San Diego swim spots?

[Mermaid Erin]

Are there any streams or rivers where a Mermaid can play for a day in San Diego?

[aquamtc]

Are there any streams or rivers where a Mermaid can play for a day in San Diego?

Hi, I'm a San Diego native and I don't think we have anything here that qualifies as a swimmable stream or river. It's either too polluted, dangerous or for fishing only. Mission Bay isn't that clean either. We do have a lot of pools. I have access to a large private pool in Point Loma that isn't used much. Keep in touch if you are interested in meeting up.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[deepblue]

I'm a SD native, too. :)

I agree there aren't a lot of freshwater areas in the first place, much less swimmable. There are a lot of city lakes (which are all man-made), but none of them allow swimming. There are a few natural lakes. Other recreational activities are allowed. Rivers and streams? There are a few places, all in the east county, which is about an average 30-60 min drive from the coast depending on where you start and what time of day it is.

When I was a child, we swam a little in the stream that runs through Green Valley Falls campground but that is way out east in the Cuyamaca mountains, and is often a trickle. Even with talk of the drought being over, we were in one for years, and a lot dried out. You have to park and hike to get there.

The La Jolla tribe has a recreational area, which the San Luis Rey river is part of. Apparently tubing is allowed there, so maybe they allow swimming. I have no idea about any of it, I've never been there, but you can check their website and call to ask. http://lajollaindians.com/?page_id=4 This is also way out in the east county.

Also way out in the east county there is Black Canyon Falls. I've never been there, either, but it looks so pretty, and people talk about swimming there. Apparently it is a bit of a hike to get to, also. https://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2014/apr/02/roam-lower-black-canyon/#


I know you asked for rivers and streams, but with so few options, I can see why Mission Bay was mentioned. It isn't freshwater, and as aquamtc said, it's not that clean. However, if it's been a while since a rain, it's better, and there are areas of it that are better quality. The water is sedate, and for a man-made bay it's very nice and feels pretty natural. I spent a lot of time in that water as a kid.
https://www.sandiego.gov/lifeguards/beaches/mbay Check out the map (http://https://www.google.com/maps/place/Mission+Bay,+San+Diego,+CA/@32.7775691,-117.2643405,13z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x80deaa7978939419:0x6fb75 7ff321508d0!8m2!3d32.7778125!4d-117.226457), Mission Bay is huge and has a lot of different areas for various activities.


Maybe someone else knows some kind of amazing secret spot, but San Diego just isn't a freshwater place. The lakes are mostly man-made, the rivers and streams are so far east that if you Google a map of San Diego, they're all off in the mostly blank area until you zoom in.

If you fancy some pools, we do have a lot of cool pools, some historic. The Lafayette has a historic pool, there's the Mission Beach pool, and a small but nice one at The Pearl... and more. You can find those easy on a search.

[deepblue]

Also, you might hear about the San Diego River. It's long and it goes through several towns. No swimming allowed. "12.28.270 Swimming in San Diego River. It is unlawful for any person to swim, wade, or bathe in the waters of the San Diego River within the city. (Prior code § 42.301)"