PONDS in San Diego County

THE QUEST

I'm on a quest to locate, visit and report on all lakes and ponds in San Diego County. 

The quest is almost out of control. Looking for bodies of fresh water seemed easy enough, but the huge target area makes it tough to get out to the edges. Between Camp Pendleton and the Mexican border, and the beach and the desert means a single pond excursion can exceed 5 hours and 150 miles... Overall, the website now covers 65+ LAKES and 140+ PONDS; on over 200 pages with 1500 photos! I definitely did NOT anticipate the size of this task!

The following links enable you to quickly switch between categories of this site.

LAKE / RESERVOIR          POND (this page)         VERNAL POOL          HOME

POND NOTES

The San Diego River (unlike most) doesn't really "run", it just "sits there" in ponds until the rains get heavy enough for runoff. I have grouped the ponds along the river together, so you can follow then from the source to sea. Look over here to the right: -->

Ponds may have no name or multiple names. Ponds without names will be designated by the closest street, or geographic feature. I have recently added ZONES as a way to more easily locate our ponds. You can find the Zone numbers in the spreadsheet below.

Ponds are often on private property, military bases, nature preserves or Indian Reservations, etc. That makes them more difficult to reach than Lakes. Thus my descriptions of private ponds may be limited and my photos from farther away.

I have uncovered several "groups" of ponds, which will often be discussed together on one page. For example, these along Vale Terrace:

I am currently including ponds of any reasonable size. I had intended to use 1 acre as the minimum, but that excludes a number of visible and interesting ponds. We'll see how it goes ... BTW I estimate the pond size using Google Maps' measuring tool, as shown below.

ORGANIZATION

I built spreadsheets to track my progress but they can also be used to navigate my findings. The PONDS spreadsheet is below; the spreadsheet for LAKES is on its page.

To see and read about what we have found, please see the individual pond articles. I'll explain my reporting strategy first:

1. MAIN PAGES (like this one) have general details, a spreadsheet, and a list of POND PAGES -> 

2. POND PAGES describe visit(s) to each body of water, with photos, text, leaflets, etc. 

• Click on the names of a Pond (1st column of the spreadsheet below) OR
• Select from a list at the right (grouped by region, town and/or zone in SD County) ->

3. LOCATIONS are indicated by latitude / longitude, or nearby town, not by street address  

• Click on Latitude,Longitude (spreadsheet 2nd column) for a map or satellite view
• HIGHER 1st number means farther NORTH (33 is NORTH of 32)
• HIGHER magnitude 2nd number means farther WEST (-117 is WEST of -116)

