"We weren't ready. The money is going to expire. It's earmarked for construction, so it wasn't going to happen." SANDAG CEO Mario Orso said that at the agency's May 8 board meeting, as The Coast News reported in June. He was explaining why roughly $11.7 million meant for the last piece of the Inland Rail Trail in Vista was going back to the state.
Four months later, on Saturday, September 26, the piece before that one opened. The new pavement runs from Mar Vista Drive to Civic Center Drive. The traffic-separated trail now ends at the Civic Center–Vista SPRINTER station. Getting from there into the Village is a city-street ride down S. Santa Fe Avenue, and the businesses on that street now serve as the trail's real finish line.
What Opened on September 26
SANDAG's opening release describes Phase 3 as a 1.1-mile paved path that runs alongside the SPRINTER tracks. It's fully ADA-compliant and lit for its whole length. Building it meant serious grading through the rolling hills, where parts of the route sit as much as 25 feet above the railroad. There's a pocket park with a small rest area at the Mar Vista Drive corner, plus drought-tolerant landscaping and drainage channels that filter stormwater before it reaches the drain.
Construction started in June 2024 and finished in September, according to The Coast News. SANDAG's project page puts the final Phase 3 cost at $27.924 million, compared with $54.1 million for Phases 1 and 2 combined. Phase 3 cost about half as much as the two earlier phases for about one mile of trail, which helps explain the money talk around the next segment.
With Phase 3 done, SANDAG says you can ride, walk or roll more than 12 continuous miles without sharing the road with cars. The route starts at the Escondido Transit Center, passes through San Marcos and ends at the Civic Center Station in Vista. NCTD lists that station at 810 Phillips St.
The Last 1.4 Miles Are on City Streets
The City of Vista's own directions from the Civic Center station to downtown put the trip at 1.4 miles, about 8 minutes by bike or 24 minutes on foot. The City offers two routes. One cuts over on Eucalyptus Avenue and N. Citrus Avenue. The other takes you through the length of Paseo Santa Fe:
- From the Civic Center–Vista station, turn right on Civic Center Drive toward Natal Way.
- Stay on Civic Center Drive, then turn left on S. Santa Fe Avenue.
- Go straight through the roundabouts.
- Turn right on E. Broadway into the Village.
The left onto S. Santa Fe takes you into a corridor the City spent years rebuilding. Paseo Santa Fe covers S. Santa Fe Avenue between Vista Village Drive and Civic Center Drive. Its third and final phase was finished in December 2020, and that work added the arch at S. Santa Fe and Civic Center Drive. The sculpture "Portal" by local artist Alex Gall stands in the roundabout at Pala Vista Drive. It shows a hummingbird inside an arch, with flowers at the base. Unless the rider takes the Eucalyptus route, the arch is now the first landmark after the trail ends.
Where the Ride Actually Ends
Because the trail stops at Civic Center Drive, the businesses along this route work as its rest stops, roughly in the order you reach them heading into the Village:
| Stop | Address | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Ascend Coffee Roasters | 802 S. Santa Fe Ave. | Coffee, tea, breakfast and lunch inside The Commons |
| 508 Tavern | 508 S. Santa Fe Ave. | Pub with food and rotating craft beer |
| Milk Organics | 210 E. Broadway | Organic smoothie café |
| Vista Village Pub | 224 Main St. | Irish-style pub serving breakfast and pub food |
| Burger Bench | 230 Main St. | Burgers |
| Inzane Brewing Co. | 236 Main St. | Brewery |
| Coomber Craft Wines | 344 Main St. | California wine bar |
| Desserts by Clement | 30 Main St., Suite 180 | Patisserie in Vista Village |
Ascend is the stop that fits the new trail best. The Coast News covered its April 2025 opening in The Commons, a former Walgreens on South Santa Fe Avenue that New Community Church turned into an event space about half a mile from downtown. Owner Erin Harper told the paper she wanted to recreate the feel of her old Restaurant Row shop in San Marcos, which drew live music, knitting groups and cyclists. At the time of that report, the Vista shop was open 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Saturday. It closes Sundays because the church holds services there. That makes it a weekday or Saturday-morning stop. A Sunday ride needs a different first stop.
