The improvement of Sunset Cliffs

This aerial map shows the planned trail alignment for the Hillside Improvement Project at Sunset Cliffs Natural Park. The exhibit was used during the planning phase to illustrate the general goals and vision for the project. When completed, the trail system and other features may not exactly mirror this layout.

According to engineers on site at the park, the green "multi-use trail will have a decomposed granite surface and be eight feet wide. It will allow for pedestrians and bicyclists to access the loop road and Catalina Boulevard through Point Loma Nazarene University. It is the only trail in the park that will allow bicycles.

The broken red trail will also be decomposed granite, it will be six feet wide and will provide ADA access from the parking lot for viewing the native plant garden and the beautiful vistas there. Yellow primary trails will be six-foot-wide decomposed granite and the purple secondary trails will be compacted earth three feet wide similar to what they are now. The blue dots denote observation points. The park master plan mandates minimal structures for the park while providing access via a safe, non erosive, trail system.

Ellen Quick, trails committee chairperson for the park advisory council, says, "Walking in the park should be similar to how it is now, only better and safer. You’ll be able to walk safely with your kids and grandparents all the way to the Navy boundary. Think Torrey Pines Reserve, not Mission Bay Park. No concrete, no picnic tables, no playgrounds. There are a few benches — ipe wood, exactly the same as those in the linear section. The overlooks are natural dirt, too — no concrete.

“Thirty-five acres will be revegetated with native plants. That’s going to bring more birds, more wildlife. The former ballfield area will be restored and graded to natural contours. It’s going to be awesome. A place for whatever is special when you walk in a beautiful place — connecting with someone or solitude, planning the future or reminiscing about the past, being inspired by the beauty of the cliffs and coastal bluffs and ocean, and so much more. It really is implementation of the master plan, restoring what this area once was.”