San Diego
California
San Diego River Days 2025
Sports and Recreation
April 12, 2025
From: San Diego River DaysThe San Diego River Park Foundation is excited to announce our 22nd Annual San Diego River Days this May 10-18!
Many organizations are coming together to host FREE activities that celebrate the San Diego River as a cultural,
ecological, and recreational treasure. Activities include guided hikes, clean-ups, nature walks, educational opportunities,
and so much more.
Schedule
May 10, 2025
8:00 am - 10:00 am
SDMBA Guided Mountain Bike Ride
Sycamore Canyon/Goodan Ranch 16281 Sycamore Canyon Road, Poway, United States
Get active in nature and enjoy this exciting guided mountain bike ride at Sycamore Canyon/Goodan Ranch! Make new friends and explore this gorgeous section of Mission Trails Regional Park on an intermediate 8-mile ride with approximately 1300 feet of elevation gain.
8:30 am - 12:30 pm
Second Annual Paint Out at Old Mission Dam
Old Mission Dam 1 Father Junipero Serra Trail, San Diego, CA 92119, San Diego, CA, United States
Plein air painting at Mission Trails Regional Park
9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Famosa Slough Work Party
Famosa Slough 4285 W Point Loma Blvd, San Diego, CA, United States
Join the Friends of Famosa Slough for a rewarding day of conservation! Enjoy a wonderful morning at this stunning wetlands preserve and help remove trash, clear invasive plants, maintain trails, and plant native species.
9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Ocean Beach Cleanup – River Days with Surfrider & Coastkeeper
Dog Beach in Ocean Beach 5156 W Point Loma Blvd, San Diego, CA, United States
Surfrider San Diego and San Diego Coastkeeper invite you to a cleanup at OB Dog Beach and Estuary to support San Diego River Park Foundation’s River Days! Our local spaces are protected by volunteers, just like you!
9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Wildlife Tracking Exhibit
Mission Trails Regional Park Kumeyaay Lake Campground 2 Father Junípero Serra Trail, San Diego, CA, United States
Join members of the San Diego Tracking Team anytime between 9 AM and 12 AM to learn how to identify the tracks of common animals in the San Diego River watershed. Examine samples of their fur and scat. Make tracks of your favorite animal in a dirt tray.
May 11, 2025
9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Free Fly Casting Lessons
Lake Murray 5540 Kiowa Drive, La Mesa, United States
Join the San Diego Fly Fishers (SDFF) for a free fly casting clinic at Lake Murray! This event is designed for beginners, but more experienced fly fishers are always welcome to come practice, give tips, and learn new techniques.
2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Interpretive Walk and BioBlitz
San Diego River Mouth 5156 W Point Loma Blvd, San Diego, CA, United States
Meet our docents and find out why this location is one of San Diego's Top 5 Best Birding Hotspots! This particular event with include a BioBlitz, where volunteers are invited to learn about and record the biodiversity of the area using iNaturalist! Stick around until 2pm to join a guided interpretive walk through the area.
May 12, 2025
9:00 am - 2:00 pm
South Rim Adventure: Badger Survey
South Rim 5806 Eagle Peak Road, Julian, United States
Explore, Discover & Contribute to Conservation! Embark on a 2-5 mile adventure through the breathtaking land of the upper San Diego River Gorge, navigating varied terrain—including some bushwhacking!
12:30 pm - 2:00 pm
Watershed & Wilderness: Exploring the San Diego River at Mission Trails
Old Mission Dam 1 Father Junipero Serra Trail, San Diego, CA 92119, San Diego, CA, United States
To celebrate San Diego River Days, Mission Trails Regional Park Foundation will host two guided hikes showcasing the park’s rich history and diverse ecology. This hike will explore the area near the dam and head toward Oak Canyon, offering insights into the watershed’s unique ecosystem.
May 13, 2025
9:00 am - 1:00 pm
San Diego River Mouth Habitat Restoration
5156 W Point Loma Blvd 5156 W Point Loma Blvd, San Diego, United States
The San Diego River Mouth is home to an abundance of native resident and migratory species who depend on the threatened habitats to rest, forage and live out their life cycles.
