Tijuana Estuary in South San Diego

San Diego County has many parks, nature preserves, and trails for residents and visitors that extend from the desert to the mountains to the coast.

In San Diego, only a few nature preserves are actually located in federally protected wildlife refuges and only one is situated within three miles of Mexico. These 2,500 acres of coastal wetlands have multiple names: the South San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge, the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve, and the Tijuana Slough. For purposes of this article, we will call it by its shorter name, the Tijuana Estuary.

Finding your way down to the Tijuana Estuary is an exercise in faith - just when you think you have gone too far, you will arrive. The Estuary is located on one side of Seacoast Drive in Imperial Beach. The other side of Seacoast Drive is the Pacific Ocean. Essentially, the Tijuana Estuary is so close to the ocean that you can hear the waves crash onto the shorelines.

This special area marks the spot where the Tijuana River meets the Pacific Ocean. The bulk of the Estuary (three quarters of the reserve's watershed) is actually in Mexico. This refuge is Southern California's only coastal lagoon that is not disturbed by roads and rail lines.

Now, when you actually go the Tijuana Estuary, you might doubt us when you see what looks like either old elevated railroad pilings or the wooden remains of a pier. The truth is that they are old wood pilings that were used to support the sewer pipeline that used to flow out of Imperial Beach and right into the ocean. Another odd part of this wildlife refuge is that you might hear the whoosh-whoosh of helicopters during your visit. Do not be alarmed. The U.S. Navy utilizes part of the preserve to perform its helicopter exercises.

Aside from these two oddities, the Tijuana Estuary offers four miles of walking trails which allow visitors to access amazing bird watching areas. It also allows access to the river mouth where the Tijuana River meets the Pacific Ocean. The combination of trails, overlooks, and bridges provide visitors with the feeling that they are in the middle of all the action without disturbing the native vegetation and migratory wildlife.

The Tijuana Estuary is one of 27 estuarine reserves in the U.S.A. devoted to education and research. The Tijuana Estuary is actually a State Park that is situated on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's land on the U.S. side of the US/Mexican border. This dual level of stewardship effectively manages the sensitive tidal habitat of so many different types of migratory birds and native vegetation.

One of the most important features of the Tijuana Estuary is that it provides migratory birds with a place to rest and recoup. The Tijuana Estuary is actually on the Pacific Flyway. In fact, San Diego marks the southernmost point in the United States for the Pacific Flyway. The term "flyway" describes the migration pathways used by birds moving from southern wintering grounds to northern breeding grounds. "Snow Birds" are not the only ones that come to San Diego to warm up!

Even if you are not that into birds, the Tijuana Estuary provides the visitor with peace and quiet in a natural setting (absent the occasional helicopter of course). It also has a very good intrepretive center that gives visitors of every age a chance to take a closer look at what they are seeing on the outside. As you enter the Visitor's Center, be sure to look down at the beautiful mosaic map of the Tijuana Estuary on both sides of the US/Mexico border.

Best of all, a nice Park Ranger or volunteer is available to answer your questions. They have handled many questions so don't be shy about asking. This is your chance to learn about the importance of maintaining one of our region's most precious resources - our coastal wetland.

Whenever a park or nature preserve includes trails, we like to point you in the right direction so that you know exactly where to go. Here are Directions and a Map of the Tijuana Estuary.

The Tijuana Estuary Visitor Center is open to the public 5 days a week, Wednesday through Sunday, from 10am to 5pm. However, the trails can be used 1/2 hour before sunrise to 1/2 hour after sunset DAILY. From the Visitor Center, visitors can easily access the trails that lead into prime bird-watching areas and to the mouth of the Tijuana River.