Choose among several directions from the trailhead with a moderate descent at the start. This is San Elijo Lagoon's south side. Walk into riparian woodlands and coastal sage scrub, with intimate views of the salt marsh, all hosting a wide variety of birds and plants. The following trails branch from Rios:
LAGOON INLET VIEWS
The inlet is inaccessible (no trails), but is viewed from the Pole Road Trail. The beach area is not within the reserve, but is also a great place to view the inlet's opening. The inlet is a vital corridor providing tidal circulation for the lagoon, and feeding, nesting, and nursery grounds for many species of fishes and birds. It is maintained on an annual basis due to tidal restrictions imposed by existing infrastructure (such as roads).
POLE ROAD TRAIL
The Pole Road trail begins at Rios trail and heads west toward the ocean. It then bends north paralleling the railroad tracks overhead. You can take the first north fork and walk to the Isthmus to watch migratory birds or continue on the Pole Road to the lagoon inlet for its views. Focus your binoculars and cameras for incredible opportunities to see osprey, cormorants on the power poles at the inlet, waterfowl, and the rare Clapper Rail that nest in this area. Along the way you pass behind the Solana Beach Pumping Station that sends our sewage under the lagoon to the treatment facility in Cardiff (a beautiful walk). You’ll pass by former settling ponds before the sewage was pumped underground, a historical feature of wetland use in history. This trail also features the Conservancy’s most recent native vegetation project where the old digester tank was situated. At the end of the Pole Road you can see the foundation remnants of the former kelp processing plant.
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DIRECTIONS
Solana Beach (West of I-5)
- I-5 to Lomas Santa Fe exit
- West on Lomas Santa Fe
- Right on Rios Avenue
- Drive to end of Rios Avenue, and park curbside.
Great Blue Heron (Photo: D. Ancinec)
