No matter what the calendar says, summertime hits San Diego pretty early. You may have to accept some May grey or June gloom, but aside from that the weather gets really nice really early in the year.

Obviously in a place like this, you have a lot of options as the weather warms up. The late spring is a great time to go hiking around San Diego county… not so hot that you feel like you’re going to melt if you’re inland, and all the plants are blooming. It’s the time of year that San Diego has plenty of green.

On the other hand, mid to late summer is not the best time for hiking, at least not without plenty of water, in many parts of San Diego. Temperatures inland can easily break 100 degrees for much of the summer in the inland areas. However, there are nice areas along the cost for hiking.

The ocean along San Diego is fairly nice, if not as warm as in some other popular summer destinations. But most of the beaches are sandy and warm. You may occasionally see dolphins at play, and at certain times of year can even spot whales off the coast.

If you’re thinking about a summer trip to the San Diego area, come prepared for sun. While days can start and end cloudy sometimes, hence the terms May grey and June gloom, overall days here tend to be quite warm in summer. In some parts it remains quite warm into the night.

Bring sunscreen. Bring light clothing. Bring a light sweater or jacket for evenings if you’re concerned about being cold in the evenings. Depending on where you are, you may or may not need it. Bring your swimming gear. Bring snorkling gear if you want to check out La Jolla Cove.

Plan for fun. Sea World, Legoland, even Disneyland if you care to take a bit of an extra drive. Lots of great amusement parks within reach for the entire family.

If you like, you can even combine old style theme park with a trip to the beach. Belmont Park has a wooden roller coaster as well as other rides. There’s shopping and fun to be had, and of course Mission Beach just steps away.

Make time to explore Balboa Park. You’ll find tons of great museums, not to mention the San Diego Zoo there. Balboa Park alone can take days to explore even partially, and the architecture is generally beautiful. Add in the various gardens, and you could plan just about your entire vacation in this one area.

San Diego in summertime is fun for adults with or without children. You can laze about on the beach or rush about seeing everything there is to be seen here. It’s up to you.

Stephanie Foster blogs at http://www.gettoknowsandiego.com/ about San Diego attractions. Get more information about popular San Diego beaches at http://www.gettoknowsandiego.com/category/san-diego/beaches/