Batiquitos Lagoon, Carlsbad

One of the few remaining tidal wetlands on the southern California coast, Batiquitos Lagoon in Carlsbad is full of hiking trails and a beautiful lagoon. Bird watchers will love trying to spot the 185 bird species, which naturalists can take in unique flora like pickleweed, lemonadeberry, and iceplant.

Batiquitos (baa-ti-keetos) Lagoon is a coastal wetland north of San Diego between the cities of Carlsbad and Encinitas. It is one of the few remaining tidal wetlands on the southern California coast of the United States and is loaded with shore birds and features a good trail. Native Americans first lived on the shores of Batiquitos Lagoon 8,000 years ago. This was the beginning of the so-called Early or Archaic Period, which then lasted for several thousand years. After that, there was a period for which there is no archaeological record, ending about 1300 years ago (or 650 A.D.) when some newcomers came to the lagoon (people of the Late Period). These people were still living in this area when the Spanish invaded in 1769. The Kumeyaay (Iipai and Tipai) were the more recent caretakers for this part of San Diego County. While they shared a language and many cultural characteristics, they were not a tribe. The Kumeyaay are one of many Native American groups still living in San Diego. We’ll access the Trail at corner of Reeve Road and Stern Way. (Parking available on Stern Way.) @ Signpost 8 - Shell Fragments You will notice a large number of shell fragments on the ground; this identifies a midden (a spot used by local Native Americans as a refuse dump for shellfish shells. Archeologists have found nearly 200 prehistoric sites within a mile of the lagoon