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One of the major goals of the San Dieguito River Park is to establish a continuous open space corridor throughout the length of the Park that preserves natural habitats, protects linkages for wildlife movement, and provides compatible areas for recreational opportunities.
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RIVER PARK EVENTS
Here is a link to the San Dieguito River Park Activity Calendar.
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Located at the Sikes Adobe (see directions to the Sunset Staging area in the left column).
Every Sunday:
10:30am ~ 3:30pm
(except if Easter, 4th of July, or Christmas).
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DIRECTIONS
Bernardo Bay Natural/Staging Area: (for access to East and South Lake Hodges Trails and the Ribbon Bridge)
Take I-15 to the West Bernardo Dr./Pomerado Rd. exit. Turn left onto West Bernardo Dr. Within a half mile, you will come to the parking area on the right side of the road. ( click here for a map).
Crest Canyon:
At the San Dieguito Lagoon, turn south from Jimmy Durante onto San Dieguito Dr., which will morph into Racetrack View Drive. Crest Canyon is about 2/3 miles south from Jimmy Durante Blvd.
Del Dios Gorge/
Santa Fe Valley Staging Area: On Del Dios Highway, across the street from the Cielo Shopping Center, is the Lemon Twist Stand. The road to the staging area is within the Lemon Twist pullout, immediately south and west of the Lemon Twist stand. ( click here for a map) . Dog Beach: Dog Beach is
located to the west of Highway 101, adjacent to the Pacific Ocean, between the communities of Solana Beach and Del Mar. As in any coast city, parking is a challenge near the beach. Metered parking on Highway 101 exists and may be available. Dust Devil Nature Trail Staging Area: From Del Mar Heights Road go north on El Camino Real. The staging area will be at the edge of the San Dieguito Lagoon on your left. You will continue past the staging area, making a U-turn at San Dieguito Road, then driving south on El Camino Real to the staging area (click here for a map). Highland Valley Trail Staging Area: From I-15 head east on Pomerado Road about 1/4 mile. Turn left onto Highland Valley Drive. Within about 300 feet, turn right into the parking area. (click here for a map). Highland Valley - Old Coach Trail Staging Area:
From I-15 head east on Pomerado Road. After about 1/4 mile, turn left onto Highland Valley Drive. Drive 2.3 miles. The Staging Area will be on your right. 12460 Highland Valley Road, San Diego. (click here for a map). Ramona Grasslands Staging Area:
From I-15 head east on Pomerado Road. After about 1/4 mile, turn left onto Highland Valley Road. Drive approximately 10.5 miles up Highland Valley Road to the Ramona Grasslands. You will see the staging area and trail head on the north side of the road (click here for a map).
San Andres Drive Interpretive Kiosk: (for east end Lagoon Trail access)
End of San Andres Drive in Del Mar, off Via de la Valle, behind the Albertsons Shopping Center. (click here for a map).
SYOSP West:
The Santa Ysabel Open Space Preserve West trailhead is located on Highway 78, 1.3 miles west of Santa Ysabel, on the north side of the road. Lots of parking. Porta Potty.
SYOSP East-West:
The Santa Ysabel Open Space Preserve East-East trailhead is located on Highway 79 just south of Mission Santa Ysabel and 1.3 miles north of the town of Santa Ysabel. Another way to describe this would be to say on Highway 79, 1.3 miles north of the Highway 78/79 intersection in Santa Ysabel. You will park on the shoulder of the road, on the east side of Highway 79.
SYOSP East-East:
The Santa Ysabel Open Space Preserve East-East trailhead is located on Farmer Road, 1.25 miles north of the Farmer Road - Wynola Road intersection. You will pass the Volcan Mountain Preserve parking area immediately after turning onto Farmer Road. The SYOSP East Farmer Road trailhead is 1.25 miles further, on the left.
Santa Ysabel General Store and Backcountry Visitor Center:
30275 Highway 78, Santa Ysabel, CA. Located between Ramona and Julian at the intersection of Highways 78 and 79.
Sunset Staging Area: (access for Ribbon Bridge, Sikes Adobe, Mule Hill Trail, North Shore Trail, Bernardo Mountain) Directions: Take I-15 to Via Rancho Parkway exit, and at the exit ramp turn right at the light. Go to the light at Sunset Drive (less than a 1/4 mile) and turn right onto Sunset Drive. North County Fair Mall is on the left side of the road. This is a cul-de-sac with plenty of parking in the gated staging/parking area on the left side of the street or along the street and in the lot at the end of the cul-de-sac. (click here for a map).
Ysabel Creek Staging Area:
(for access to the middle of the San Pasqual Valley Trail system)
I-15 North towards Escondido, exit Pomerado Rd/West Rancho Bernardo Road. Take Pomerado Dr. East. After 1/4 mile, turn left from Pomerado onto Highland Valley Road, continue on Highland Valley Road for 4 miles, take left on Bandy Canyon Road to Ysabel Creek Road. Trailhead is on the corner.
