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A bird stands near the edge of a calm body of water surrounded by grassy wetlands, with a distant view of sandy shores and blue sky in the background.

Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve

​ 0.7 Miles, 3 Mins Drive

The Tijuana Estuary Visitor Center is located near 3rd Street and Caspian Way in Imperial Beach, the most southwestern city in the United States. There is no entrance fee. The Visitor Center has information and displays that pique the interest of adults and children alike. Find out how plants in the estuary get rid of the salt they take in and which plant is endangered. As you walk toward the entrance of the Visitor Center, nature surrounds you; sounds of birds, lizards scurrying before your feet, and brush rabbits running in and out of their hiding places. Cacti and other native plants line the walkway. Before entering the building, on the sidewalk and continuing into the building is a painted floor map of the Tijuana River Watershed that is done to scale.

  • Explore The Largest Coastal Wetland In SoCal

    Border Field State Park is located in the southwestern corner of the Tijuana River Reserve, on a bluff overlooking the ocean, the estuary, and the bullring that lies just south of the U.S./Mexico border. A marker on the bluff, first placed there in 1851 just after the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, delineates the western beginning of the International Border.

    There are tours on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays and the 1st, 3rd, and 5th Sundays every month and there are 22 miles of trails in the whole Tijuana River Valley. Junior Ranger programs are every Thursday at 3:30 pm for 7-12-year-olds.

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