by Frank Sabatini Jr.

—[ secret san diego ]—

At the mouth of the San Diego River, between San Diego’s famous Dog Beach and Robb Field recreational park, sits an environmentally protected territory filled with sandy dunes and a host of endangered flora marked inconspicuously by illustrated signs. Several trails zigzag through these wetlands, which can’t be seen from the nearby road and parking lot. A short hike into the area also gives urban explorers close encounters with blue herrings, cranes and pelicans foraging the waters. Proceed about 100 yards west, and you’ve entered an expansive playground for canines, established in 1972 as the first “dog beach” in the United States. The trails can be accessed by walking a short distance east from the parking lot located at the west end of Point Loma Boulevard in Ocean Beach.