Connecting San Diego's Trails

by Scott Peters
May 2003

San Diego is blessed with wonderful weather that gives rise to an active, healthy and energetic community. Many families enjoy surfing, swimming, hiking, jogging, bike riding and horseback riding. Our great weather and beautiful geography give us unlimited recreational choices. That is why one of my top priorities has been to make sure that residents have maximum access to enjoy recreation in our beautiful City. We are making great progress on water quality with a 45% reduction in beach closures in just the last two years. In Rancho Penasquitos we have made great strides preserving open space with the acquisition of Montana Mirador and improvements to the Black Mountain Open Space Park. We have also made improvements to the tot lot at Ridgewood Park and we are working hard to complete the skate park. This month I am pleased to announce that we will be breaking ground on the construction of the new Shaw Valley Trail in Del Mar Mesa.

The Shaw Valley Trail will be a critical link in the larger trans-county trail network that seeks to allow hikers and riders to go from the back country to the beaches without having to hit pavement. The trail will link the extensive trail network in Penasquitos Canyon with the trails in Carmel Valley. From Penasquitos Canyon the trail will connect at the top of the Canyon in Carmel Valley's Neighborhood 10. Hikers will then be able to move down through the canyon that skirts Del Mar Mesa and hike along the ridge above the Meadows Del Mar golf course. Hikers can then drop down near the golf course entrance, cross under Carmel Country Road and emerge on the other side to connect with the CVREP trail which runs west, parallel to the SR56 freeway.

If you see machinery cutting into the slope above the Meadows golf course on the western section of Carmel Valley Road, it is part of the trail project. The area will be reinforced and replanted at the conclusion of the project. This critical link will connect Carmel Valley with Rancho Penasquitos and beyond and allow hikers, joggers and horse back riders to enjoy long rides from the back country to coastal areas.

Completing a trail network that links many of our smaller trails is an important step in creating a recreational amenity that allows us to enjoy the thousands of acres of open space that have been dedicated as part of the multiple species conservation program. Being able to ride a horse or hike along a trail reminds us of the beautiful natural environment that brought many of us to San Diego.