Western 9 River Trail
Connecting Communities from Mission Valley to the Coast
The Western 9 is the nine-mile urban stretch of the San Diego River Trail, connecting the SDSU Mission Valley area near Snapdragon Stadium to the Pacific Ocean at Ocean Beach.
Envisioned as a continuous, safe, and accessible route for walking, biking, and exploring, the Western 9 connects neighborhoods, parks, businesses, and transit while bringing people closer to the San Diego River.
While portions of the trail are already enjoyed by thousands of residents and visitors, critical gaps and missing connections remain. The San Diego River Park Foundation and its partners are working to complete and enhance this vital corridor, creating a more connected trail that supports recreation, active transportation, and appreciation of the river's natural environment.
Coalition to Connect the Trail
Also known as RAFT, this team is all about data collection! Under the guidance of a trained leader, volunteers help scout for trash twice per week, recording the data in a custom mapping tool.
River Trail Action Crew
The Clean & Green Team mobilizes volunteers to remove trash and help create a healthier, cleaner, safer San Diego River Park system. Trash removal events are a great way to get involved, and no previous experience is needed.
Take Action
The River Rescuers are a small but mighty clean-up team! They tackle clean-up in areas of the San Diego River that are not suited for a large community clean-up, are too remote, or require special training. Many volunteers join on a regular basis but we welcome new friends!
Special Effort in 2026:
Focus on "Special Removal Needed" Trash
For many years, we have diligently recorded trash in the riverbed as "Special Removal Needed." This may be trash that is submerged in the river, partially buried, extremely heavy, or in need of dismantling before it can be removed. Some of these require special tools, like a winch, shovel or digging bar, Sawzall, or waders. Because of these challenges this trash has so far been mostly on the backburner as we implement our clean-up priorities, and some of it has been out there for years!
Our River Rescue Special Removal Team was formed in 2026 to tackle hard to reach trash and get it out of the river... for good.
Thanks to an generous grant provided by the Cushman Foundation and the Page Family Foundation, we have funding to get this going. Learn more by clicking the button below.