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Seed Bomb Sculptures with ArtReach
T + C Park T+C Park (Fashion Valley Rd &, Riverwalk Dr,, San Diego, United States
Get your hands dirty by making some seed bomb sculptures to help our native habitat! In this workshop, participants will merge visual art with eco activism and create their own biodegradable sculptures out of soil, clay and native SoCal wildflower seeds.
5:30 pm - 7:00 pm
SDMBA Guided Mountain Bike Ride
Sycamore Canyon/Goodan Ranch 16281 Sycamore Canyon Road, Poway, United States
Get active in nature and enjoy this exciting guided mountain bike ride at Mission Trails Regional Park! Make new friends and explore this gorgeous section of Mission Trails Regional Park on a fun intermediate ride! This event is meant for experienced riders comfortable with their mountain bike on blue and black difficulty trails.
May 14, 2025
9:00 am - 11:00 am
River Days Crestridge Flower Hike
Crestridge Ecological Reserve 1181 Horsemill Rd, El Cajon, CA, United States
Join Earth Discovery Institute for a hike at Crestridge Ecological Preserve to learn about the San Diego Watershed and the native plants flowering this time of year.
4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Serra Mesa-Kearny Mesa Library San Diego River Days Storytime
Serra Mesa-Kearny Mesa Library 9005 Aero Dr, San Diego, CA, United States
In honor of San Diego River Days, Park Ranger Tiffany and Librarian Ms. Carrie will read stories and give facts all about animals that live along the San Diego River. Location: Serra Mesa-Kearny Mesa Library, 9005 Aero Drive, San Diego, CA 92123 This is a drop-in event. No registration or RSVP required, but we would still like to know if you plan on attending.
May 15, 2025
8:00 am - 10:00 pm
Grant Park Community Stewards
River Center at Grant Park 2310 Camino Del Rio North, San Diego, CA, United States
Join us in helping to "beautify" our new River Center at Grant Park! You can help take care of this exiting new nature science education center and eco-park by joining the community in vegetation removal and weeding, trash pick-up, graffiti removal, and occasional planting.
12:30 pm - 2:00 pm
Watershed & Wilderness: Exploring the San Diego River at Mission Trails
Mission Trails Regional Park Visitor Center 1 Father Junipero Serra Trail, San Diego, CA, United States
To celebrate San Diego River Days, Mission Trails Regional Park Foundation will host two guided hikes showcasing the park’s rich history and diverse ecology. This hike will follow the trail down to the Grinding Rocks, highlighting the cultural significance of the site.
May 16, 2025
10:30 am - 11:30 am
Preschool Storytime at Mast park, hosted by the Santee Library
Mast Park 9125 Carlton Hills Blvd, Santee, United States
Join the Santee Library for a storytime at Mast Park that will focus on nature, conservation, and the San Diego River along with songs, playtime and fun! Preschool storytime focuses on building early reading skills, learning to follow directions, and enjoying social time. What to know: Geared towards ages 3-5. No RSVP is required, but we would still like to know if you plan to attend.
3:00 pm - 5:00 pm
ILACSD Lakeside Litter Clean-Up
Join I Love A Clean San Diego and Lakeside's River Park Conservancy for a clean up in Lakeside! Help us celebrate San Diego River Days by protecting the San Diego River. Volunteers will be working on San Diego River property in Lakeside, CA to prevent trash and debris from entering sensitive habitat.
Free
May 17, 2025
8:00 am - 10:30 am
Stewardship Saturday in Olivia Canyon
Olivia Canyon 3005 Menlo Avenue, San Diego, CA
Volunteers will care for native plants, remove non-native plants, and clear trash and debris from restoration areas in Olivia Canyon. Please bring a reusable water bottle, wear close toed shoes, and long sleeves. Tools and water will be provided.
9:00 am - 11:00 am
Bird Walk at Famosa Slough
Famosa Slough 4285 W Point Loma Blvd, San Diego, CA, United States
Come learn about our local birds with the Friends of Famosa Slough!
