Tijuana River Estuary in Imperial Beach, San Diego: A Paradise of Birds
Written: Sep 30 '09 (Updated Oct 01 '09)
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Pros: Great escape into the quiet marsh to hang with things that chirp rather than talk.
Cons: It's a bit out of the way. Lack of funding is showing, too.
The Bottom Line: Very well worth visiting especially if in Imperial Beach area of San Diego and like hiking, solitude, birds. View is very good on clear days and sucky on foggy ones.
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| smorg's Full Review: Tijuana River National Estuary |
The Tijuana River Estuary (http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=669) in Imperial Beach on the southern shore of San Diego is a large intertidal salt marsh where the Tijuana (pronounced Tee-HWA-na) River flows into the Pacific Ocean (the main river is off to the south side of the march, though the visitor center is on the north side) near the Californian and Mexican international border. Designated as the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve (TRNERR), this 1,735 square mile reserve containing the Tijuana Estuary, The Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge, and Border Field State Park is only one of 27 such estuaries in the USA. A quarter of it is in California and the rest in Mexico. It is jointly managed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the California Department of Parks and Recreation.
Tucked at a northwest corner of the Estuary is the Visitor Center, the Orchid Award winning facility designed by Rob Quickley that houses nature exhibits, audio-visual equipped classrooms, library, offices, and the Clapper Rail's Nest Gift Shop where you can find good educational brochures, videos, field guides, and other souvenir items. All proceeds go to the Friends of San Diego Refuges (an organization worth supporting!).
The view from the streets bordering it has nothing on the views inside the Estuary. There are 4 miles' worth of hiking trails and even a few equestrian ones in the south part of the reserve (the nearby stables have horses for rent!). The North Beach Trail extending for ¾ mile southward from the end of Imperial Beach's boardwalk to the mouth of the Tijuana River is one of the only three hiking trails on the Reserve where dogs are allowed (the others being the mile long River Mouth Trail running along the Reserve's 5th St boundary with the Navy Landing Field, and South McCoy Trail extending west from the southern terminus of River Mouth Trail to a scenic view point overlooking the river delta).
Horse-riding enthusiasts among us can enter the park either from Sunset Ave entrance or the one at the northeast corner of Tijuana River Valley County Park on Saturn Blvd. The horse trail takes you south all the way to the International Border, and west - through a scenic viewpoint at Border Field State Park - to South Beach Trail, a mile and a half beachfront track from the mouth of the Tijuana River to the Mexican Border, literally a long fly ball away from Tijuana's famous Bullfighting Ring. Be sure to call ahead (phone number listed at the bottom of this article) to check the trails' status if you plan on riding, though.
The Estuary is mainly a shallow water wetland that experiences extreme changes in stream-flow through out the year, thanks to San Diego's arid seaside Mediterranean climate (if you've been to the US Southwest, you know how it is... the rivers are dry most of the year, then it would rain somewhere up the stream and cause a flash flood down the river). The only part of it that is wet all year round is along the river's main channel. The rest of the 'marsh' sort of vary. You can actually find cacti growing side by side with marsh plants! Many species of rare birds use the Tijuana River Estuary as breeding ground and/or stopover point during their annual migration (San Diego is on the Pacific Flyway). Six known endangered species frequent the area along with more than 370 species of migratory and native birds.
You can roam around the Estuary on your own or sign up for one of the Reserve's guided walking tours on weekends. The trails are well marked and periodically equipped with restrooms.... in variable state of well-keptedness (all the national parks are hurting for funding in this economy!). All plants, animals, and physical objects (like shells or rocks) here are protected, of course, so no souvenir-gathering is allowed. This place being so close to the International Border with Mexico, it is a good idea to have a valid picture ID with you at all time... just to avoid any possible misunderstanding. Fishing, shrimping, and clamming are allowed at the beach, but not in the Reserve itself.
At the southwestern corner of the Reserve is Border Field State Park. Perched on a seaside bluff with good panoramic view of the ocean, the estuary, and even clear into Mexico, keep an eye out for an old marker that was placed here after the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1851 to mark the western terminus of the USA/Mexico International Border.
Getting there:
The Tijuana River Estuary is easily accessed. Take the Coronado Ave exit west from I-5 (Coronado warps into Imperial Beach Blvd after a while), then turn left on 3rd Ave until you see the Reserve's entrance on your left.
A few photos to entice you with:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2548/3969537583_b294e4cba3.jpg (A Great Egret)
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3536/3970309110_363fd4097f_b.jpg (Visitor Center)
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3423/3970308484_f1a23037b9_b.jpg (A trail head from the northwest corner of the Estuary)
Tijuana River Estuary:301 Caspian Way, Imperial Beach, CA 91932 Tel. (619) 575-3613, Fax (619) 575-6913
Visitor Center Hours: Wed-Sun: 10AM-5PM
Website: http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=669
Recommended:
Yes
Best time to go: September-November
Recommended for: Anybody
Review Topic: Overview
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Epinions.com ID:
smorg
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Member: Smorg
Location: Southern California, USA
Reviews written: 208
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