Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge
Managed by United States Fish and Wildlife Service
773 acres6.4 mi of trail
Visitor Center TrailSeacoast TrailSunset SpurSouth McCoy Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Kotoviski photographed by Henryk Kotowski · CC BY-SA 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Imperial Beach
38% of Imperial Beach’s land is conserved: 1,061 acres
10 miles of mapped trail cross Imperial Beach, 2.4 per square mile of land. 97% of residents live within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge (6.4 mi), Border Field State Park (2.5 mi), International Friendship Park (0.7 mi).
Ahead of 94% of U.S. towns · #138 of 847 in California. What drives it
Conserved land
38%
1,061 acres · of 4.3 sq mi of land
Trails
10 mi
2.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
271 ac
11 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
97%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
14 mi
7.6 mi lanes · 1.2 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
2 beaches
What kind of outdoors town is Imperial Beach?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Imperial Beach have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Imperial Beach is ahead of 94% of U.S. towns, #138 of 847 in California. Conserved land holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Imperial Beach’s overall grade.
Conserved land38% of the land · typical CA town 4% · U.S. 4%A+Trails2.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (10 mi) · CA 0.9 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land11 acres of park per 1,000 residents (271 acres) · CA 5 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home97% 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 94%
LessMore
California towns of 2,500+ (847)Ahead of 84%
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 Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge, with 6.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Border Field State Park
Nature preserve
257 acres2.5 mi of trail
Coastal Trail SouthCoastal Trail NorthBeach TrailMarsh Loop Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
International Friendship Park
Managed by United States Customs
14 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Tijuana River Mouth State Marine Conservation Area
Nature preserve
22 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trail sign
All 11 parks & preserves
Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge773 acres · 6.4 mi of trail · United States Fish and Wildlife Service
DirectionsBorder Field State Park257 acres · 2.5 mi of trail
DirectionsInternational Friendship Park14 acres · 0.7 mi of trail · United States Customs
DirectionsImperial Beach Sports Park9 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Imperial Beach
DirectionsReama Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsTijuana River Mouth State Marine Conservation Area22 acres
DirectionsSan Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge21 acres · United States Fish and Wildlife Service
DirectionsVeterans Park11 acres · City of Imperial Beach
DirectionsPortwood Pier Plaza2 acres · Port of San Diego
DirectionsDunes Park1 acres · Port of San Diego
DirectionsTeeple Park1 acres · City of Imperial Beach
DirectionsWho protects it
1,061 conserved acres
38% of Imperial Beach’s land. Who manages Imperial Beach’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service1,081 ac
State parks275 ac
Town or city10 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits10 ac
National Wildlife Refuge · 1,081 acState Park · 275 acLocal Park · 10 acPrivate Other or Unknown · 10 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge National Wildlife Refuge | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 1,059 | Restricted |
| Border Field State Park State Park | State parks | 275 | Open |
| San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge National Wildlife Refuge | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 22 | Open |
| Imperial Beach Sports Park Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 10 | Open |
| Veterans Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Portwood Pier Plaza Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| Dunes Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| Teeple Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
Things to do
16 places to go in Imperial Beach
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Imperial Beach
2 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Imperial Beach
10 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Dog parks in Imperial Beach
Imperial Beach Dog ParkHours: sunrise-sunset · In Veterans Park
DirectionsScenic views in Imperial Beach
2 scenic views without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Imperial Beach
1 picnic area without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
12 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Horses · 2.6 miUnpaved · 7.0 mi
Visitor Center Trail1.2 mi
Seacoast Trail1.1 mi
Sunset Spur1.0 mi
South McCoy Trail0.6 mi
Coastal Trail South0.6 mi
River Mouth Loop0.6 mi
Coastal Trail North0.6 mi
Marsh Spur Trail0.4 mi
Beach Trail0.3 mi
North McCoy Trail0.3 mi
2 more trails
Marsh Loop Trail
0.1 miImperial Beach Pier
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
14 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
7.6 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
1.2 mi
off-road bike paths
5.4 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
10Baseball
4Basketball
2Soccer
1Softball
1Skate park
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place 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.
Initial Point of Boundary Between U.S. and MexicoSite · listed 1974
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Imperial Beach: 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 | 12.9 | 13.8 | 14.3 | 14.1 | 13.3 | 12.3 | 11.3 | 10.4 | 10.0 |
| High (°F) | 66 | 65 | 67 | 68 | 69 | 71 | 74 | 77 | 76 | 74 | 70 | 66 |
| Rain (in) | 1.8 | 1.9 | 1.5 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.8 | 1.5 |
July is the driest month (under 0.1 in) and August the warmest (highs of 77 °F). 1.9 inches fall in February, the wettest month. The climate in Imperial Beach →
Next door
Imperial Beach and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Questions about parks and trails in Imperial Beach
Where can I hike in Imperial Beach?
The longest trail networks: Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge, 6.4 miles; Border Field State Park, 2.5 miles; International Friendship Park, 0.7 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Imperial Beach is conserved land?
38% 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 Imperial Beach’s trails?
Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge and Border Field State Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Imperial Beach?
14 miles of bike routes are on the map: 7.6 of painted or protected lanes, 1.2 of off-road paths and 5.4 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Imperial Beach?
17,252 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Imperial Beach or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 294 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Imperial Beach have?
Ahead of 94% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #138 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 Imperial Beach 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 →