Additional Enhancements Delayed Hunt Camp Is Marin’s Newest Bike-Legal Trail
As is often the case with advancing bicycle trail access in Marin, we take two steps forward and one step back.
Work on the upper portion of Hunt Camp Trail in Giacomini Open Space Preserve has been completed and is now officially designated and open to people on foot and bike. Hunt Camp joins several other newly-opened bike trails in the Preserve, including Boulder Springs Trail, Contour Trail, and Candalero Trail.
Hunt Camp–which existed as an unofficial “social” trail for more than 100 years dating back to its origins as a hunting trail–was originally slated for full adoption. Unfortunately, as a condition of a recent lawsuit settlement, Marin County Parks rescinded planned improvements to the lower portion of the trail, a spur connecting to Manzanita Fire Road. In addition, Parks announced that there will be no new trail designations in Giacomini Preserve for the next two years.
The newly-opened Hunt Camp trail is the black dashed line with blue highlights. The lower portion that will not be improved or opened as a result of the legal settlement is the red dashed line. This map is for informational purposes only and does not reflect exact trail alignments.
We’re disappointed by the lawsuit filed by certain Marin conservation organizations. A recent user survey in Giacomini Open Space Preserve noted that an average of eight people use the trail daily. This low visitor impact was predicted by MCBC when we noted in our project comments that “the physical ability required to access the trail is considerable. Coupled with the fact that the project does not include the construction of any new parking or access features, this will mitigate future use of the trail.”
We believe in projects like Hunt Camp and will continue to advocate for its full adoption.
Discover New Trails in Giacomini
Join MCBC on a tour of the new bike-legal Giacomini trails on Saturday, December 22. We’ll meet at the Forest Knolls Post Office at 9:00 AM for a two hour ride. RSVP: tom@www.marinbike.org.