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DOWNLOADPDF TRAIL MAPSfrom the links below:
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SAN PASQUAL VALLEY TO SANTA FE VALLEY BIKE RIDE
 Date: Sunday, July 7, 2013 Time: 6:30am Location: Del Dios Gorge/Santa Fe Valley Staging area. Meet at the Santa Fe Valley Staging Area and car shuttle to the San Pasqual Valley Staging Area. Join SDRVC Conservation Manager David O'Connor for a moderate 21 mile, point-to-point bike ride along the longest continuous stretch of the Coast to Crest Trail built so far.
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CHILDREN'S NATURE SCAVENGER HUNT
 Date: Sunday, July 7, 2013 Time: 10:00am Location: Santa Ysabel Open Space Preserve East-East at Farmer Road (see directions in left column) Meet at the Amphitheater at the Farmer Road Staging Area Join San Diego County Park Staff for a Children's Nature Scavenger Hunt.
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DUST DEVIL NATURE TRAIL RANGER-LED WALK
 Date: Saturday, July 13, 2013 Time: 9:00am -10:30am Location: Dust Devil Nature Trail trailhead (see directions in the left column)
Join an SDRP Park Ranger for an easy and family-friendly 1.7 mile loop walk to learn about the San Dieguito Lagoon.
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THE ART OF NATURE
 Date: Saturday, July 13, 2013 Time: 10:00am - 1:00pm Location: San Dieguito River Park Headquarters 18372 Sycamore Creek Road, Escondido Join an SDRP Park Ranger for an interpretive hike and collect natural materials to create art in the Park. Refreshments provided. SDRVC Members- Free; Non-Members- $5/person. To register contact sdrvc@sdrvc.org.
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RUN AND BIKE DUATHLON
 Date: Sunday, July 14, 2013 Time: 6:30am Location: Meet at Sunset Drive Staging Area (see directions in the left column) Join SDRVC Conservation Manager David O'Connor for a duathlon - a 10 mile run to your bicycles followed by a 10 mile bike ride back to your cars. Meet at the Sunset Staging Area to drop off bicycles and then drive to the San Pasqual Valley Staging Area for this 20 mile out-and-back run and bike ride. Strenuous.
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YOGA AT DOG BEACH
 Date: Saturday, July 20, 2013 Time: 9:00am - 12:00pm Location: San Andreas Drive Information Kiosk (see directions in left column) Join Susan McCrea for a hike to the beach for yoga. Donations to SDRVC appreciated.
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ALL ABOUT JULIAN PROGRAM
 Date: Saturday, July 20, 2013 Time: 10:00am Location: Santa Ysabel Open Space Preserve East-East (see directions in left column)
Join the San Diego County Park Staff at the Farmer Road Amphitheater for the "All About Julian!" program.
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HIKE UNDER THE FULL MOON
 Date: Sunday, July 21, 2013 Time: 6:30pm - 9:30pm Location: Santa Ysabel Open Space Preserve West (see directions in left column) Join San Diego County Park Staff for an evening hike under a full moon. Learn about nocturnal animals. Bring a flashlight (but plan to not use it).
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SUNSET/MOONLIGHT HIKE TO THE BERNARDO MOUNTAIN SUMMIT
 Date: Monday, July 22, 2013 Time: 6:15pm - 9:30pm Location: Bernardo Bay Natural Area (see directions in left column) Join an SDRP Park Ranger for a 7 mile out-and-back sunset/moonlight hike to the Bernardo Mountain Summit. Sunset coincides with a super full moonrise at 7:50pm. Bring a flashlight (but plan to not use it). Strenuous.
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LONG BOARD SURFING LESSONS
 Date: Saturday, July 17, 2013 Time: 9:00am Location: Dog Beach, Del Mar (see directions in left column) Join Scott Boaz for long board surfing lessons and support SDRVC. Bring your own board, or one may be provided for you. SDRVC members - $30/person; non-members- $55/person. Limit 10 people. RSVP to sdrvc@sdrvc.org.
