The hook
On the cliffs above Black's Beach, people have been throwing themselves off the edge under a wing since 1936, and you can stand at the launch and watch, or go up yourself.
01Why it's worth it
The wind comes off the Pacific and hits these three-hundred-foot bluffs and lifts, which is why in the 1930s San Diego high schoolers started towing homemade gliders up the sand and soaring them, and why in 1936 one of them figured out how to launch from the cliff top and land back on it, opening what became the Torrey Pines Gliderport. It's one of the oldest soaring sites in the country, a designated landmark of the sport, and it's still busy: on a good afternoon a dozen paragliders and hang gliders hang in the air off the edge, right over the ocean and the nude beach far below. You can just come and watch from the cliff with a coffee from the little cafe, or book a tandem flight and be one of them. Either way it's a genuinely thrilling spot.
02How to experience it
It's on Torrey Pines Scenic Drive above Black's Beach, next to the Salk Institute, about eight hours from the Bay. Free to park and watch; tandem flights are booked with the operators on site and depend on the wind. Afternoons are usually best for lift. It pairs with the Salk Institute and Torrey Pines reserve right there.