 315, the nation's first Model Aviation Landmark, and a site on both the California and National Registers of Historic Places. The operator's history page says Charles Lindbergh flew a glider along these cliffs on February 24, 1930.

Tandem Flights

The Gliderport's operator offers instructional tandem flights with a pilot. In October 2026 its site listed paragliding from $200 and hang gliding at $225, with weekday specials, plus a flight school for new pilots. Flights depend on the wind; the operator posts a live cam and conditions page. Check its site for current prices and booking.

Watching

You do not have to fly. The cliff-top is a place to watch gliders launch and soar over the ocean, and the City notes they are often seen above Black's Beach.

Getting to the Beach From Here

The City of San Diego warns that the trails down the cliffs to Black's Beach are unimproved and unmaintained, and that the cliffs are unstable. Its advice is to reach the beach along the sand from the north or south instead.

Gliderport vs. the Reserve

The two are neighbors on the same line of cliffs but are run separately. The reserve is a State Parks natural reserve with its own rules: no dogs, no food, no drones. The Gliderport is a City park. During the 2026–27 reserve closure, the Gliderport is a way to see the Torrey Pines bluffs from above.