The San Diego River Mouth

What a San Diego treasure.
I’ve run the path on both sides of the San Diego Rover estuary and walked the sand and marsh upstream at low tide.
Dog beach is great. Adults, children and pets having a great time where the river literally meets the ocean.
Feral cats. On the north side of the river on the barrier (there must be a proper word for it) separating the river from the entrance channel to Mission Bay. There’s a hole in the fence you should go through. As the waves wash over the cement, flocks of birds swoop in the look for snacks,
Marshes. Sand tuns to sparse sea oats which transforms into marshes. Huge flocks of migratory birds hang out here. inland from the bridges, platoons of egrets slowly march through the water as they feed. In deeper water cormorants slide beneath the water and reappear 15 – 20 yards away.
Birders of every variety from aging hippies to serious looking seniors with their Lands End gear, binoculars and fancy cameras check birds off their life time lists.
Note: a couple of Unilocalers warn about getting hassled by homeless guys along the bike paths. I haven’t seen any.

OB has crabs! Seriously, they do ;) There is a lot of wildlife in this smallish area that upon first glance looks somewhat barren and boring. Do not be fooled tho. Take a closer look. This is a unique lil ecosystem with something to see at every turn. Take a moment to check it out. You won’t be disappointed :)

I just love coming here. Beside dog beach and it’s just a great place to walk and sight-​see. The nature and pure beauty of it makes it a great walk.

Sometimes ure forced to go on field trips and end up having fun. I always liked sight-​seeing. Going to the beach or camping or to tahoe is always fun. And I didn’t think this trip would measure up but its pretty nice out there. There’s a lot to see and plenty of wildlife to observe. Should bring a camera because there’s a lot of good nature shots out there. Bring a jacket though because its windy.

Adjacent to Dog Beach and running alongside the San Diego River Bike Trail is a «Living Museum» known as the San Diego River Mouth. This is the point where the Pacific Ocean meets the San Diego River tributary and a unique coastal environment is created. At one time, many of these habitats flourished all up and down the coast-​now few remain.
The San Diego River Mouth is also important-​not only for allowing people to experience nature, but also because the site is replete with history. The original indigenous inhabitants of San Diego’s coastal regions were the Kumeyaay Indians who would travel down to the River Mouth at seasonal times to fish, catch game, dig for mussels and shellfish. At that time, the area was replete with food for the Native-​Americans to forage and hunt for.
Now-​a-​days-​though the site still continues to provide food and homes for wildlife; it has been victimized by erosion, flooding, and pollution. Water quality in the area is a major concern; there are frequent pollution closures of the beach and River shore. Surfrider and Coast-​Keeper beach cleanups of the area and greater sewage spill controls have somewhat stopped the degradation and volunteers with the San Diego River Park foundation are working to restore the native flora and fauna.
Right now the River Mouth is easily accessible as it is immediately adjacent to Dog Beach. Also a path and information kiosk is directly north off the San Diego River bike path. Rocks and wooden fencing mark the walking-​tour and it is very important to stay on the path as particular plants are very sensitive to the impact of too much foot traffic. Visitors don’t want to trample endangered plants like the salt grass or fragile beach primrose. Going «off-​road» also scares off habitat wildlife such as the side-​blotched lizard or skittish endangered birds such as the marsh-​nesting Least Tern.
The San Diego River Mouth is a rich natural resource made up of a mixture of sand dune, marsh, and inter-​tidal communities. The dunes help to form a barrier while the marsh offers a soggy soil for the plants and animals to flourish in. The inter-​tidal region receives both fresh water from the San Diego River and salt water from the ocean at high tide. These 3 unique environments all work together to provide a rich and vibrant habitat that is The San Diego River Mouth-​a «Living Museum.»