Mission Valley and the River that Shaped It

Mission Valley and the River that Shaped It

by Debbie L. Sklar / Times of San Diego / April 30, 2026 Mission Valley has never stayed still — and neither has the river that shaped it. A river that shaped the valley Before roads and retail defined the corridor, the San Diego River flowed freely through this inland Mission Valley basin, widening across the valley floor in wet years and retreating in dry ones. The result was a shifting floodplain that supported plant life, wildlife, and seaso…