Birding, waterways and a wildlife refuge: 5 South County hikes

The options for hiking in South County include many opportunities for seeing native plants, migrating birds and local waterways. Maura Fox has written about many of them in the Hike of the Week column, which is celebrating hitting over 100 hikes.

A list of 101 hikes has been published online at sandiegouniontribune.com/101hikes. For the last few Saturdays, these hikes have been published in print in four regional groups. Here are her hikes in South County to finish off this series.

Bonita

Sweetwater Summit Regional Park

This roughly 1-mile walk takes hikers alongside Morrison Pond, a small but scenic body of water in Bonita that’s home to waterfowl such as ruddy ducks and egrets, as well as other birds like the least bell’s vireo and coastal California gnatcatcher. There are benches and pretty inlets to the pond where hikers can take in the view along the way.

Chula Vista

Rice Canyon

Rice Canyon in Chula Vista is a roughly 2.7-mile easy, out-and-back hike. Rice Canyon is a simple yet enjoyable option for spending some time outdoors. Tucked between residential neighborhoods in Chula Vista, it’s easy to get to, has a convenient parking lot and even features a garden with native plants at the trailhead, along with scattered benches and picnic tables.

Eastlake

Lower Otay Reservoir

The Lower Otay Reservoir is one of the oldest in San Diego County. It’s not required to know the history before setting out on this easy, roughly 4.3-mile out-and-back hike that skirts the western edge of the reservoir, but it can make for a more interesting walk to think about how the region has changed over the years.

Imperial Beach

Bayshore Bikeway

The Bayshore Bikeway is a 24-mile route that travels through Coronado, Imperial Beach and Chula Vista and along the Silver Strand. This roughly 2-mile out-and-back walk follows a section of the bikeway, passing by the San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge in Imperial Beach. It also includes the Bayside Birding and Walking Trail, a 0.4 mile path featuring informational panels on the area’s migratory birds and salt marsh.

Tijuana Estuary

The trails of the Tijuana Estuary are perfect for hikers, bikers, runners and birders looking for an easily accessible way to take in some nature. Try out a roughly 3-mile out-and-back hike that follows the River Mouth Loop trail to the South McCoy Trail, located near the Tijuana Estuary Visitor Center on the western side of Imperial Beach. Along the way, visitors may see an array of bird species.