Dates: Tuesday, May 6th OR Thursday, May 8th, 9:30am

Note: Please try to be a few minutes early, as we will set off right around 9:30!

Location: Mission Trails Regional Park Visitor Center - 1 Father Junipero Serra Trail, San Diego, CA 92119

Parking: There is a parking lot right there, but it MIGHT be busy. An alternative lot is available at the intersection of Mission Gorge Rd. and Jackson Dr (see it on the map here). Please note that there is a 1/3 mile well worn trail from that parking lot to the visitors center. It takes about 15 minutes to walk. If you need to park there, you might need to drop some in your car off.

Accessible: Yes - the trail is paved (as long as you are dropped off at the visitor center). It does have some gravel and there is up to a 5% grade in some locations. We aren't going the whole way, but you can read details on the trail here.

Walking: This is a walking class! We will be walking 2.6 miles round trip on an all paved trail (see above link in the 'Accessible' section for trail details, keeping in mind that we will only be going about halfway). It does have a very gentle slope but we will be stopping frequently to talk about the area, history, and native plants in the area.

Please wear sunscreen, good walking shoes, and dress appropriately for the weather! Thursday is set to be much warmer than Tuesday, so please plan your outfits accordingly for comfort and the outdoors!

Cost: Free!

All photos courtesy of Erika Daniel, with the California Native Plant Society

Our readings this week provide a general overview of Mission Trails Regional Park and some great information about the benefits of enjoying our natural surroundings! Read on and enjoy!

Getting in Touch with Nature

We begin with the benefits of getting out in nature:

This week’s visit to Mission Trails Regional Park (MTRP) will either be like meeting an old friend (if you’ve been there before) or making a new friend (if this is your first time).  Whatever is the case, you’ll be impressed with the scope of this 7,000+  acre park, located just 8 miles from downtown San Diego. Take a deep breath of the fresh sage-scented air, and open yourself to the beauty and peace of this lovely rustic park. 

Our guide will tell us much more about the history of MTRP, which happens to be one of the largest urban parks in the country.  A popular hiking destination offering more than 60 miles of trails, it also provides opportunities for horseback riding, rock climbing, boating, and camping. 

While we’ll be meeting at the entrance/parking lot of the Visitor Center, MTRP includes: 

• Cowles Mountain 

• East Fortuna Staging Area 

• Kumeyaay Lake and Campground 

• Old Mission Dam Historic Site 

• Kwaay Peak 

One of the most unique aspects to Mission Trails Regional Park is its connection to the indigenous people who first dwelled on this land. The Kumeyaay people have lived in the San Diego region for more than 10,000 years. The Kumeyaay were the first to greet the Spaniards who arrived in San Diego in 1542 with the Cabrillo expedition.  

Click here to see more of their history: http://viejasbandofkumeyaay.org/viejas-community/kumeyaay-history/

 The Kumeyaay were hunters and gatherers who raised animals and also grew crops. The Kumeyaay developed a complex system of managing their water resources and land.  They were knowledgeable about erosion control, using groundwater and springs, and cultivating the grain and plants they needed. They are known for the medicinal plants they gathered and cultivated. Archeological artifacts dating back thousands of years include stone tools, pottery, wood, and shell and bone fishhooks.   

 Their artifacts and excavated village sites show them to be, according to researcher Jessica Maxwell, “some of the earliest—and best—environmental managers in North America”. 

 According to archeologist Ruth Alter, more than 30 Kumeyaay sites can be found in Mission Trails Regional Park. These are carefully protected by the park staff. The rich natural resources of the area provided food (including large game) and water (they created pools for fish and turtles, bathing areas for themselves, and irrigation for crops). You can read more here: https://mtrp.org/the-kumeyaay-period-in-mission-trails-regional-park/

Just imagine how the Kumeyaay must have used the plants and other resources you see in the Park today. They ground grass seed and acorns into a meal that fed their families. The willow and other plants like tule reed and juncus were crafted into clothing, baskets, and even rafts and house thatching. Archeologists have also found arrow tips made of quartz, and grinding surfaces made of the flat granite rocks you’ll see throughout the park. The river banks provided clay for bowls, cookware, and storage jars. 

 The village called Senyaweche was occupied about 1,000 years ago.  It’s located underneath residential tracts of land in Santee and the Carleton Oaks Golf Course.  

