The ribbon is cut.

The trail is longer.

And if you keep heading west, you will eventually meet the next question: where is the rest of it?

On Saturday, September 26, SANDAG celebrated the opening of Phase 3 of the Inland Rail Trail. The new 1.1-mile section runs from Mar Vista Drive to Civic Center Drive in Vista, alongside the SPRINTER tracks.

For people traveling from San Marcos, the continuous path now reaches Vista’s Civic Center Station.

That is a useful change.

It is also one chapter in a much longer North County project.

A Short Stretch With a Long Backstory

SANDAG says the new section connects to a path that starts at the Escondido Transit Center and runs through San Marcos. It is designed for walking, biking and rolling, with the path separated from vehicle traffic.

Getting that route onto the map took time.

An eastern section through Escondido and San Marcos was built in 2009. Another San Marcos section was completed in 2017. Phase 2 opened in January 2021 and brought the continuous route to Mar Vista Drive.

Now it reaches Civic Center Drive.

Nobody had to invent a new kind of wheel. The pieces simply needed to connect.

Phase 3 construction began in June 2024.

SANDAG puts its cost at about $27.9 million, using federal, state and local funding.

For 1.1 miles?

Yes. The ground did not make it easy.

SANDAG says the work required leveling rolling terrain where some areas reached heights of up to 25 feet above the railroad tracks.

The new section includes lighting along the route and drainage improvements. There is also a pocket park with a small rest area at Mar Vista Drive.

You can stop and catch your breath there.

You might also want to check where the trail goes next.

The Next Two Miles Are Still a Plan

Phase 3 does not complete a continuous separated trail to Oceanside.

The missing Vista connection is Phase 4, planned between Civic Center Drive and North Drive. SANDAG describes it as roughly two miles long and still in final design.

Its budget and schedule details are being worked out. There is no announced opening date.

A separate section of trail already exists farther west, from North Drive toward North Melrose Drive. Phase 4 would connect that piece to the route that now reaches Civic Center Station.

That is the part a ribbon cutting cannot solve.

The opening gives San Marcos and central Vista a longer continuous path today. It also makes the remaining gap easier to see.

For residents, the next question is pleasantly simple.

When will the pieces finally meet?

Questions You May Have:

What opened on September 26?

Phase 3 of the Inland Rail Trail, a 1.1-mile section from Mar Vista Drive to Civic Center Drive in Vista.

Can you use a continuous trail between San Marcos and central Vista?

Yes. SANDAG says the separated route now reaches Vista’s Civic Center Station.

Does the continuous trail reach Oceanside?

No. The planned Phase 4 connection through Vista has not been built.

When will Phase 4 open?

SANDAG has not announced a date. It is still working through budget and schedule details.