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Photo: http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/, CC0 via Wikimedia Commons
A large park that overlaps parts of Imperial Beach and San Ysidro. It is divided into the Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge on the north, and Border Field State Park in the south.
Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve is a natural reserve in Imperial Beach, California, and San Ysidro, San Diego. It encompasses the Tijuana River Estuary, located on the Mexico–United States border. It is divided into two primary parts: Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge on the north, and Border Field State Park in the south, but several other also jurisdictions own land within the Reserve boundary.
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Provides access to hiking trails north of the Tijuana River
Perhaps slightly misnamed, visiting this park is a good opportunity to get up and personal with the wall that separates Mexico and the US. The adjacent Monument Mesa picnic area is open 7 days a week; the International Friendship Park itself is between the primary and secondary border fences, and is only open for a few hours on weekends. The entrance gate to Border Field State Park is only open weekends when the road is not flooded, but the park is still open and Monument Mesa is accessible via a 1.6-mile hike.
Centerpiece of four miles of beach
A plaza with an 18-foot bronze statue honoring the surfing and sandcastle culture of Imperial Beach
An excellent beach to swim or surf at. RV camping and fishing are allowed here.