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Surface: Paved and unpaved; wheelchair accessible; flat to low hills

Length: 1.2 miles

Difficulty: Easy

Fun fact: one of the best places to spot wildlife in Carlsbad is also one of the most surprising. That’s because it’s tucked behind a busy road and next to one of our most popular areas for shopping.

The La Costa Glen trail is an easy, mostly flat, out-and-back trail in south Carlsbad, perfect if you want a quick break from holiday stress to reconnect with nature. The natural surface trail abuts a linear open space corridor along Encinitas Creek, an area of habitat teeming with wildlife.  

Here are a few birds you can keep an eye out for (and an ear).

Cooper’s hawks are smaller than red-tailed and red shouldered hawks, which also call Carlsbad home. Spotting a Cooper’s hawk is more exciting because they don’t spend long periods of time soaring overhead like other hawks. You have to be quick to spot a Cooper’s hawk as it sneaks up on its prey. They hunt mostly in the mornings and early afternoons.

If you’re there at dusk, you have an excellent chance of seeing a great horned owl gathering up some dinner. And if you don’t see one, you might still hear the familiar hoot. Here’s a link to the Audubon Society’s page where you can listen to recordings of the different types of hoots.

The Yellow warbler is easier to see because of its bright color and easy to hear because it loves to sing. This page has audio links for its different kinds of sounds. 

Parking

The best place to catch the trail is off Calle Barcelona. You can park in the back of the Jimbo’s parking lot:

1923 Calle Barcelona
Carlsbad, CA 92009

Head up to the crosswalk to get to the other side of Calle Barcelona, then double back to the trailhead.

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