2017 Recap - 2018 Goals MCBC Off-Road Program Update

• Contour Trail, Boulder Springs Trail and Candalero Trail opened in the Giacomini Open Space Preserve and Octopus Trail and Val Vista Trail opened in the Camino Alto Open Space Preserve. Combined these trails added 3.5 miles of new bike-legal trail access in Marin!
• Hunt Camp Trail (pictured) was adopted and enhanced as Marin’s first technical bike priority trail. It will be officially open to bikes this Spring.
• Bob Middagh Trail was rerouted and enhanced last summer and will be Marin’s first change in use proposal open to bikes this Spring.
• MCBC worked with Lagunitas School on the construction of a pump track.

Result: 7 new trails have increased trail access by 4 miles!

Education

• MCBC, working with Marin Horse Council and Marin Conservation League, organized a number of trail education outposts (pictured above) at popular trailheads including on Mt. Burdell, Phoenix Lake, Mission Pass, and Tennessee Valley. At the Slow and Say Hello! outposts, MCBC engaged with over 500 park visitors with a quiz that instills park rules, basic courtesy and an appreciation for natural resources (wildlife, native plants, nesting birds, etc.) ]
• MCBC also partnered with the Marin Chapter of the Native Plant Society on a very successful Wildflower Ride on Mt. Tam. Over 40 people participated in the ride, which covered over 25 miles of off-road riding. To our delight everyone stayed together for the entire ride and most asked for more interpretive rides.

Result: Safety and resource protection promoted to over 500 park visitors

Stewardship

MCBC recruited 350 volunteers to provide more than 1,500 hours of service on trails throughout Marin in 2017!

• Two broom pulling days on Horse Hill working with the local equestrian club.
• Restoration of a picnic area at China Camp State Park.
• Much needed winter damage repairs on the Big Rock Trail and at Camp Tamarancho and drainage work on the Dias Ridge Trail near Muir Beach and the Olema Valley Trail in the Point Reyes National Seashore.
• Large work crews to build and enhance the newly opened Hunt Camp Trail in the Giacomini Open Space Preserve.

Result: 350 volunteers contributed over 1,500 hours for trail stewardship

As we head into 2018….

We do so on a solid foundation of measurable accomplishments and strong partnerships with public land managers. Now it’s time to build on our progress and continue closing the gaps in Marin’s bike-legal trail system and help foster the next generation of natural resource stewards. To achieve these goals, MCBC will launch two initiatives and expand a third.

3 Gaps

Launched in 2015, 3 Gaps identified key gaps in Marin’s bicycle trail network. In 2018, two of the 3 Gap closure projects will move from planning to implementation. Azalea Hill Trail, which connects the Mt. Tam lakes area with Pine Mountain, will go to the MMWD Board of Directors for approval, with construction starting as early as this Fall. The Easy Grade Trail Project, a connector between Pantoll Station and the Mountain Theater, will advance following the release of wildflower and owl surveys this Spring.

MCBC Trail Steward Team

MCBC has great success recruiting volunteers to attend trail days, but we often lack skilled crew leaders to manage those volunteers. We will train and build the next generation of trail stewards to create a workforce of crew leaders, skilled in the latest risk management and trail building practices. The program will educate new volunteers, and the team will be highly visible on the trails in Marin, helping mountain bikers gain respect among all park visitors.

Trail Vision

In a next step toward realizing the vision of a connected and diverse trail network in Marin, MCBC is expanding its planning and proposal process to outline a vision of what a complete trail system would look like and what the benefits would be, including reduced conflict, safer trails and enhancements to the environment. The vision will be a persuasive tool as we propose projects and form new partnerships.

How you can help

We are continuing to identify those MCBC members and enthusiastic riders who want to be involved.

Step 1 is to subscribe to our MTB Trail News Calendar

Step 2 is to let us know that MTB Access is important to you – we are refining our email alerts for Off-Road Projects and would like to include you. Please take a moment to complete your information below.