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PEOPLE AND PLACES OF THE PARK
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NEW LIFE AT LAKE HODGES
by: Elaine and Gary Davis
 The addition of a foot or so of water has given Lake Hodges new life. Carp are very active spawning in the newly created grassy marshes. Water fowl are nesting and feeding in the marsh. The new habitat has attracted a rare sighting....a bald eagle! We were surprised to see a majestic bald eagle on a dead tree just off shore on the edge of Bernardo Bay. We watched him fly across the lake to a cove formed by Green Valley Creek creating quite a chatter from the water fowl. The eagle snagged a spawning fish and enjoyed his meal on a shoreline rock. After watching the eagle eat for about 15 minutes, he circled the cove with what remained of his big fish secure in his talons before flying west along the south shore disappearing into the rocky hills to the SW. Wonder if they have a nest? The willowy area to the east along Green Valley Creek is also home to a pair of White Tail Kites who have raised 15 young over the last 3 years. The parents now are nurturing 3 juveniles who recently fledged. We still have at least a month to watch the parents hover and hunt for prey and deliver to the JV's in mid air transfers. They are exciting to watch along with the mallard ducklings, avocets, egrets, grebes, herons, blue grosbeaks, black wing black birds, California Threshers, bush tits, and western blue birds just to name a few. As retirees. we are lucky we can walk from our home in Westwood and watch nature at work at this amazing wildlife sanctuary. You should join us, you never know what you will see around the next turn in the trail, and if you are lucky, a majestic bald eagle will make your day!
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LAGOON DAYS
by Ranger Leana Bulay
 More than 600 Del Mar third graders participated in the annual Lagoon Days, deemed the "Superbowl of Environmental Education Outreach." The students visited six stations and learned about native plants, wildlife, bird identification, water quality, the lagoon ecosystem, poetry and art.
This year the River Park, Sand Dieguito River Valley Conservancy, SDG&E, Del Mar Union School District, U.S. Geological Survey and Wild Coast participated. This program complements third grade State of California Science Standards. Lagoon Days was started over a decade ago and continues to expand and improve every year. Thank you to all volunteers that shared their time to teach these students the importance of our ecosystem.
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GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS AND THE SAN DIEGUITO RIVER PARK
by Maria V. Villegas
Over the past year, there have been many great discoveries during our progress in the San Dieguito River Park. Geographic Information Systems, or GIS, has shown to be a great tool to spatially analyze and display San Dieguito River Park progress. In addition, maps can be generated for general planning purposes and for display so our park community can get a better grasp on the scope of the park and what we are trying to accomplish.
One of the focal points of the San Dieguito River Park is our trail system. A primary goal is to continue making progress in the trail system throughout the park. The Coast To Crest Trail, when complete, will extend the entire length of the river park from the Pacific Ocean to the Vulcan Mountain peak for a total of over 70 miles. Using GIS, we have discovered that 45 miles of the Coast To Crest Trail are complete. There are 19 miles of other trails for use throughout the park as well. So, presently, the San Dieguito River Park has 64 miles of open trails for our park community to use. All of these trail lie within our Focused Planning Area of 94,000 acres! That is a wide expanse of land. 56,970 acres of that land is open space, which is 62% of the Focused Planning Area.
As the San Dieguito River Park continues to make progress and accomplish goals, Geographic Information Systems will be able to assist in planning aspects as well as spatially displaying these accomplishments.
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SAN DIEGUITO RIVER TURTLE TRAPPING PROGRAM
by: Elayna Flanders
 San Dieguito River Park staff have recently partnered with the San Diego Natural History Museum to conduct Southern Pacific Pond Turtle surveys. The Southern Pacific Pond Turtle (SPPT) is the only native freshwater turtle in San Diego County and is a species of special concern. This program will assess the presence of SPPT at the Del Dios Gorge site and also aid in the identification and reduction in the number of non-native turtle species. Non-native turtles are widely viewed as problem species for the native SPPT by competing for several natural resources and having potential threats as vectors for disease and parasites.
With the help of our dedicated volunteers, the turtle-trapping program has been implemented in a portion of the San Dieguito River below Lake Hodges Dam. Ten different ponds have been selected for trap placement. The traps are baited with a can of sardines and set for 5 consecutive days and are checked daily to remove any captured animals. Captured turtles are sexed, measured, and marked. Measurements include carapace length, carapace width, carapace height, plastron length, and weight. Native turtles will be released and all non-native turtles removed and made available for adoption to the members of the San Diego Turtle and Tortoise Society. Other animal species captured in the traps will be recorded and included in the results.
Two sessions have already been completed and the park plans to set up four more weeks of trapping. Although we have not found any SPPT, there have been over fifteen non-native turtles removed from the ponds along with various fish species.
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A CHILD'S VOICE
by Lyric Chavez
 Lyric Chavez is a third grader at Hannalie Elementary School in Vista who has been volunteering for the past few years. She is passionate about nature and all the plants and animals that live within it. Lyric started by weeding and watering the native plants she grew in her green house. She then began collecting seeds in Santa Ysabel and took over caring for the 20 oaks that were planted last year at Santa Ysabel Gorge. She hopes to become a Park Ranger when she grows up.
"I love to help with plants because I care so much about nature" says Lyric.
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UNTIL NEXT TIME.......
 All of us in the San Dieguito River Park office are working hard to improve your Park and to make it available to you for recreation and education. Please feel free to contact me with Riverscape comments or requests.
Leana@sdrp.org or (858) 674-2275 x14.
Interpretive Ranger and Riverscape Editor, Leana Bulay.
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