South San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge

619.575.2704

Dedicated in June of 1999, the South San Diego Bay Unit was the dream of San Diego’s environmental community for over 20 years. With 97% of bay habitat in San Diego lost to development and the remainder much degraded over time because of commercial activities, this refuge will be managed to ensure that the bay’s thousands of shorebirds and waterfowl migrating along the Pacific Flyway as well as its resident species will survive into the next century.

South San Diego Bay refuge is one of the jewels in a crown of refuges and preserves encircling the city and envisioned by the people of San Diego to conserve their natural heritage. The bay supports numerous endangered and threatened species of plants and animals and is a vital link to other wildlife areas. Rare eel grass beds, thousands of resident and over-wintering waterfowl and shorebirds, the largest contiguous mud-flat in San Diego.

Visitors can bird-watch from several vantage points, walk and ride bicycles along bike path bordering a good portion of the bay.