Fast forward a couple of hundred years… 

 While the history of Mission Trails Regional Park goes back before the earliest Kumeyaay residents, the 1960s marked its modern birth as a park. You can read the story “A Park is Born”, here: https://mtrp.org/a-park-is-born/

The neighborhoods we know now as San Carlos, Lake Murray, and Cowles Mountain were part of the Navajo Community Planning area.  And it was experiencing unprecedented growth in the 60s!  City planners set aside more than 1,500 acres of open space to be turned into an urban park. 

 The City of San Diego created two smaller parks at Lake Murray and Fortuna Mountain.  In 1967 the Lake Murray area was linked to Cowles Mountain. This was fortunate for Cowles Mountain, as it was on the verge of development. By 1974 the Navajo area community was able to purchase the Cowles Mountain property and establish the cornerstone for the park.  The name—Mission Trails Regional Park—was determined by a community contest in 1979. 

The City and park planners envisioned a place where wilderness was preserved and people could have ample opportunities for hiking and camping, as well as learning about the land’s human and natural history. 

It took several more decades to fully create the park.  Some 3,000 acres of land were owned publicly, but another 2,500 acres required purchase from private owners (this was paid for by open space bonds approved by San Diego voters). Becoming a park isn’t easy! The Old Mission Dam needed to be cleaned up, with a safe bridge constructed to accommodate visitors.  Cowles Mountain needed a staging area.  Park rangers had to be hired.  Perhaps most important, the park needed a central visitor’s center.

The Real Cowles Story 

 At an altitude of 1,592, Cowles Mountain is the highest point in San Diego. Have you ever wondered where Cowles Mountain got its name?  

By the way, I’ve been pronouncing it wrong all these years.  Apparently the proper pronunciation is ‘Kohls’ – not “Cow-uls”! 

 A Fowl Feature:  The Great Egret  

The Great Egret’s graceful flight is awe-inspiring, with its white feathers, black legs, and a shockingly yellow bill. Egrets are members of the heron family, and they stand more than 3 feet tall with a wingspan for more than 5 feet.  Great Egrets catch fish in their sharp bills.

 Great Egrets have come back from near extinction. In the 20th century when feathered hats were all the rage, the bird’s population was decimated. Groups like the Audubon Society sprung up to halt the killing of such beautiful birds as the Great Egret. 

They typically visit San Diego in the Fall and Winter…so keep your eyes open! To read more about this local bird, click here: https://missiontimescourier.com/glimpsing-natures-beauty-at-mission-trails-regional-park

MTRP is all a park could hope to be. Thousands of visitors access the trails each week for hiking and mountain biking.  In addition to the Visitors Center (with a 94-seat auditorium), the park has a Gift Shop, Library, and hosts special events like art exhibits and concerts. 

The Park also provides information online on their website and even videos on the wonders of this local site. To view a 19 minute video on the geological history of the park, click here: https://youtu.be/G86d0SuZ0uA

Whether the park is an old or new friend to you, enjoy what is sometimes called “the third jewel” of the City of San Diego Park system!  Extra credit:  can you name the other two? 

If you still want MORE nature, you can check out these other places around San Diego as well:

Canyoneer hikes: https://www.sdnhm.org/education/canyoneer-hikes/

California Naturalist or Climate Steward training: https://calnat.ucanr.edu/Take_a_class/

California Naturalist training in Cambria: https://www.natureupclose.com/california-naturalist-cambria

Kumeyaay Community College: http://kumeyaaycommunitycollege.com/ (registration is through Cuyamaca College)

 Alter, R. (2020). A park is born. (2020). Retrieved from https://mtrp.org/a-park-is-born/ 

Baker, A. (21 October 2016). Glimpsing nature’s beauty at Mission Trails Regional Park. Retrieved from https://missiontimescourier.com/glimpsing-natures-beauty-at-mission-trails-regional-park/ 

George Cowles. (2020). Retrieved from https://mtrp.org/george-a-cowles/ 

Kumeyaay History. (2019).  Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians. Retrieved from: http://viejasbandofkumeyaay.org/viejas-community/kumeyaay-history/ 

Kumeyaay tour. (2019).  The Kumeyaay tour of the South Bay.  South Bay Compass.  Retrieved from: http://southbaycompass.com/the-kumeyaay-tour-of-the-south-bay/ ‘

Maxwell, J.  (1995).  Kumeyaay:  The campo comes to life.  Audubon, May-June.  Retrieved from: https://www.kumeyaay.com/kumeyaay-the-campo-comes-to-life.html 

Mission Trails Regional Parks. (2020). Retrieved from https://www.sandiego.gov/park-and-recreation/parks/osp/mtrails