Batiquitos Lagoon

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About the Batiquitos Lagoon

The Batiquitos lagoon consists of 610 acres, both great for hiking and dog-friendly, along with 55,000 acres of basin.  The watershed basin covers grounds in the cities of Carlsbad, San Marcos and Encinitas, with its primary freshwater tributaries being from the San Marcos Creek.

This is a great place for a leisure walk.  It is incredibly dog and kid-friendly.  The nature center offers an educational insight into the lagoon with plant and animal information.  Make sure to pick up a pamphlet at the center to help you identify different plants on your walk!  We found a tunnel for those of you into that thing.  It seems to go pretty far.  Please comment if you know where it ends up!

History of the Batiquitos Lagoon

Indigenous tribes first lived on the shores of the Batiquitos Lagoon 8,000 years ago. There was then a period when no one was believed to have lived here, most likely due to a geological change in the lagoon’s environment.  It is believed that the lagoon went through a dramatic shift in climate affecting the food source which caused them to leave.

Starting in 650 A.D. the Payómkawichum People, also known as Luiseños, began inhabiting this area until the Spanish Invasion in 1769 where they were violently relocated to various reservations. We have written more extensively about how this impacted the Natives on this page.

There’s a cool storm drain out here.  Another day, another adventure!