Mission Bay
California, USA
7,200
* Approximate Steps:
Arbitrary Adventure Level:
2
Mission Bay: An Aquatic Playground
Mission Bay in San Diego wasn't always the beautiful tourist attraction is it today. Originally called "False Bay" by Spanish explorers due to its shallow, marshy nature, the area was essentially a glorified mud flat for centuries. It took some creative engineering to transform this unpromising landscape into the vibrant recreational hub it is today.
In the 1850s, the Army Corps of Engineers built a dike to divert the San Diego River, but this just caused the bay to silt up even more. Then in the 1880s, the area was renamed "Mission Bay" in a moment of wishful thinking, though it remained a backwater for decades.
It wasn't until after WWII that city leaders decided to turn Mission Bay into an economic driver by developing it into a tourist destination. They looked to the model of Newport Beach and started dredging, diking, and landscaping the bay, creating islands and a new ocean entrance, making it the largest aquatic park of its kind in the country. The first triathlon in the US was held here in 1975, showing how far this once-forgotten bay has come.
Our walk takes you on a beautiful paved walk along the bay, past palm trees and small beaches, in front of the Mission Bay Resort for a peek at Fiesta Island and Sea World, and back again.
Sip.
Places to Eat
Eat.
Things to See
See.
Parking
Free 1-hour parking next to the Mission Bay Beach Club. Free 2-3 hour parking in surrounding lots.
Restrooms
Restrooms available at Mission Bay Beach Club and along the walk.
Mission Bay
* An average person takes about 2,000 steps to walk one mile.
Disclaimer Stuff:
Walks are self-guided and routes are estimates only. Use good judgment as road, sidewalk, and trail conditions can change. Weather, tides, beach erosion, and wave conditions can change the difficulty and safety of the walk. Sip responsibly. Urban Wine Walkers assumes no responsibility for injury, death, blisters, sunburn, jaywalking tickets, or parking violations while you are on your walk.