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    San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Reserve

    4.4 (91 reviews)

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    Celebrating my birthday with a nice stroll around San Elijo Lagoon. Beautiful day!
    Art K.

    This is such a peaceful area to walk, enjoy birdwatching and discovering the multitude of plant life that flourish within this wonderful ecosystem. There are a good number of trails on the North and South sides. You'll find a Nature Center on the North side where you can talk to rangers and docents who love sharing information about the lagoon and it's many inhabitants. On the South side you can visit the popular Annie's Canyon Trail, a slot canyon with sandstone walls ending with a surprise clinb out of the narrow canyon and then a beautiful view of San Elijo Lagoon. If you're in North County, stop by and hit the trails. There's a lot to see out there!

    Clark's Grebe
    Jessica C.

    Parking was a little tough because the center's lot is small and across it at the water center, that lot is also small. We circled around and thankfully were able to nab a spot as someone pulled out of the center! The center has clean bathrooms and animal displays. The pathway was very nice as it was along the water and there were SO many ducks in there!! I liked bird watching here and enjoyed the somewhat shaded walk. The weather was perfect too.

    The lagoons
    Heather M.

    An oasis in the middle of a residential area. We happened across the lagoon when we hiked Annie's Canyon, and I was struck by its beauty. Do yourself a favor and take the extra loop to go down by the water. You will see lots of wildlife and feel at peace.

    Signage
    Renee N.

    We came here primarily to hike Annie's Canyon but I was pleasantly surprised at what a beautiful reserve this is. I had driven past this place many times but never stopped. We arrived on a Friday afternoon and easily found parking in the lot across the street from the reserve off of Manchester Avenue. The reserve provides seven miles of trails ranging from easy to moderate to strenuous. These trails are open to hikers, runners, photographers, painters or bird watchers. There is abundant wild life here including Mule Deer, Osprey, Fiddler Crab, Pygmy Blue Butterfly and others. Trails are open daily from sunrise to sunset. We made our way through the reserve by starting on Pole Road which runs parallel to Highway 101. We then turned left onto the Peninsula trail made our way to Annie's Canyon. Beautiful views along the way and the weather was perfect in December. Nothing beats the great San Diego weather allowing me to wear a t-shirt. This is a special stopover and provides a place for migrating birds to rest and refuel. Loved spending time here and would highly recommend a visit. It's a place the whole family would enjoy.

    Natalya S.

    Easy and walkable trails, flat, stroller friendly. The trails can take you as far as to Annie's canyon on a wide loop back to the nature center. Nature center holds family friendly events, nature walks and so on. There have a few live reptiles on display and a turtle who lives outside. Rangers are always friendly and nice to chat with.

    Caroline M.

    Nice place to go for a walk. Winter doesn't make it very exciting but healthy walking is a must.

    Aurianna B.

    I love hiking up Annie's canyon every now and then. The view from the top is beautiful. You can choose to do the moderate or hard hike. I wouldn't recommend very young children or dogs for the hard one, as it requires some climbing. The construction is (finally) complete and the trails are great. It's mostly flat out by the lagoon so it's easy walking. This part is great for the kiddos! We love taking our kids out to enjoy the sunshine and get some fresh air.

    Victoria L.

    Annie's canyon trail!! Only .25 miles with slot canyons + ladders. There are two options to get up to the top of this trail. Moderate or difficult. Moderate is walking up chairs. Difficult is going through very very narrow slot canyons. The hike to get to this trail is super easy & flat. The trail is dog friendly . However, there are signs that no dogs are allowed in the difficult path of Annie's canyon trail. I attempted it with my Italian greyhound in tow. Luckily my pup is very slim and made it up easily. I did have to carry him at the ladder part though. There are also many other trails to wander! Parking is on the street. I did not have trouble finding parking on a Sunday afternoon in May. Overall, awesome hike to go with your pup!

    Beautiful

    Great day the trail is so beautiful we will continue to come enjoy this beautiful trail for many years.

    Jessica S.

    It's a nice spot for a walk, given its proximity to the water and all the sights in the vicinity, but it's not at all what we were looking for. Still, there are a few trails to choose from, which meander through the lagoon and around the beach. You're never at a loss for things to see. Parking in the area is a beast. The parking lot attached to the visitor center is teeny tiny, and seems to get packed early. There's some street parking around the neighborhood, if you can get lucky enough to find some. There aren't many signs around the trails, but it's not like you can get lost going one way or another. Just look around you; you can orient yourself by the ocean, and you'll likely see many other walkers, runners and families with kids scattered about the area.

    Kingfisher
    Heather W.

