516 Acre Wildlife Preserve
Eagle Peak Road (map)

Purpose:
To protect endangered wildlife, provide recreation and stewardship opportunities

The Preserve serves as the eastern entry to the planned San Diego River Trail. A trail system and interpretive facilities are planned as well.

Volunteer Opportunity
The Preserve is seeking two volunteer site hosts. Duties include assisting with periodic land management activities and checking on the Preserve. Site Hosts also assist with public events.

For information contact Doug the Preserve Managerby calling 619-297-7380 or doug@sandiegoriver.org

Overview
Eagle Peak Preserve is a 516 acre wildlife preserve owned by the San Diego River Park Foundation as part of its mission to preserve and better understand the River and its associated ecosystem. The property has seasonal streams and is adjacent to public lands of the Cleveland National Forest. The area has been proposed to be designated as critical habitat for the federally listed coastal California gnatcatcher, Polioptila californica ssp. Californica. Deer, red tailed hawks, coast horned lizards and many other wildlife species can be found. The plant diversity is tremendous.

In 2007 fire burned approximately 85% of the Preserve. It is part of the largest "twice burned" area in San Diego County. Fire recovery efforts will continue for several years. Donations of time, talents, and resources are needed for this effort. As part of these efforts, we have an ongoing monitoring program to document the recovery from the fires and our restoration programs. We invite you to join us!

Partners:
The San Diego River Conservancy
The Resources Agency, State of California
County of San Diego
The Nature Conservancy
The Parker Foundation
North County Group, San Diego Chapter of the Sierra Club
San Diego Mountain Biking Association
Friends of Eagle Peak Preserve - hundreds of donors and volunteers who support the project

Monthly Monitoring Team
Once a month from November to May, we conduct monitoring at the Preserve and add to the extensive Plant and Animal List. Experienced and non-experienced people are welcome to join the team. Members of the monitoring team serve as Preserve Docents at Open Houses and Events.

Interested in joining the Team?

1. Send us an email and we will add your name to the email noticing list
2. Join us when you can and as often as you want
3. Carpool with other monitors or meet us at the Preserve at 10AM.
4. We go out in teams of 4 to 6 people. We typically have 1 - 3 teams each trip. The monitoring takes at least two hours but we have been known to stay longer to enjoy the incredible beauty of the Preserve

WAYS TO HELP

1. Eagle Peak Preserve Management Fund

A fund has been established at The San Diego Foundation to support the Preserve and future programs. 100% of the fund is dedicated to the Preserve. Your donation will be permanently dedicated to the Preserve so that only the investment returns are spent. Appreciated stock and cash donations are welcome. For information about planned gifts, please contact our Executive Director, Rob Hutsel, at 619-297-7380 or by email.
DONATE NOW

2. Eagle Peak Preserve Acquisition Fund

We are working on enlarging the Preserve. You can support this by donating to the acquisition fund. The current asking price for this property is $298,000. Any funds will be used exclusively for the cost of the acquisition. To donate and to learn about other acquisition efforts, click here.

3. ADOPT AN ACRE $3000

If you are looking to do something slightly different, consider adopting an acre at the Preserve. You will be able to select a specific acre from those currently available. A donor appreciation sign will be install along a trail for others to see (and hopefully inspire them to consider donating, too!). The $3000 is cummulative so you can donate to help care for the Preserve and programs as well as the Acquisition Fund. Want to donate more? Consider donating more than one acre! Contact Sarah at The River Park Foundation to go over any previous donations.

Contact Rob Hutsel at 619-297-7380 or rhutsel@sandiegoriver.org if you are interested in learning more about this exciting opportunity.

More about the Preserve

Views from the Preserve are inspiring! Look for the 300+ ft tall Mildred Falls or hike up Son 2 Peak to see views all the way to El Capitan Reservoir. The San Diego River Gorge and the upper Cedar Creek are on both sides of the Preserve, and they have been proposed for Wild and Scenic River Status. With 516 acres there is a lot to see like 1000 year old grinding rocks, remains of the original 1890's homestead, beautiful engelmann oaks and native grasslands. Each spring join us for an amazing flower show from the coastal sage scrub and chaparral vegetation. The drive to the Preserve on Eagle Peak Road is amazing, but once you get there you may not want to leave!

View Eagle Peak Preserve - Project Boundaries in a larger map 

Visiting the Preserve
The Preserve is located on Eagle Peak Road. To get there,

• Take Highway 79 to Pine Hills Road (from this turn it is 20+ minutes to the Preserve)
• Turn right onto Eagle Peak Road
• After a short distance, Eagle Peak Road becomes a County maintained dirt road. It is generally in really good condition. Wet weather can make the road a bit slippery in a couple of spots so please drive carefully. The drive provides incredible views.
• Approximately 1/2 mile before the end of the road at the Saddleback Trailhead, you will come to the Preserve. A Preserve Sign is located at the first entrance. We have 3 entries. Parking is available at the 2nd and third entrance (all are on the left side of the road).

The Preserve is raw land without improvements except for a parking area and a small shade ramada with a picnic table. The Preserve gates are open for special events only. No hunting is allowed on the property. Please contact the River Park Foundation office if you wish to visit at other times. We are working on enhancing trails so areas of the Preserve will be open at other times.

If visiting the Preserve, please check the weather. If it is a warm day, we encourage you to visit in the morning before it warms up. The elevation is about 2800 feet, so it can get warm during the summer and fall months. We will let you know when the spring / summer wildflowers are visible. It is an incredible show! Many visitors to the Preserve also enjoy the hike to Cedar Creek Falls. It is a 4.4 mile round-trip moderate hike with about 800 feet in elevation change. Visitors also enjoy views of Mildred Falls. This is a seasonal 300 foot waterfall. We will keep you posted by our free enews about good viewing times. The vistas from the Preserve are absolutely stunning. We encourge visitors to the Preserve to drop by Julian for some apple pie and visit the local merchants. The River Park Foundation is a proud member of the Julian Chamber of Commerce!

For more information about visiting the Preserve or for supporting efforts to care for these amazing lands, please contact the River Park Foundation Executive Director, Rob Hutsel, by email or 619-297-7380.