The City is excited to share with you the plans that are underway for Escondido Creek Trail revitalization. Our goal is to beautify the space, increase access to parkland and recreational opportunities, and encourage safe and healthy lifestyles. This will be achieved through improved security, enhanced street crossings, fitness and play amenities, native and CA-friendly landscaping, and further opportunities for walking and jogging.  

Beyond a physical transformation, this project is also about revitalizing the Creek Trail Corridor through enhanced activities and partnerships with local businesses, artists, and other organizations. We envision the Creek Trail as a shared space for Escondido to grow into as a community and appreciate your partnership and collaboration as we transform this urban creek into a thriving space that connects us for generations to come.  

As we move forward with this project, we want you to know that we are committed to an inclusive outreach process.  

What to Expect 

To keep our community well-informed and engaged throughout the Escondido Creek Trail project, you can expect the below from our outreach team: 

•     Timely alerts about key activities, timelines, and travel impacts via our project newsletter, social media, and direct outreach 
•     Multicultural communication and outreach to connect with all community members 
•     Outreach to businesses and residents about work happening along the trail 
•     If you have any questions, please reach out to our project team by email at creek@escondido.org or by phone at 760-839-4949. 

Project Benefits 

•     A more enjoyable trail: We’re enhancing the trail with new activities and partnerships.  
•     Beautified corridor: The Creek Trail will be transformed through artistic design elements and the planting of native, CA-friendly landscaping.  
•     Improved accessibility:  Better signage and easier access to local businesses along the trail; new sections of decomposed granite (DG) trail will be constructed to help separate wheeled and non-wheeled users; and more lighting will brighten the trail.  
•     Consistent look and feel: The entire Creek Trail Corridor will have a cohesive look, feel, and overall branding.  

Project background 

In 2010, residents brought forward a shared vision to transform the Escondido Creek Trail into a linear park. Two top priorities that emerged were to complete the Missing Link bike path between Broadway and Centre City Parkway and to create safe mid-block crossings along the length of the Creek Trail. The Missing Link bike path was completed in 2019 and thanks to an Active Transportation Project Grant, the mid-block crossings were completed in 2024.  

We’re now excited to take the next step through your continued partnership. We’ve secured nearly $18 million for this project, funded in part by an $8.5 million grant from the California Department of Parks & Recreation through the Statewide Parks Improvement Program as well as a $3.5 million grant from Caltrans through the Clean CA Local Grant Program. This project will improve approximately 4.5 miles of the existing Escondido Creek Trail and add approximately 0.4 miles of new bicycle path to the linear park. 

Timeline 

On Aug. 28, the Escondido City Council took two important actions. They awarded the bid to Tri-Group Construction and Development Inc. for physical construction of the project and a consulting agreement with T.Y. Lin International for construction management. The project is still in the pre-construction phase, and a start date will be confirmed in the following weeks. However, the City anticipates work to begin in early 2025. We are committed to keeping the community thoroughly informed throughout the project and will provide more detailed information as it becomes available.  

We’d love to hear from you 

• Email creek@escondido.org    
• Phone 760-839-4949