San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Preserve
Managed by County of San Diego
896 acres9.3 mi of trail
La Orilla TrailRios Avenue TrailNature Center Outer LoopGemma Parks Loop+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Photo: Original uploader was Ohnoitsjamie at en.wikipedia · CC BY 2.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Encinitas
Encinitas has 84 miles of mapped trails, 4.4 for every square mile of land
20% of Encinitas’ land is conserved, about 2,434 acres. 99% of residents live within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Preserve (9.3 mi), Oakcrest County Park (0.7 mi), Moonlight State Beach (0.5 mi).
Ahead of 97% of U.S. towns · #77 of 847 in California. What drives it
Conserved land
20%
2,434 acres · of 19.1 sq mi of land
Trails
84 mi
4.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,228 ac
20 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
80 mi
47 mi lanes · 15 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
3
What kind of outdoors town is Encinitas?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Encinitas have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Encinitas is ahead of 97% of U.S. towns, #77 of 847 in California. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Encinitas’ overall grade.
Conserved land20% of the land · typical CA town 4% · U.S. 4%ATrails4.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (84 mi) · CA 0.9 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land20 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,228 acres) · CA 5 · U.S. 13BParks close to home99% of residents within a half mile of a park · CA 91% · U.S. 72%A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 97%
LessMore
California towns of 2,500+ (847)Ahead of 91%
Water is 5% of Encinitas’ area (1 of 20 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 19%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A to A+. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Preserve, with 9.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Moonlight State Beach
Managed by California Department of Parks and Recreation
16 acres0.5 mi of trail
Moonlight Beach Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 19 parks & preserves
San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Preserve896 acres · 9.3 mi of trail · County of San Diego
DirectionsOakcrest County Park14 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsMoonlight State Beach16 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · California Department of Parks and Recreation
DirectionsGlen Park5 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsCottonwood Creek Park7 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsLeucadia Oaks Park3 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsAda Harris Park3 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsScott Valley Park2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Mildred Macpherson Park1 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsEncinitas Viewpoint Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsSwami's State Marine Conservation Area210 acres
DirectionsEcke Park21 acres · Ecke YMCA
DirectionsLeucadia State Beach13 acres
DirectionsCardiff Park9 acres
DirectionsLittle Oaks Park5 acres
Leo Mullen Sports Park5 acres
DirectionsOrpheus Park2 acres
James McPherson Park2 acres
Wiro Park1 acres
Who protects it
2,434 conserved acres
20% of Encinitas’ land. Water is left out: Encinitas has 19.1 square miles of land and 1.1 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Encinitas’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State fish & wildlife1,004 ac
Town or city624 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government381 ac
State parks217 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits200 ac
County149 ac
Private owners74 ac
State Conservation Area · 802 acUnknown Easement · 578 acLocal Recreation Area · 273 acLocal Park · 219 acState Park · 217 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 468 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 2 of 179 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Reserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 865 | Open |
| Encinitas Ranch Golf Course Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 183 | Restricted |
| Manchester Mitigation Bank Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 122 | Open |
| San Elijo State Beach State Park | State parks | 120 | Open |
| Unnamed Site - Encinitas, City of Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 108 | Open |
| Cardiff State Beach State Park | State parks | 97 | Open |
| Indian Head Canyon Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 56 | Open |
| Val Sereno Preserve Local Conservation Area | County | 54 | Open |
| Encinitas Community Park Local Park | Town or city | 43 | Open |
| San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Reserve and Nature Center Local Park | County | 31 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
43 places to go in Encinitas
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Encinitas
Childrens Play Area
DirectionsSun Vista Playground
DirectionsPlus 19 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Encinitas
Maggie Houlihan Memorial Dog ParkHours: Mo-Su 08:00-sunset off; Th 13:00-15:00
DirectionsPlus 1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Waterfalls in Encinitas
1 waterfall without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Encinitas
D Street Viewpoint
DirectionsI Street ViewpointIn I Street Viewpoint Park
DirectionsJ Street ViewpointIn J Street Viewpoint Park
DirectionsOverlook Tower
DirectionsTern PointIn San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Preserve
DirectionsPlus 6 scenic views without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Encinitas
7 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Encinitas
San Elijo State Beach
DirectionsTrails & water
25 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 12.0 miHorses · 10.7 miUnpaved · 20.2 mi
Lone Jack Trail1.6 mi
La Orilla Trail1.3 mi
Manchester Canyon1.0 mi
Spooks Canyon Trail0.9 mi
S Alpaca Alley Trail/N Aviary Ave Trail0.8 mi
Rios Avenue Trail0.7 mi
Water Tank Trail0.6 mi
Lake Drive Trail0.6 mi
Nature Center Outer Loop0.5 mi
Gemma Parks Loop0.5 mi
15 more trails
N Country Rose Trail
0.5 miSage Trail
0.4 miSolana Hills Trail
0.3 miStaircase Trail
0.3 miVineyard Trail
0.3 miDe Felicita Trail
0.3 miValley Trail
0.3 miStratford Trail
0.3 miRose Alley Trail
0.3 miOld Oak Trail
0.3 mi9th Street/Meadow Mist Trail
0.3 miMoonlight Beach Trail
0.2 miTern Point
0.2 miAnnie's Canyon Trail
0.2 miSanta Helena Trail
0.2 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
80 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
47 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
15 mi
off-road bike paths
19 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
80Tennis
31Pickleball
18Baseball
17Basketball
3Beach volleyball
3Volleyball
2Skate park
2Soccer
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →3 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Encinitas: April to August
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 10.2 | 11.0 | 11.9 | 13.0 | 13.8 | 14.3 | 14.1 | 13.4 | 12.3 | 11.3 | 10.4 | 10.0 |
| High (°F) | 66 | 65 | 66 | 67 | 68 | 70 | 74 | 76 | 76 | 74 | 70 | 66 |
| Rain (in) | 2.2 | 2.5 | 1.7 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 0.9 | 1.6 |
August is the driest month (under 0.1 in) and the warmest (highs of 76 °F). 2.5 inches fall in February, the wettest month. The climate in Encinitas →
Next door
Encinitas and its neighbors
Encinitas has the second most mapped trails of the 4 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Encinitas | 20% | 4.4 | 20 | 99% | A+ |
| Carlsbad | 31% | 3.6 | 24 | 90% | A+ |
| Solana Beach | 3% | 1.7 | 2 | 88% | B |
| San Marcos | 15% | 2.6 | 8 | 88% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Encinitas
Where can I hike in Encinitas?
The longest trail networks: San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Preserve, 9.3 miles; Oakcrest County Park, 0.7 miles; Moonlight State Beach, 0.5 miles; Glen Park, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Encinitas is conserved land?
20% of its land, against a typical 4% for a California town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Encinitas’ trails?
San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Preserve and Oakcrest County Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Encinitas?
80 miles of bike routes are on the map: 47 of painted or protected lanes, 15 of off-road paths and 19 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Encinitas?
26,621 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Encinitas or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,228 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Encinitas have?
Ahead of 97% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #77 of 847 in California. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Encinitas neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →