New Public Trail at the San Dieguito Lagoon!

We are celebrating the completion of an 84-acre wetland restoration project and a new public trail at the San Dieguito Lagoon! The one-mile Tidal Trail paralleling El Camino Real overlooks tidal salt marsh newly restored by Caltrans in partnership with SANDAG and the JPA. JPA Board Chair San Diego Councilmember Joe LaCava credited the project’s success on the strong partnership between local and state agencies, adding “Today is really just the beginning of the importance of this project. Trail connections, sea level rise resiliency, migratory bird habitat – all aspects that we will see come to fruition with these enhancements.”

San Dieguito Lagoon Wetland Restoration Phase 2 is a key component of SANDAG’s North Coast Corridor (NCC) Program. This lagoon restoration project expands and complements previous lagoon restoration completed by Southern California Edison in 2012. Approximately 84 acres of former agricultural fields and other degraded land was converted and restored to tidal wetlands. In total, 64 acres of tidal salt marsh, 15 acres of brackish wetlands, a mixture of saltwater and freshwater, and an additional 5 acres of habitat bordering the river were restored. Ridgway’s Rail, Least Bell’s Vireo, and coastal California gnatcatcher have already been seen in the restored native habitat.