These are the most accurate, current directions we have available. However, some roads or road conditions may change without our knowledge so please double check your directions before you depart for one of our reserves. Also, all reserve entrances are restricted so before entering you must have the reserve manager's approval and gate codes (except for pedestrian access to the Scripps Knoll and beach).
To gain access, you must submit a Use Application.
Click to jump to directions for:
Kendall-Frost Mission Bay Marsh
Dawson Los Monos Canyon Reserve:
From Interstate 5:
1) Drive about 20 minutes east on Palomar Airport Road
2) Turn left (north) on South Melrose Drive and follow directions below
From Interstate 15:
1) Exit west onto I-78
2) Exit west on Sycamore
3) Turn right (north) on South Melrose Drive and follow directions below
For Researchers and Individuals:
Turn left on Dawson Drive (first left after Sycamore). Follow Dawson Drive for 200 yards to the security gate. At this point you will need the access code. YOU ARE CROSSING PRIVATE PROPERTY FROM HERE TO THE LAST GATE AT THE RESERVE ENTRANCE. Follow the paved road down to the end of the cul-de-sac. The entrance to the reserve is the (unmarked) gate on your right at the end of the cul-de-sac. Park here if directed to do so or continue through the hooked gate in the fence to your right, along the dirt road. At the corner of the fencelines, enter the reserve through the gate with the combination lock. CLOSE ALL GATES AND LEAVE LOCKED AS YOU FOUND THEM.
For Groups:
Turn left on Shadowridge Drive. Turn left on Antigua Drive, this brings you into Buena Vista Park. Park in the spaces at the far end of the parking lot. Walk along the paved road across the dam at the lower end of the pond; turn left and walk along the dirt road, keeping the eucalyptus on your left. At the end of the eucalyptus, find a gate in the fence on your right. (You will need the combination to the lock.) Once inside, stay close to the fence, then follow the path along the bottom of the hill to the creek, or up the hill to Mt. Hinton. Warning: there are poison oak and spiny Adolphia bushes in several places, and the paths are not very clear.
Elliott Chaparral Reserve:
From Interstate 5-South:
1) Head east on Highway 56
2) Go south on I-15 and follow directions below.
From Interstate 5-North:
1) head east on Highway 52
2) Go north on I-15 and follow directions below.
From Interstate 15, exit east on Pomerado Road. Take the second right, where a gate and UC San Diego Elliott Field Station sign are visible. The first locked gate at the reserve entrance is a Palm Scan Gate. With the manager's approval (via online application) you must have your hand scanned for access on the UCSD campus prior to arriving. At the middle gate, the NRS combination lock and chain should be carefully replaced in the sequence where found. Do NOT tighten the chain more than necessary to lock it. To leave the main paved road, a high clearance, four-wheel drive is necessary.
Kendall-Frost Marsh Reserve
From Interstate 5-South:
1) Exit Balboa/Garnet and head south on Mission Bay Drive
2) Turn right on Grand Avenue and follow directions below.
From Interstate 5-North:
1) Exit Grand Ave. Head west on Grand and follow directions below
Turn left on Olney St.
Turn right on Pacific Beach Dr. The marsh and white research trailer are on your left on the corner of Crown Point Dr. and Pacific Beach Dr.
Scripps Coastal Reserve
To the Knoll
1) From I-5, Exit Villa La Jolla Dr. and head west
2) Turn left on La Jolla Shores Drive
3) Turn right on La Jolla Farms Drive
4) The reserve entrance is 0.1mi down the road on the left. 2hr parking is available along La Jolla Farms Drive
To the beach
1) Like to the Knoll, head down La Jolla Shores Drive
2) Turn right at the first stoplight, El Paseo Grande (at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography sign)
3) Park on this residential street, or on La Jolla Shores Drive
School buses will need to park in the Kellogg Park parking lot 0.3 miles south after dropping off students; researchers may obtain a campus parking permit from the main campus parking kiosk on Gilman Drive.
4) If parked or dropped off on El Paseo Grande, access the beach via the stairs at the south end of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography campus. If parked on La Jolla Shores Drive, walk through the SIO campus to the pier, and down the ramp on the right. Walk 0.2 miles north of the pier to reach the rocky intertidal.
