Horsepark Trail reopens in San Dieguito River Park

The Horsepark Trail, a popular segment of the San Dieguito River Park’s Coast to Crest Trail, reopened in Del Mar last month after being closed for a year and a half. The reopening restored a much-missed connection between El Camino Real and the Lagoon Trail, a four-mile stretch that takes hikers, runners, cyclists, horseback riders and birdwatchers past the equestrian stables, winding around the lagoon and out to Del Mar coast.

The trail had been closed since January 2024 when runoff from a December 2023 storm blew out a 20-foot section of trail and damaged the foundations of a bridge crossing. “It was a dangerous situation for public safety,” said Shawna Anderson, executive director of the San Dieguito River Park.

The trail was closed and the River Park had to work with the 22nd Agricultural District and HITS, the horsepark operator, and Anderson said it took a while to reach an agreement on how the trail would be repaired.

The bridge over the stormwater culvert has not yet been fixed, but the River Park was able to repair the trail washout and put in a small detour. HITS funded the cost of labor and materials for the trail rehab and the River Park is continuing to work with the agricultural district to determine how the bridge can be replaced. Anderson said the River Park also plans to do some additional planting in the area.

The new detour is narrow and trail users are asked to slow down, watch for others and be mindful of the next-door equestrian neighbors.

The Horsepark Trail will eventually link up to the 49 inland miles of the planned 70-mile Coast to Crest Trail that runs from the river’s headwaters in Julian. When the El Camino Real road widening and bridge replacement project is completed, the trail will cross under El Camino Real and connect to the trail along Surf Sports Park and the new Osuna Trail segment through Rancho Santa Fe.

The 1.3-mile trail along the Surf Sports property is there, but it is not connected or finished. The River Park hopes to break ground by the end of the year on the Osuna segment at the east end of the Surf Park—the new one-mile trail portion will include a 150-foot-long steel truss bridge across the San Dieguito River.

Connecting the Horsepark and Lagoon Trails to the inland trails will all hinge on the El Camino Real bridge replacement project, which has been delayed several times over the past few years. The $70 million project will widen El Camino Real from two to four lanes, realign it to the east, and replace the narrow and aging bridge. It is now scheduled to start in the fall of 2027 and take three years to finish, by 2030.

“We hope it all comes together at the same time so it all gets connected and all finished,” Anderson said.