Calavera Area Information

The natural open space called Calavera is located in North San Diego County in the City of Carlsbad. The area is bordered by the cities of Oceanside and Vista and lies approximately 2 miles from the Pacific Ocean.

The area is habitat to an identified; 115 plant, 49 bird, 10 mammal and 7 amphibian/reptile species. Of these identified species, 6 are classified as threatened or endangered. Among the area's endangered species are the Thread-leaved Brodiaea, Orange-throated Whiptail and the California Gnatcatcher. The California Gnatcatcher is perhaps the most threatened of these species because 85% of it's natural habitat, the Diegan Coastal Sage Scrub, has been destroyed by development. Lake Calavera and the stream feeding it create a riparian and wetland habitat for other species too. The Thread-leaved Brodiaea, which can only be found in Riverside and San Diego Counties, may also be found in the area.

The word calavera means skull, which probably comes from the unusual shape of the area's centerpiece, Mount Calavera. The 513-ft. Mount Calavera is not really a mountain at all but rather a 22 million-year-old volcanic plug. A volcanic plug is a mass of volcanic rock that solidified in it's vent and feeding system millions of years ago. When the volcano becomes extinct and starts to erode away, the "plug" is all that is left behind. Mount Calavera is one of only three volcanic plugs in Southern California. In the early 1900's, the ancient plug was mined for gravel. The mining was accomplished by stripping away it's west face and continued into the 1930's. What is left is a rather remarkable blemish on the side of the mountain that somewhat resembles the Grand Canyon. You can easily spot Mount Calavera from either northbound Interstate 5 at Cannon Rd., or westbound on Lake Blvd., just past Oak Riparian Park.

Lake Calavera is actually a man-made reservoir owned by the Carlsbad Municipal Water District. The dam at the south end of the lake is 67-ft. high and 490-ft across at the crest. It took 85,000 cubic yards of material to build and was completed in 1940. The total storage capacity of the lake is 520 acre-ft. You can often see people fishing from the shore or using small non-motorized boats.

There are several hiking trails for use by the public, however off-road vehicles are prohibited. You can find several entry points around the area with street parking. There is much to see and explore, please act responsibly.

Download a Adobe PDF document containing an updated list (June, 2008) of native plants at Preserve Calavera: Calavera_plant_list_2008.pdf

• Northern Mockingbird
• Scrub Jay
• House Finch
• American Crow
• Red-tailed Hawk
• Red-shouldered Hawk
• American Kestrel
• White-tailed Kite
• Turkey Vulture
• Roadrunner
• Western Meadowlark
• Mallard
• Cassin's Kingbird
• Black Phoebe
• Red-winged Blackbird
• California Towhee
• Anna's Hummingbird
• Double-crested Cormorant
• Pied-billed Grebe
• Wren(H)
• Wrentit(H)