Harbor Island Moon Walk

Can Tuesdays ever be romantic? Next Tuesday (March 10) truly is, by virtue of the full moon rising nearly at the time of sunset.

Start the evening with an easy stroll. What better place is there to do that than Harbor Island’s sidewalk? It’s widely regarded as offering some of the best bay and city views. As the pumpkin-like moon silently launches itself right over the twilight-bathed city skyline (around 7 p.m.), place your lover in a spoon-like embrace facing east, make an “O” in the shape of the moon with your lips, and plant a warm, wet kiss on the back of his or her neck.

On Harbor Island, the curved bayside sidewalk stretches more than a mile. You’re best off viewing the moonrise from the far west end, near Tom Ham’s Lighthouse restaurant. From that vantage the rising moon looks larger-than-life due to its looming over the relatively distant and diminished-in-stature downtown office and condominium towers.

Full moonrises are a dime a dozen, yet only a few each year can be seen from coastal San Diego. That’s because the gray marine layer often obscures the view on evenings between May and September.

Harbor Island offers a water surface spreading eastward, so as time goes on and moon climbs higher, you get glimmers of reflected moonlight. Those glimmers eventually multiply into a shimmering “glitter path” across the bay.

Where else can you enjoy a similar moonrise experience? Shelter Island offers an excellent moonrise/skyline alignment in April, September, and October. At Mission Beach, the place to be is on the Bayside Walk, just east of Mission Boulevard. At Coronado, try the bayshore footpath running from the Old Ferry Landing to Tidelands Park. In North County try the nature trail along the north shore of Batiquitos Lagoon, starting at the end of Gabbiano Lane in Carlsbad. A few minutes walk east takes you to a point very near the lagoon shoreline.

If you miss the March full moon, try again a month later on the evening of Thursday, April 9. On that date, the full moon rises into the darkening sky at around 7:50 p.m., about one-half hour after the time of sunset.

Harbor Island moon walk
Catch the moon rising over San Diego Bay and the skyline.
Distance from downtown San Diego: 2 miles
Hiking/biking length: 1-2 miles
Difficulty: Easy