LEGEND for SPREADSHEET

Visited and succeeded

Haven’t visited yet

Visited but failed to find it

San Diego County Ponds
PONDS & POOLS	Latitude Longitude	Pond	Nearest	Elevation	Area
Click for Photos	Click for Map	Zone	Town	(Ft)	(Acres)
	PONDS WITHIN SAN DIEGO CITY
	SAN DIEGO CENTRAL
29A Model Yacht	32.765312,-117.228505	0	San Diego	4	2.5
Civic / Children	32.709436,-117.165071	0	San Diego	7	0.6
Evans / Library	32.9114,-117.1040	6	Scripps Ranch	653	1.5
Hendrix	32.9004,-117.1040	6	Scripps Ranch	555	0.5
Lily / Reflecting	32.731896, 117.1491960	0	San Diego	280	0.25
Mission Dam	32.839525,-117.045349	0	San Diego	274	0.3
Pacific Isle	32.754460, -117.227662	0	San Diego	10	0.5
Stonehaven	32.823645, -117.222970	0	San Diego	135	1.5
	SAN DIEGO SOUTH
34A Hollister	32.590237, -117.086202	10	Chula Vista	10	4
Dairy Mart	32.555224,-117.069266	10	San Ysidro	10	20
Fenton	32.587205,-117.07380	10	Chula Vista	80	5
River Bottom	32.5867944, -116.98043	10	Chula Vista	177	4
	SAN DIEGO NORTH
13F San Diego	33.0378, -117.0704	6	Rancho Bernardo	383	4
17A Boys & Girls	33.002257,-117.115287	1	Poway	443	6
17B Black Mountain	32.99935, -117.10205	1	Poway	536	6
20K Pond	33.045531, -117.077997	2	Rancho Bernardo	330	2
Chestnut Ferncrest	32.973993, -117.069781	6	Carmel Mountain	655	Dry
Duck Pond	32.934503, -117.177210	1	Del Mar Mesa	226	0.5
Irvine Plaza	32.868426, -117.205335	1	Univ Town Ctr	375	0.25
SD Zoo Safari Park	33.101875, -117.028922	6	San Pasqual	~500	5
San Pasqual Valley	33.101875, -117.028922	6	San Pasqual	360-550	4
Vernal Pond	32.953081,-117.180260	1	Del Mar Mesa	190	3
Webb Lake	33.017324, -117.078165	6	Rancho Bernardo	534	1
	PONDS by CATEGORY
	INDIAN TRIBAL / RESERVATION
Barona Casino	32.941109, -116.869963	6	Ramona	1320	10
Pala Gomez Creek	33.356459, -117.108773	4	Bonsall	316	45
Sycuan Cottonwood	32.778818,-116.862583	9	Jamul	452
	QUARRIES & GRAVEL PITS
Harris Plant Ponds	32.856327, -117.132836	MCAS	Kearny Villa Road	334	2
Robertson’s Quarry	32.765015, -116.892673	9	El Cajon	577	0.5
Superior Quarry	32.760645, -116.928592	0	Spring Valley	662	1
Volcan Hanson	32.901626, -117.128995	1	Carroll Canyon	378	10
	PONDS by REGIONAL LOCATION
	ALPINE, BOULEVARD, CAMPO, PINE VALLEY
Cottonwood Creek	32.843669, -116.473196	8	Sunrise Highway	5013	1
Green Head Club	32.802205,-116.498000	8	Pine Valley	3812	4
Palo Verde	32.820444,-116.752326	9	Alpine	1890	2.5
Campo	32.625422, -116.471004	9	Campo	2600	0.5
Saxon Road	32.609574,-116.627739	9	Campo	2244
Stagecoach Springs	32.704094, -116.384457	9	Campo	3689	5
	BONITA, CHULA VISTA, NATIONAL CITY, SPRING VALLEY
Morrison	32.672769, -117.023318	10	Bonita	80	4
	BONSALL PONDS
Moosa Creek	33.281077, -117.200899	3	Bonsall	193	7
Night Heron	33.255468, -117.202348	3	Bonsall	315	1
Robbie Lane	33.253329, -117.195151	3	Bonsall	393	0.5
Via Urner	33.290115, -117.156187	3	Bonsall	753	0.5
	CARLSBAD PONDS
Sunny Creek Oak Lake	33.142432, -117.272835	2	Carlsbad	120	~
