The WWII bunkers hiding on Point Loma, and the ones you can actually see
Cabrillo National Monument holds 21 old military structures from the coastal defenses that guarded San Diego Bay in both world wars. You can see the Battery Ashburn command bunker between the main parking lot and the lighthouse, the 'They Stood the Watch' exhibit in an old radio station, and more ruins along the Bayside Trail.
- Military structures
- 21
- Built
- 1918–1943
- Biggest guns
- 16-inch
- Exhibit closes
- 5 p.m.
Inside the monument (NPS)
Searchlights, batteries, stations
Battery Ashburn
NPS hours
The short version
- The National Park Service counts 21 military fortifications inside Cabrillo National Monument, from World War I and World War II coastal defenses.
- The 'bunker' near the lighthouse is the Battery Command and Base End Station for Battery Ashburn, which had Point Loma's biggest guns.
- Battery Ashburn was one of five batteries of Fort Rosecrans: Woodward, Strong, Ashburn, Cabrillo and Humphreys.
- After 1945 the guns were dismantled and sold for scrap.
- The Military History Exhibit, 'They Stood the Watch,' is housed in a former Army radio station and closes at 5 p.m.
Most people come to Cabrillo National Monument for the statue, the old lighthouse and the tide pools. The hillside around them hides something else: concrete bunkers, searchlight shelters and fire-control stations from the decades when Point Loma was a fortress guarding the mouth of San Diego Bay. Some sit right beside the main walkway; others are half-swallowed by sage scrub along the Bayside Trail.
Point Loma as a fortress
- 1918
Army starts building
Searchlight bunkers, fire-control stations and gun batteries go up on the point
- 1941–45
Wartime watch
Fort Rosecrans batteries, including Battery Ashburn's 16-inch guns, cover the bay entrance
- 1945
Guns scrapped
Coastal forts declared obsolete; guns dismantled and sold for scrap
- TodayNow
Inside a national park
21 structures remain in the monument; an exhibit tells the story
- 1918
Army starts building
Searchlight bunkers, fire-control stations and gun batteries go up on the point
- 1941–45
Wartime watch
Fort Rosecrans batteries, including Battery Ashburn's 16-inch guns, cover the bay entrance
- 1945
Guns scrapped
Coastal forts declared obsolete; guns dismantled and sold for scrap
- NowToday
Inside a national park
21 structures remain in the monument; an exhibit tells the story
Sources: National Park Service and Cabrillo National Monument volunteer historians (CNM VIP Voice). Checked November 6, 2026.
What you can see on one visit
- 01
The Battery Ashburn bunker
Between the main parking lot and the lighthouse. Its formal name is the Battery Command and Base End Station: soldiers here spotted targets and fed bearings to the guns. The roofs were camouflaged to look like large rocks.
- 02
'They Stood the Watch'
The Military History Exhibit, inside a former Army radio station, explains how the harbor defenses worked. It closes at 5 p.m., like the lighthouse.
- 03
The Bayside Trail
A trail of about 2.5 miles round trip from near the old lighthouse down the bay side of the point. Concrete remains of the defense system, including observation bunkers and searchlight positions, sit along it. It closes earlier than the rest of the park.
- 04
The view they were built for
From the overlooks you can see why the Army wanted this ridge: every ship entering the bay passes below.
5
Fort Rosecrans batteries
Woodward, Strong, Ashburn, Cabrillo, Humphreys
~2.5 mi
Bayside Trail
Round trip
9–5
Park hours
Exhibits close at 5 p.m.
Entrance fees, parking and the tide-pool schedule are in the full Cabrillo National Monument guide. Active-duty military and veterans should check the military discounts first.
Is this still right?
We last checked this tip against its sources on November 6, 2026, and we re-research every tip on a schedule. Things in San Diego change, sometimes overnight.
Prices, fees, hours and rules change, often at the start of a year or season. Confirm with the official source linked below before you rely on a number.
This is general information, not legal, financial, tax, medical or safety advice.
KEEP READING
SOURCES
Everything above traces back to one of these. Follow them — if one has changed and we haven't, that's our mistake, not yours.
- PrimaryPress kit
National Park Service, Cabrillo National Monument · Checked November 6, 2026
21 military fortifications; WWII bunkers and 'They Stood the Watch' exhibit
- PrimaryOperating hours & seasons
National Park Service · Last updated November 26, 2025; checked November 6, 2026
Military History Exhibit and lighthouse close at 5 p.m.
CNM VIP Voice (park volunteers) · Checked November 6, 2026
Battery Ashburn station; five Fort Rosecrans batteries; guns scrapped after 1945
- BackgroundCoastal defense
CNM VIP Voice (quoting NPS) · Checked November 6, 2026
Army built searchlight bunkers, fire-control stations and batteries 1918–1943; exhibit in old radio station
San Diego State University exhibit · Checked November 6, 2026
Bunker roofs camouflaged as rocks