Old Mission Dam in Mission Trails Regional Park
Mission Trails Regional Park is an urban park that shows what San Diego looked like before widespread human settlement. Located in the park is Old Mission Dam, one of the earliest structures that helped with Spanish development of California.
I did not grow up in California so I was unfamiliar with much of its history. However, California my kids, as California school children, became well-versed in the history of Native Americans and later Spanish settlers in California. Mission Trails is a great place to see the history of this development.
Throughout Mission Trails Regional Park and at the visitor’s center you can see evidence of the history of the Kumeyaay Tribe going back as far as 10,000 years. In the 1700s, Spanish missionaries started establishing the mission system as religious centers to convert Native Americans to Christianity.
From 1769 to 1823 21 missions were built along a road known as El Camino Real. These missions stretched over 600 miles from San Diego in the south to Sonoma in the north. This road ran roughly along what is now Interstate 5 and U.S.101.
The first mission was Mission Basilica San Diego de Alcalá built by Father Juniper Serra in 1769. This mission has been restored and is located in the heart of San Diego near the interesection of Interstate 15 and 8 (by the stadium where the San Diego Chargers and Padres used to play).
WEBSITE: https://mtrp.org/old-mission-dam/
Old Mission Dam was built in 1813 to supply water to the mission. It is part of Mission Trails Regional Park and is located at the end of the Father Juniper Serra Trail. The Father Juniper Serra Trail is actually a 2.5 mile paved trail that runs one-way (for cars) from the visitor’s center to Old Mission Dam.
To get a full appreciation for the dam you should probably stop at the visitor’s center first to see the exhibits. The dam is considered one of the first land altering water projects done by European settlers in the Western United States. However, it was only in operation for 20 years from 1815 to 1835. Nevertheless, this area remained an important water source fro San Diego’s early years as part of a flume and aqueduct system.
Visiting Old Mission Dam only takes a few minutes, but it can be a nice place to linger for a picnic. There are also hiking trails leading from here, including three of the mountains in the 5-Peak Challenge. You can go here for our complete guide to hiking in Mission Trails.
Old Mission Dam has a small parking lot with additional parking along the road. There is a restroom and displays with interpretive signs and a viewing platform. This is a great place for bird watching.
The best hiking trail from Old Mission Dam is the Oak Canyon Trail. This is a 1.7 mile trail, that we have combined into a 3.6 mile loop hike that goes to the overlook on the north side of the dam.
Note if you just want to do the overlook on the north side, it is a 1.0 mile round trip from the parking lot. You hike south along the San Diego River/Oak Canyon Trail about 0.2 miles, cross the river bridge and hike 0.2 miles back on the north side of the river. There is a short trail that climbs to the top of the overlook.
There are many activities at Mission Trails and you should check out our full guide for complete details.
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