Research Center	33.134987, -117.291367	2	Carlsbad	197	1.3
Robertson Ranch	33.153134, -117.309611	2	Carlsbad	48	~
	EL CAJON, LAKESIDE, LA MESA, SANTEE
Cottonwood Lakes	32.742353, -116.917400	9	Jamul	515	1-2 each
Crystal Lane	32.776781, -116.940952	0	El Cajon	577	0.5
El Monte Hanson I	32.869106, -116.899006	7	Lakeside	400	28
El Monte Hanson II	32.873917, -116.916954	7	Lakeside	385	8
Kendrick Way	32.777880, -116.928788	0	El Cajon	577	0.8
Mt Helix Ponds	32.766790, -116.962587	0	La Mesa	788	0.5-1 each
San Diego River Trl	32.865525, -116.927861	0	Lakeside	400	2-14 each
Timberpond	32.773933, -116.922814	9	El Cajon
	ESCONDIDO
All Seasons	33.257960, -117.155604	4	Escondido	415	3
Champagne Lakes	33.276994, -117.146308	4	Escondido	405	3
Daley Ranch	33.174328, -117.049358	4	Escondido	1307	3 & 0.5
Hidden Meadows	33.236434,-117.143601	4	Escondido	524	1
Kit Carson	33.078707, -117.061960	6	Escondido	380	1,1,2
Lake Bernardo	33.135207, -117.099111	6	Escondido	715	0.75
	4S & FAIRBANKS RANCH, RANCHO SANTA FE, OLIVENHAIN
Fairbanks Lake S	32.999074, -117.172294	2	Fairbanks Ranch	187	5
Crosby Ponds	33.0228,-117.1518	2	The Crosby	210
Poco Lago	32.977928, -117.179866	2	Rancho Santa Fe	118	1
	FALLBROOK
Arabian Trail	33.333260, -117.244877	3	Fallbrook	534	1
Brooke Rd	33.349205, -117.230036	3	Fallbrook	590	1.5
Gateview	33.302361, -117.243111	3	Fallbrook	424	0.5
Gird Road	33.329111, -117.188517	3	Fallbrook	330	0.5
Green Canyon Rd	33.340612, -117.227734	3	Fallbrook	545	0.5
Greenhouses	33.326197, -117.243362	3	Fallbrook	494	4
Hellers Bend	33.317003, -117.236260	3	Fallbrook	295	1
Ladera Vista	33.319310, -117.242067	3	Fallbrook	455	1.5
Lake Ridge	33.322476, -117.248898	3	Fallbrook	537	1
Los Jilgueros	33.356875, -117.246369	3	Fallbrook	590	1
Olive Hill	33.302361, -117.243111	3	Fallbrook	330	0.5
Pala Mesa Lake	33.359581, -117.161712	3	Fallbrook	343	0.5
Paseo del Lago	33.325016, -117.238627	3	Fallbrook	413	0.1
Puerta de Lomas	33.297115, -117.244571	3	Fallbrook	405	0.3
Rainbow	33.393849, -117.134112	4	Fallbrook	1300	1.5
Rancho Viejo	33.393849, -117.134112	4	Fallbrook	236	10
Sycamore	33.305484, -117.219752	3	Fallbrook	230	2
Via Arroyo I & II	33.340137, -117.210167	3	Fallbrook	588	1 each
Via del Robles	33.351503, -117.197741	3	Fallbrook	407	1
White Horse	33.329818, -117.245533	3	Fallbrook	500	1
Winter Haven Ln	33.347757, -117.212943	3	Fallbrook	643	0.3
	JULIAN
Camp Winacka	33.035577,-116.638295	7	Julian	3800	1.2
Camp Marston	33.042799,-116.620860	7	Julian	4088	3
Coleman Creek 3	33.063391, -116.603711	7	Julian	4292	2
Ethelwyn	33.080374, -116.591125	5	Julian	4134	0.3
Mason Valley	33.014929, -116.556454	8	Julian	4670	1
Peckman	33.051283,-116.614345	7	Julian	4007	3
Parking Lot	33.076193, -116.602460	7	Julian	4196	1
Winn Ranch Rd	33.022715, -116.562314	7	Julian	4616	0.5
Wynola Road	33.096806, -116.619967	5	Julian	4000	N/A
	MCAS MIRAMAR
Miramar Fish Pond	32.871800,-117.164400	MCAS	Miramar Rd	356	2