9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Community River Cleanup at Mission Valley Preserve
Enjoy a feel-good Saturday morning caring for beautiful Mission Valley Preserve, a 52-acre wildlife preserve with precious riparian habitat and an abundance of biodiversity right in the middle of our city! Help remove trash from the riverbed and prevent it from polluting native animal habitats, leaching contaminants into the water, and washing into our ocean and beaches! Each year, SDRPF volunteers remove over 200,000 lbs. of trash from the riverbed and you can be part of this momentous impact for the river!
Expect good vibes, fresh air, and an awesome crew of like-minded changemakers. Come for the cause, stay for the community—and leave knowing you made a real difference for the San Diego River!
9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Adobe Falls Invasive Species Removal
Adobe Falls 5787 Adobe Falls Rd,, San Diego, CA, United States
Join City of San Diego Park Rangers in restoring native habitat at Adobe Falls! Help us improve the health of the San Diego River Watershed by removing invasive plant species and trash. What to know: This event is intended for volunteers 15 and older.
9:00 am - 2:00 pm
Santa Ysabel Open Space Preserve Wildflower Hike
Santa Ysabel East Open Space Preserve 500 Farmer Rd., Julian, CA, United States
Join Senior Program Manager Natalie Borchardt and County Park Ranger Doug Andrews on a hike as we explore the oak woodlands and native grasslands near the source of the San Diego River at the Santa Ysabel East Open Space Preserve.
10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Grant Park Open House
River Center at Grant Park 2310 Camino Del Rio North, San Diego, CA, United States
Join us for a lovely Saturday tour of the construction site of the exciting new River Center at Grant Park. Connect with fellow community members and learn about this amazing project! The River Center at Grant Park will act as a new home for the San Diego River in the heart of Mission Valley.
10:30 am - 12:00 pm
Santee Historical Society Spring Fling
The Historic Santee Barn 9200 Magnolia Ave, Santee, CA, United States
The Santee Historical Society is hosting an old-fashioned community event at the Santee Historic Barn at 9200 Magnolia Avenue (between Mission Gorge and Mast Boulevard), Santee, CA 92071. Vendors and educators, as well as members of the Santee Youth Business Fair, will be present.
12:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Pollinator Safari
Point Loma Native Plant Garden 4444 Greene St., San Diego, CA, United States
Join local insect lovers and photographers, representatives from Bee City USA, and the UCSD Pollinator Club in the Point Loma Native Plant Garden for a Pollinator Safari. Local pollinator enthusiasts will lead short walks around the garden looking for bees, wasps, butterflies, hummingbirds, and other insects visiting the flowers and flying around the garden.
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Bat Walk & Moths Under the Moonlight
River Center at Grant Park 2310 Camino Del Rio North, San Diego, CA, United States
Join SDRPF for a fun evening adventure to launch into bat and moth season as we listen and look for bats and moths while we stroll along the river. We will delve into our nighttime world to eavesdrop on eerie echolocation calls using bioacoustics and attract moths to our UV lighting station to observe them up close.
All ages are welcome to join us for this hair-raising event. Sign up early as space is limited, and our Nature Nights events fill up quickly!
Please bring a flashlight or headlamp, a camp chair for the later mothing portion and wear long pants and close toed shoes.
May 18, 2025
8:00 am - 9:30 am
Bird Survey
River Center at Grant Park 2310 Camino Del Rio North, San Diego, CA, United States
Please join local bird experts in the heart of Mission Valley at the River Center at Grant Park to observe and count the birds that call this section of the river home!
11:00 am - 3:00 pm
The Ebb and Flow of the River Presented by San Diego River Artists’ Alliance
Mission Valley Library 2123 Fenton Parkway, San Diego, CA, United States
The San Diego River Artists' Alliance creates art inspired by the San Diego River and it's ecosystem. Drop by to see a variety of representations of the river in various mediums including painting, collage, paper, tapestry, photography, and fiber arts.
1:00 pm - 2:15 pm
Bike SD River Days Ride
T + C Park T+C Park (Fashion Valley Rd &, Riverwalk Dr,, San Diego, United States
Get out and enjoy the freedom of being on your bike with Bike SD on this fun community bike ride along a 5-mile loop of the beautiful San Diego River Trail in Mission Valley!
Date: May 10 - 18, 2025
Location: Various Venues in San Diego, CA