Mission Trails Regional Park Foundation Secures Nearly $1 Million to Reconstruct South Fortuna Stairway
San Diego County residents will gain a safer, more durable route to Mission Trails’ South Fortuna peak while native habitat and the San Diego River watershed receive added protection through a newly approved $990,102 grant secured by the nonprofit Mission Trails Regional Park Foundation (MTRP Foundation). Mission Trails Regional Park is by the City of San Diego, while the MTRP Foundation has served as the City’s nonprofit partner at the park since 1988.
The San Diego River Conservancy Governing Board recently approved $990,102 in Proposition 4 Nature-Based Solutions funding for the Mission Trails Regional Park Foundation (MTRP Foundation), the nonprofit partner of the City of San Diego at Mission Trails Regional Park, to reconstruct the deteriorating South Fortuna Stairway, commonly known as the “Stairway to Heaven,” a fitting nickname for a grueling climb that rewards hikers with sweeping, “heavenly” views of Mission Gorge, the San Diego River and downtown San Diego. The San Diego River Conservancy is a California state agency that works to protect and enhance the San Diego River watershed through investments in public access, habitat restoration, water quality, climate resilience and other conservation projects across the region.
The project is expected to benefit the approximately 60,000 hikers who use the route each year, replacing unstable wooden steps with natural stone, improving drainage, reducing erosion and restoring habitat damaged as hikers have increasingly moved around deteriorated sections of the trail.