Mt. Soledad

A 29-foot concrete cross has stood atop Mt. Soledad since 1954, the third built on the site after its wood and stucco predecessors were torn down and rebuilt over four decades. Six granite walls around the base now carry more than 1,600 plaques memorializing individual veterans and military units. The cross became the target of a church-state lawsuit filed in 1989, and the dispute over public ownership of the land didn't end until a private association bought the parcel from the Department of Defense in 2015. From 822 feet up, the overlook takes in the Pacific, downtown, Coronado and on clear days the hills of Mexico, with free parking and no admission charge.