Gemma Parks Loop

A short, flat interpretive loop along the southern edge of San Elijo Lagoon, connected into the same Rios Avenue/Solana Hills trail network that leads to Annie's Canyon. Signs along the way call out the trailside plants — black sage, California buckwheat, California sagebrush — and it's a strong bet for waterbirds without much of a hike: northern pintail ducks, American coots, American wigeons, pied-billed grebes, great egrets, ospreys, and northern harriers all turn up in the marsh below.

The loop is named for Gemma Parks, a local conservationist credited with helping save neighboring Holmwood Canyon from development — there's a bench dedicated to her memory along the Holmwood Canyon Trail nearby. No bikes are allowed on the loop itself, which keeps it genuinely quiet for the walkers, joggers, and dog-walkers who use it, and several benches along the way make it an easy one to slow down on.