San Diego River Gorge | April 28-May 2, 2022

Part of the San Diego Watershed, Cedar Creek and Three Sisters Falls are a popular destination just a short drive from the major metropolitan area of San Diego. At Three Sisters, a challenging trail travels through various ecosystems before coming to three large waterfalls situated amongst a rocky area. As crowding on this trail has increased, recreation-related impacts have also become more prominent. These include trash, pet and human waste, trail erosion, as well as vandalism/theft.

*San Diego River Gorge is located on the ancestral lands of the Kumeyaay and possibly other tribes*

Solution

• 111 people educated
• 36 volunteer hours
• 25 lbs. of litter removed
• 9 trails restored

The Leave No Trace team and the Cleveland National Forest began working to create a culture of Leave No Trace locally and to help provide visitors with necessary information for safe and low impact trips. During the activation, many San Diego River Gorge staff participated in an Effective Communication of Leave No Trace workshop to help establish a base level of knowledge among staff as well as to help promote opportunities for more site-specific messaging for visitors. Additional opportunities include incorporating Leave No Trace education into the trail hosts duties and backcountry ranger outreach as this can help to provide a critical high traffic touchpoint to reach visitors onsite.