Agua Hedionda Lagoon, also known as the Carlsbad Lagoon, is only 36 miles north of the San Diego Natural History Museum. The lagoon is comprised of three bodies of water interconnected by narrow waterways. The outer lagoon is 66 acres and nearest the Pacific Ocean while the 27-acre middle lagoon houses the Magdalena Ecke Family YMCA Aquatic Park. The largest, inner lagoon, is a 295-acre body of water extending southeast where boating and permitted crafts may recreate.

The lagoon features 400 acres available for hiking, swimming, recreational boating, sailing, kayaking, windsurfing, and fishing in permitted areas. An oyster and mussel aquaculture facility and a white-sea bass hatchery also reside at Agua Hedionda Lagoon. It is a saltwater watershed and wetland habitat available for year-round recreational use.

To visit or get involved with Agua Hedionda Lagoon please visit the Agua Hedionda Lagoon Discovery Center or call 760.804.1969.

Did you know? In 2000 the Agua Hedionda Lagoon was designated as a critical habitat for the federally protected Tidewater Goby fish.

PHOTO CREDIT: City of Carlsbad