    "You are in a birding hotspot!" This is the big sign you see at the entrance of the visitor center, and they sure are correct. Within a brief time on the trails beginning at the center parking lot, we spotted an Osprey perked on one of the many sticks in the lagoon. Switching gears, we headed back on the main road to get closer to it and then discovered a kingfisher nearby! It was my first time seeing either of these birds in town and automatically made the visit a huge success. My favorite part was seeing both fly off, and pretty quickly come back with giant fish in their mouths for breakfast. What amazing water hunters they both are. *binoculars, telephoto lens, and other distance-seeing methods are highly recommended for a visit here, as all the birds are quite a bit in the distance for viewing. Funny little tidbit: if you have binoculars you can hold your phone lens up to it to take better photos. Thats why I have the ring around my kingfisher photo :P Its not easy, but with practice! The trails appear to be actively used, with lots of groups and individuals with various purposes (birding, natural enjoyment, exercise). And it should be mentioned that EVERYONE wears masks there. I really enjoyed seeing the landscaping along the path with the new bridge - lots of CA natives including California bush sunflowers and lupine in bloom. There were lots of bumblebees enjoying the flowers. I learned through the north country friend who recommended San Elijo Lagoon to me that they had a freeway widening project at the lagoon and received money to restore the wetlands. It was definitely put to good use. We casually strolled around, mostly coming for the birds and continued to see other osprey, herons, egrets, unique water fowl I can't label (one looked like a male mallard duck but with a black bill), and even an adorable kestrel perked on the telephone cords close to the PCH. For bird lovers, this really is a wonderful spot we are lucky to have. Best of all, since it includes both locals (like the osprey) and migratory visitors (like the kingfisher), visiting throughout the year will bring new bird sightings. We walked all the way to the beach from the visitor center and watched the surfers catching great waves, then made out return back. There are many more areas to explore, and it was a great first time experience. I look forward to another visit. *note that the parking lot is small but there is plenty of parking along the road. We came roughly 45 mins after the lot / center opened and found quick parking at the start of a trailhead.

    San Elijo Lagoon
    Lynn R.

    And absolutely delightful trail that goes as far or as short as you want to go. I began on the Solana Beach side with the thought that I wanted to go to Annie's canyon for the first time. It was very close, and it was a very short hike so I knew that that wasn't the end of my hiking for the day. I checked the map and continued on my way towards the beach and then headed toward the nature center to check it out. The wildflowers were in bloom everywhere so get out there now before they go away. The . California poppies are always my favorite , but there are plenty of other beautiful wildflowers of red and orange, and purple and blue, and all the sages were blooming as well. With the exception of Annie's canyon, the rest of the hike is flat and easy and picturesque the nature center is outstanding, and there are plenty of rangers there to answer your questions. There are even exhibit of snakes and tarantulas and scorpions and there are lots of incredible birds of prey to see as well as exhibit to learn about the Eco system. I could've spent hours in here. They also have a wonderful children's loop with a bridge over the marsh land. After exploring the nature center, I continued onto the lagoon trail, and then I went along the portion along Manchester Avenue, which is the only time you have to hear cars, but there were so many wildflowers along the road that I didn't mind. The lagoon bridge that crosses back over to the Solana Beach side where I started is an amazing bridge. I really enjoyed that part of the hike. The views are incredible from so many different viewpoints. once I got to the other side of the lagoon, the rest of the trail back to my car was uphill so I got a nice work out at the end of all that flat hiking. My travels took me about 6 miles total and I look forward to coming back and trying some of the other trails that I didn't get to today. Have fun and get out there. The weather is perfect in the spring time.

    Roger M.

    Great trail if you're not looking for something too intense. It's a walk in the park but for the sake of the 'gram in case you want to snap a "hiking photo." It's a dog friendly spot so you and your pooch can get your cardio on! Bring a pair of binoculars as there are heaps of local birds flocking around. Use the restroom before you hike as it can be a short while before you hit the other side of the trail (if you're with slow walkers). Otherwise you may find yourself peeing on the side of the bushes (I don't condone this). Bring a good pair of running shoes, some agua and get your run on!

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    Page 1 of 3

    Ask the Community - San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Reserve

    Review Highlights - San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Reserve

    I began on the Solana Beach side with the thought that I wanted to go to Annie's canyon for the first time.

    Mentioned in 15 reviews

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    Cottonwood Creek Park

    Cottonwood Creek Park

    4.3
    (36 reviews)
    2.7 mi

    This review is for Ted - a literal human angel…read more Ted, the park attendant in the RV in the corner of the lot, rescued a dog that I had lost while dogsitting for the first time for some new friends. When I arrived at his RV after the owner told me Kemba had been found there, Kemba was sitting in his lap, recieving some calming pats on her head after a very stressful last 90 minutes of wandering away and being found shivering in a bathroom stall. On top of the stress and frustration at myself for allowing that to happen, I comforted by Ted's warmth towards her upon her discovery, and by his warm, sincerely helpful demeanor that he demonstrated while explaining the story to me - the embarrassed and stressed dog sitter who had made a mistake. I so appreciate Ted's presence at Cottonwood Park. He said he helps with a lot of conflict resolutions in the parking lot, which I really respect, because I used to do conflict resolution for over 4 years in courts and interpersonally. I didn't tell him that, but I felt his grounded, service-oriented presence and quiet contributions that he likely makes to everyone who passes through. Thanks so much for your help - and for helping Kemba, who is now snuggled up next to my leg under a blanket

