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San Elijo Lagoon Nature Center

Part of North County Coast, our guide to the North County coast from Del Mar to Oceanside.

San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Reserve is a 979-acre wetland with 7 miles of easy to moderate trails open sunrise to sunset and the quarter-mile Annie’s Canyon Trail. The Nature Center, at 2710 Manchester Avenue in Cardiff-by-the-Sea, is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Kids can try the TRACK Trails scavenger hunt.Checked October 23, 2026.

979acres
7 miof easy to moderate trails
9–5Nature Center, daily
1/4 miAnnie’s Canyon Trail
Blue water winding through golden marsh at San Elijo Lagoon with coastal hills beyond
San Elijo Lagoon. Rennett Stowe from USA, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
Nature Center2710 Manchester Avenue, Cardiff-by-the-Sea, CA 92007. Phone (760) 634-3026. Hours 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
Annie’s Canyon Trailhead900 North Rios Ave., Solana Beach.
TrailsSunrise to sunset: 7 miles of easy to moderate trails through salt marsh, freshwater areas and shrubs, plus the quarter-mile Annie’s Canyon Trail, which is a bit harder.
For kidsTRACK Trails is a scavenger hunt where kids find things in nature and win prizes online.

About The Reserve

The County says the reserve is mainly a shallow-water estuary where the Escondido and La Orilla Creeks meet the Pacific Ocean. Twice a day, incoming tides cover much of the land with salt water, and as the tide goes out, mudflats feed shorebirds and ducks. The Nature Center has exhibits on the reserve’s history, plants and animals and is LEED Platinum certified.

What We Could Not Verify

  • Admission and parking were not stated on the County page.
  • The County says its News Center page lists park events, updates and closures; we did not read it.

More in North County Coast

FAQ

Is there a kids activity?

Yes. The County lists TRACK Trails, a nature scavenger hunt where kids can win prizes online.

Sources

  1. County of San Diego: San Elijo Lagoon

Checked October 23, 2026 by It’s San Diego. Cite this page: It’s San Diego (itssandiego.com), checked October 23, 2026. Free to quote with a link to this page; tables are licensed CC BY 4.0.