Del Mar Heights, San Diego, CA

At the end of Mira Montana Drive, beside Del Mar Heights Elementary, a small cul-de-sac trailhead leads straight into the Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve Extension. That is the defining fact of Del Mar Heights, a hilly coastal neighborhood at the far northwest edge of San Diego that sits between the city of Del Mar and Interstate 5, with Carmel Valley across the freeway. The Extension was added to the reserve in 1970, and its trails loop among Torrey pines and sculpted sandstone bluffs. The Margaret Fleming Nature Trail and the Red Ridge Trail look out over Los Peñasquitos Lagoon, the state beach and the ocean. Dogs and bikes are not allowed, and parking is mostly on the street. Crest Canyon Open Space adds another canyon trail close by. Homes in Del Mar Heights started as classic California ranch houses on generous lots, and the streets now show every stage since, from original single-story places to custom houses built to catch the view. The neighborhood sits a little above the coast, so ocean breezes are common and some homes have long Pacific views. Gated condo communities such as Del Mar Bluffs and Casa Del Mar offer an attached option. Daily errands center on the shopping strip along Del Mar Heights Road near the freeway, where Vons sits next to a run of small restaurants. Seasurf is the local seafood room, known for its uni pasta and towering seafood platters. Down on Carmel Valley Road, the Bird Rock Coffee Roasters cafe has a big patio looking over the reserve and the lagoon, which makes it the easy choice for a morning coffee. The Del Mar Heights Road interchange puts Interstate 5 at the neighborhood's doorstep, and the shops and restaurants of the Del Mar village are just up the coast. Carmel Valley's offices and larger centers are across the freeway to the east. Choice is thin close to home. Beyond the one main shopping strip, almost everything social means a short drive, and the reserve's no-dogs rule sends dog walkers elsewhere. In exchange, a walk among Torrey pines starts where the sidewalk ends.