Most locals have plenty of experience walking along the sea wall – it’s one of the most popular spots in all of Carlsbad. A nearby 1-mile roundtrip trek along the north shore of the Agua Hedionda Lagoon, however, could easily be overlooked.

• The trailhead is beside a small utility structure, just north of the bridge over the lagoon inlet.
• You can also get there from Garfield Street if you are willing to walk down a ramp and start in the middle.
• It’s an easy 1-mile round trip stroll right along the water.

The trail offers a unique perspective on the outer portion of the lagoon (Agua Hedionda Lagoon is divided into three parts, the outer, middle and inner lagoons). The 66-acre outer lagoon allows shore fishing and provides intake water for the Carlsbad Desalination Plant.

Where does the trail name come from?

As you approach the eastern end of this short trail, you may pass a nondescript set of buildings without taking a second look. This is the Leon Raymond Hubbard, Jr., Marine Fish Hatchery, one of several locations operated by the Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute.

• It’s part of the Ocean Resources Enhancement and Hatchery Program, focused on restoring the California white seabass population in our oceans, the only program of its kind on the West Coast of North America.
• The trail is named after the facility, which, in turn, is named after Dr. Carl L. Hubbs, one of the foremost scholars in the field of Ichthyology (I had to look that up. It’s the branch of zoology devoted to the study of fish).
• The hatchery is not open to the public, so please don’t drop by, but they do tours occasionally. You can find out about that on their website. 
• Or, you can watch this five-minute video, filmed in 2022 during an industry conference, to learn about the interesting work that happens there.

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