    Your park hours listed here are until 10pm. If that is not accurate you all need to update it. My…read moreson and I used to love this park, but tonight at 8:20, about 15 minutes after the sun went down I was sitting in the parking lot finishing writing a segment for work. The grounds keeper (I assume that's who he was) came up to my car with a flash light and started screaming at me to "get outta here" you're the only car left! I asked him what the hours were because I had seen 10pm on this site (yelp) and I was just sitting there not bothering anyone. He said it closed at dusk, I asked if there was a sign he could show me or if it showed an actual sign, to which he yelled at me again to "get the f outta here" while flashing his light at me through my window with my 5 year old son in the back I don't think he realized was with me who I am now calming down because it was a scary interaction as a woman to be screamed at and a flashlight in my face by a random man, who did not identify himself and just yelled out at me to get out. I have never experience anything that scary at a friendly and happy park that we were frequent visitors at, but safe to say we won't be back and hopefully I can find other places to report him as thats not a safe environment with someone like that, nor have I ever been ran out of a family park parking lot by a strange unidentified man. I've also attached a photo that shows the park on maps and yelp says open til 10pm, as well as Facebook. Either way, the behavior was completely unacceptable for a random man it seems like the park allows to live and park there in a trailer and harass anyone, especially a woman since he saw I was alone and defenseless and with a young child.

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    Doggie area for sniffin'
    Doggie area for sniffin'
    Cottonwood Creek Park
    Cottonwood Creek Park

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    The Hideaways

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    4.0
    (4 reviews)
    8.3 mi

    This playground is nothing short of amazing. It's huge, has plenty of offerings for kids of all…read moreages, and is spread out enough that even when it's crowded, there's plenty of room for kids to run around without interference. I will say, however, that this place is so big that you can very easily lose track of your kids. There were a few times on our last visit where I was scanning the playground for a minute or two trying to find one of my kids after looking after another one for a bit. But don't worry. There really is only one in and out so you don't have to worry about kids wandering off if you are around that bottleneck point. This is a great attraction that I hope the park never gets rid of. It offers kids a space to run around & just goof off and be kids while also blowing off steam. The only point of improvement I can think of if maybe offer some more (shaded) seating for parents. On hot days that would be greatly appreciated.

    This playground is located within Legoland. My grandson requested to come to this playground as we…read moremade our way to the top of the amusement park. He remembered it very well from our past visits. It is a second story playground and it is big enough for adults to shadow your littles if needed. On this day it looked as though an employee was monitoring at the top. I'm not sure if it was because it was near closing time or they are there for the safety of the little ones. There is a short wall that you could sit on to watch your kids from afar, This grand playground is great for the kids to burn some energy that's for sure! The kids have fun running place to place it makes me want to join them. If you haven't visit this playground it is a must. P.S. Grab some Apple Fries beforehand from the stand adjacent to the playground. Great snacking as you watch the play.

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    Poinsettia Community Park

    Poinsettia Community Park

    4.5
    (55 reviews)
    7.3 mi

    It was the perrrfect day to plant 25 trees at Poinsettia Community Park in celebration of Arbor…read moreDay. This event was well received by the community...more than 30 people (mixed age groups) showed up to volunteer. It was AWESOME!! This beauuutiful 42-acre park contains the largest public tennis complex in the city (10 tennis courts and 6 pickleball courts), basketball court, baseball/softball fields, a multi-sport turf arena, alongside a modern playground, designated dog park area, and shaded picnic areas. Major pluses are restrooms, drinking fountains, and free parking. I definitely recommend this green space and family-friendly park to the Yelp Community :-)

    This park is one of my favorites! It is so well taken care of with so many amenities that includes…read morean off-leash dog park separated by small and large dog areas, all the sports courts and my particular favorite, the pickleball courts. The few times I've been here has been enjoyable and everyone (including dogs) have been very amicable. The dog park is very well kept and like how they have some little obstacles courses for the dogs. The pickleball courts are also very nice but there are some areas that have been worn out, mostly behind the baseline. But nice seating area and efficient paddle system to rotate people in and out. I only wish it was closer to me.

    Photos
    Pickleball courts
    Pickleball courts
    TEN tennis courts. NO pickleball allowed on these courts
    TEN tennis courts. NO pickleball allowed on these courts
    Dog park sitting area...my Rudi enjoying some shade.

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    Dog park sitting area...my Rudi enjoying some shade.

    San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Reserve - parks - Updated July 2026

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