Parks & Beaches group looks to establish La Jolla Coastal Trail with new signs

A project intended to help showcase the various sites — and sights — in the La Jolla Park Coastal Historic District continues to evolve after being introduced earlier this year, including the types and sizes of signs that would be made as part of the work.

The revised project, discussed at the Aug. 26 meeting of the La Jolla Parks & Beaches board, would establish what is being called the La Jolla Coastal Trail. 

The trail would span from the existing Coast Walk Trail on one end to Whale View Point on the other.

“It is one of the most incredibly scenic, natural and unique areas in the region,” said LJP&B President Bob Evans. “Each area has a story to tell, whether it is current or in history. But only a few people … know this rich and valuable coastal, geological and [natural] history.”

The project was launched in February to create new signs, QR codes and maps to provide as much information as possible about the area’s beaches, markers, history, creatures and plants. 

However, during discussions, concern about the signs kept coming up, Evans said. 

“I think we all hate the word ‘signs’ because we associate it with visual pollution,” he said. So the conversation shifted to smaller, more impactful signs. 

The new proposed signs would be “environmentally and visually sensitive” but still contain the necessary information, Evans said. They would be of various sizes, some just big enough to hold a QR code and others large enough to contain a historical story. Renderings have not yet been drafted. 

Together, Evans said, the signs “would connect these highly visited spots along the Coastal Trail.”

Additional details and a timeline for when the signs might be made were not immediately available. 

The Coastal Historic District encompasses places such as La Jolla Cove, the Children’s Pool, the Casa de Mañana retirement community and the Red Roost and Red Rest cottages. The area is based on an 1887 map of what was called La Jolla Park and includes eight acres of coastal parkland roughly between Torrey Pines Road and Coast Walk in the north and nearly the end of Coast Boulevard in the south.

Other Parks & Beaches news

Hybrid meetings? Looking to boost participation in LJP&B’s monthly meetings at the La Jolla/Riford Library, Evans said he and other board members are exploring whether to offer hybrid viewing in person and online.

The intent, board member Diane Kane said, is to borrow the audio and visual equipment from the La Jolla Recreation Center, which was purchased by the La Jolla Town Council for community use. An intern would be brought on to run the equipment. 

“The value of hybrid meetings is to bring in more people that otherwise would not be able to attend,” Evans said.

“I figured we could give it a try and see if it helps our general visibility in the community,” Kane said. 

However, Evans asked the board members to attend virtually only if they have to and that he wanted as much in-person participation as possible. 

Next meeting: La Jolla Parks & Beaches next meets at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 30, at the La Jolla/Riford Library, 7555 Draper Ave. The agenda will be posted 72 hours in advance at lajollaparksbeaches.org.