Desserts by Clement is the newest name on the list. The San Diego Union-Tribune reported in September that it had opened in Vista Village about two weeks earlier, which puts the opening in late August. Its website lists daily hours of 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., so it's open after the afternoon places on the route have closed.
On E. Broadway, Milk Organics sits right on the City's final turn into the Village. The Main Street block between 224 and 236 holds a pub, a burger spot and a brewery within a few doors of each other.
Ride One Way, Take the SPRINTER Back
The trail follows the SPRINTER tracks, so a one-way ride works. Ride downhill into the Village, then let the train take you back. NCTD lists two Vista stations that matter for this route. Civic Center Vista is at 810 Phillips St., where the trail ends. Vista Transit Center is at 240 N. Santa Fe Rd., and NCTD lists public restrooms there. The Civic Center Vista listing doesn't mention restrooms. The City's directions put Vista Transit Center 0.3 miles from the downtown Cyclovia area, about 3 minutes by bike, which makes it the easier station to catch after a meal on Main Street. Buena Creek station is at 2103 S. Santa Fe Ave.
NCTD's posted policies on bikes aboard the SPRINTER cover the basics:
- Board through the doors marked with a bicycle symbol and use the designated storage.
- Keep the bike secured and stay with it.
- Don't ride the bike on board or on station platforms.
- Gas-powered bikes, liquid-lead-acid batteries, tandems, recumbents, trailers, three-wheelers, mopeds and rideshare bikes aren't allowed.
If you're driving to the start, NCTD says parking is free at SPRINTER stations except Cal State San Marcos and San Marcos Civic Center. That parking is meant for transit customers, and overnight parking requires contacting NCTD first.
Why the Trail Stops Here, and for How Long
The missing piece is Phase 4, a 2-mile segment from Civic Center Drive to North Drive. SANDAG calls those two of Vista's busiest streets. Phase 4 would link the main trail to the northernmost segment, which runs between North Drive and North Melrose Drive where Oceanside and Vista meet. That northern piece was finished in 2021. In practice, Vista's share of the trail is two separate pieces with a 2-mile gap through the middle of the city.
Phase 4 was supposed to start construction in 2026, paid for with about $11.7 million from the California Transportation Commission's Active Transportation Program, awarded in 2021. SANDAG returned the money because the design wasn't far enough along to meet the state's deadline for using it. SANDAG Senior Director of Capital Delivery Clint Peace told the board, "The project costs have gone way up from when they initially estimated that and got that money, so it's a combination of the cost and the time." According to The Coast News, SANDAG set aside about $900,000 for design work in the coming year, with a goal of reaching 60% design. The agency also plans to decide whether to build the segment all at once or in smaller phases, and to reapply for state funding in a future cycle.
SANDAG's project page currently lists Phase 4 as in final design, with budget and schedule details still being worked out. It gives no construction date. Until it does, the ride from Civic Center Drive down S. Santa Fe Avenue is the way into downtown, and the stops in the table above are where trail trips into the Village end.
The Route on the Downtown Calendar
The next downtown event is Fright Night on Friday, Oct. 30, from 5 to 9 p.m. The organizer describes it as trick-or-treating on Main Street plus a haunted house at the AVO Playhouse. The Vista Chamber of Commerce's 68th annual Christmas Parade starts at 1 p.m. Downtown Vista says the parade is held on the first Saturday of December, which this year is Dec. 5.
Downtown Vista's events page also lists Blues Christmas in December, held along the 501 to 721 blocks of S. Santa Fe Avenue. That's the same stretch a rider coming in from the trail uses. The page lists a Dark X-Mas Market as well, usually held on the second Saturday in December. Check the Downtown Vista events page for this year's dates before you plan around either one.
If you're curious about the streets around the Civic Center end of the trail or the Paseo Santa Fe corridor, or just want to compare notes on how the new segment rides, I'm always glad to talk it through. Let's Connect with Aaron Castagna.
