TIJUANA RIVER VALLEY Information

	TIJUANA RIVER VALLEY TRAILS
	Equestrian Trail Information
	Beach, Mesas,		Current Weather
	California Trails Main

Tijuana River Valley Trails

DAY USE ONLY

Trailhead Coordinates: 32.55588, -117.08424

Located on the US and Mexico border west of Interstate 5, and bounded by the Pacific Ocean, the Tijuana River Valley trail system covers an area of 3,000acres of forest; mesas; agriculture; city, county, state, and federal parkland, miles of beach and miles upon miles of trails.

The main trail staging area for horse trailers and picnicking access into the Tijuana River Valley trails network is located on Hollister Street. There is potable water, no restrooms, and pull through parking for about 10 trailer rigs in the staging area. Immediately east is the Hollister Street Ranger House. There are no restrooms at the house when it is (normally) closed, but there are two horse stalls, potable fresh water for humans and horses, a hitching post, and a lovely bird and butterfly garden with picnic amenities. Visit trvea.org for more information.

Beach riding starts at the Mexico / USA border and goes northward for about 1.5 miles to the Tijuana River Estuary. Warning - The estuary has fast and dangerous currents and on its north side is Imperial Beach where horses are not welcome. You may ride in the ocean and on the beach, but are advised to stay on the portion of the beach that has wet, hard packed sand. There are small, camouflaged, endangered birds laying eggs and raising families in the open soft sand that are easily crushed or disturbed.

This is a public beach, but away from the park area, the beach is primarily used by equestrians.

Do not ride in the marsh area located alongside the equestrian staging area. There are dangerous areas of quicksand spots that are indistinguishable from natural footing. To get to the network of trails in the Tijuana River Valley, ride only on the beach or the roads.

Border Field State Park is open to automobiles and horse trailers only on weekends and holidays, dawn to dusk. The entrance to the park is gated about 1.5 miles away from the beach. If you arrive at the park and find the gate closed, you may still use the park and the beach. At the gate, there is a parking lot and there are overflow parking areas. You may park horse trailers, and there are two single-horse corrals and a hitching post. There is a chemical bathroom, and plenty of fresh potable water at a water spigot located in the parking lot and provided for public use.

Although the gate might be closed to automobile and horse trailer traffic, the park remains open for hikers, equestrians, and bicyclists every day. You may ride from the gate to the beach or to Monument Mesa, or into the many trails networking throughout the Tijuana River Valley region. When the gate is closed, the restrooms provided inside the park area are, unfortunately, closed. Also, whenever water covers a portion of the road to Monument Mesa, the gate for traffic is closed even during weekends or holidays. Check the San Diego County Parks website at the Tijuana Estuary to determine when traffic is allowed on Monument Mesa. A note to riders--if the road to Monument Mesa is flooded, do not stray off the edge of the road into the marsh. There are dangerous quicksand areas throughout the marsh. Stay on the road.

Click here for a PDF map of the area

Horse Parking and Camp Directions:

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Information on horse trails, horse camps and camping and hiking paths for horseback riders, and hikers at the Tijuana River Trails near San Diego, California

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