With the trails dry enough to hike on, I made the short drive toward Del Mar to explore the new Tidal Trail. This trail was recently opened as part of the Coast to Crest system and it shares the trailhead with the Dust Devil Nature Trail. I brought our dog along to enjoy some trail time. We began along the North Loop of the Dust Devil Trail for about 0.2 miles to the junction with the Tidal Trail. The well-groomed and wide dirt trail went northward for a short bit before turning eastward, following the edge of the estuary. Birds could be seen probing the mud and the shallow water in search of a tasty morsel. The route is basically flat, so we cruised along. While the sounds of the cars whizzing along El Camino Real could be heard, they were mostly out of sight. The trail made another turn northward before coming to an end.
We turned back and continued to enjoy the views. Since I had an injection the day before in my knee, I opted not to continue hiking on the Dust Devil Nature Trail and called it a day. Plus, I would not have to edit the GPS track to only show the Tidal Trail. The hike was just about 2.3 miles and with a few dog-related breaks we did it in 45 minutes.
I am an avid peak bagger, sometimes backpacker, and former sea kayaker living in San Diego. In 2019, I became the third person to complete the San Diego 100 Peak Challenge. Not stopping with that accomplishment, I set my sights on the harder San Diego Sierra Club 100 Peak list, which I completed in 2021. In addition, I have conquered several Six-Pack of Peaks challenges (SoCal, San Diego, Central Coast, and Arizona-Winter). Beyond attempting the San Diego Sierra Club 100 Peak list a second time, I am looking forward to exploring new summits and new adventures across the southwest.