Drainage Ponds	32.875022, -117.160555	MCAS	Miramar Rd	338	2
Vernal Pools	32.850145, -117.123620	MCAS	Kearny Villla Rd	450	N/A
	MCB PENDLETON
Pendleton Ponds		MCB	Pendleton
Stuart Mesa	33.242012, -117.396913	MCB	Pendleton	10	12
De Luz Pond	33.239778, -117.263861	MCB	Pendleton	275	3
	OCEANSIDE
Guajome Upper	33.239777, -117.263852	3	Oceanside	164	2
Hutchinson St I	33.242589, -117.244380	3	Oceanside	272	0.8
Senior Center	33.202795, -117.331071	3	Oceanside	38	2
	PALOMAR / MESA GRANDE
Doane	33.340062, -116.901374	4	Mt Palomar	4665	1.5
High On Kennels	33.201125, -116.759584	4	Mesa Grande	3432	1
Rainey Ranch	33.199154,-116.737331	4	Mesa Grande	3252	~
	POWAY
Duck Pond Poway	32.947268, -117.098922	6	Poway	368	1.5
The Pond(s), Poway	32.945864,-117.066320	6	Poway	450	1 each
	RAMONA & SD COUNTRY ESTATES
A Street	33.043030, -116.870992	6	Ramona	1422	1.5
Barnett Ranch	32.994076, -116.870704	6	Ramona	1406	0.3
Boulder Oaks	32.966758, -116.928434	6	Ramona	1477	0.75
Cedar Creek	32.995160, -116.756266	7	SD Country Est	1060	0.2
Dos Picos	32.997502, -116.937922	6	Ramona	1486	1.75
Duck Pond Ramona	33.033541, -116.878976	6	Ramona	1410	0.5
EA Ranch	33.033437, -116.754651	7	Ramona	2600	5
Grasslands	33.040724,-116.950791	6	Ramona	1365	20
Leulf Pond	32.994099 -116.897905	6	Ramona	1330	0.25
Milagro	33.053622, -116.754564	7	Ramona	2452	0.5
Ramona Oaks	33.074713, -116.803132	4	Ramona	2100	0.5
Ramona North	33.051903, -116.848036	4	Ramona	1454	2.5
SD Country Estate	32.999768, -116.841831	7	SD Country Est	1286	5
Slaughterhouse	33.068764, -116.745590	4	Ramona	2484	1 each
Star B Ranch	33.082969,-116.716058	4	Ramona	2755	1
Unknown	33.038063, -116.740809	7	Ramona	2583	1
Wash Hollow Creek	33.051661, -116.810452	7	Ramona	1772	1
	SAN MARCOS
Jacks	33.133373, -117.142256	2	San Marcos	700	2
Quail Valley	33.165037, -117.192552	3	San Marcos	556	2
Woodland Park	33.147828, -117.133055	3	San Marcos	682	0.5
	VISTA
Abeja	33.165037, -117.192552	3	Vista	654	dry?
Arabian Ranch	33.240076, -117.238539	3	Vista	345	0.3
Anstine Audobon	33.239975, -117.240504	3	Vista	317	0.3
Buena Vista	33.157707, -117.246941	2	Vista	340	0.75
Cleveland Trail	33.184606, -117.198160	3	Vista	556	0.5
Green Oak Ranch	33.156728, -117.228678	2	Vista	349	0.75
Lakeside Road	33.179600, -117.203000	3	Vista	488	1
Oriente	33.249341, -117.237265	3	Vista	320	0.5
Paseo Marguerita	33.231030, -117.248690	3	Vista	290	0.33
Spa Haven	33.249252, -117.208063	3	Vista	472	0.4
Vale Terrace	33.206478,-117.207858	3	Vista	620	1

A FEW PREVIEW PHOTOS

FOR EACH POND PAGE, CLICK ON ITS NAME IN THE TABLE ABOVE or LIST ON THE RIGHT

[CLICK ANY IMAGE TO ENLARGE]

HOLLISTER POND in Otay Valley (first pond visited!)

HENDRIX POND in Scripps Ranch

PALO VERDE POND in Alpine

MORRISON POND in National City

QUAIL VALLEY POND in San Marcos

THE POND in Poway

This is the most recently visited pond

Thanks for reading.

Enjoy browsing the ponds from the list at the right ->