Novato - Mill Valley - Fairfax Trail Projects & Planning Efforts Move Forward

It’s been a great few weeks for trail access in Marin!

It started with news on May 12 that work would soon begin on the Bob Middagh Trail to convert it to a multi-use bike-legal facility. Then we had a great Region 4 Road and Trail workshop on May 13, with over 5 miles of new bike legal trails proposed on Mount Burdell and at Rush Creek. On May 15 a comment period closed for the Hunt Camp Trail Project and with MCBC members and trail stewards submitting many letters of support to Marin County Parks, that momentum will help move the project forward this summer. Just last Sunday, stakeholders gathered with Marin Parks and Open Space Director Max Korten and other staff to celebrate projects completed in 2016 and opened in 2017.

BOB MIDDAGH TRAIL

This trail bridges a .5 mile gap between Alto Bowl Fire Road and Camino Alto Road in Mill Valley and will provide better access to Mt. Tamalpais for the people living in Scott Valley and near Edna McGuire School. It is currently open to hikers and equestrians, but will become a multi-use trail open to bikes following improvements.

Background on the Bob Middagh Trail project can be found in this earlier MCBC article.

Join us on Saturday, June 3, for a broom pull and sneak peak of the trail upgrades.

Mountain Bikers Attend Road & Trail Region 4 Workshop

Marin County Open Space held the Region 4 Road and Trail Workshop on May 13 at the Margret Todd Center in Novato. During the workshop, Parks staff presented a plan to adopt social trails at the top of Mount Burdell, as well as trails on the east and west side of the mountain, for bicycle use. They also purposed road to trail conversions of two popular fire roads, Deep Camp, which is steep and rocky, and San Marin/San Carlos, which are muddy for a good portion of the year. The roads would be replaced with more sustainable multi-use trails, which would also enhance the user experience and distance. Additionally, a social trail at Rush Creek would be adopted to allow better connectivity between the Bahia Trail and the Bahia Ridge Fire Road.

The public is invited to comment on the proposed designation through July 8, 2017.

Please direct your comments of support to Open Space Planner Jon Campo at JCampo@marincounty.org.
Email Tom Boss at tom@www.marinbike.org for talking points.

Hunt Camp Trail Project Continues to Move Forward

Hunt Camp Trail Project comment period closed last week and many MCBC members sent in letters of support for a proposal to adopt the trail, build a new extension trail and decommission other trails in the area to reduce the overall impact on high value habitat.

The benefits of the project are incredibly beneficial:

• Creates a fun and scenic singletrack trail open to bikes
• Increases bike-legal trail access by 1.5 miles
• Provides an opportunity to build new singletrack trail by hand
• Creates a loop option which keeps users off paved roads and connects with other bike-legal trails
• Immerses visitors in nature and provides an opportunity broaden awareness and appreciation of rare plants and animal communities

Read MCBC’s Hunt Camp Project comment letter

2016 PROJECT CELEBRATION

On Sunday, May 21, Marin County Parks and Open Space Director Max Kortin invited stakeholders and the public to “the Plunge” on Old Railroad Grade Trail near Fairfax to celebrate completion of the first season of post RTMP trail projects, which increased bike-legal trail access by 3.5 miles. The projects were constructed in 2016 and include three new bike trails in Giacomini Open Space and two in the Camino Alto Open Space. We cut the ribbon at the bridge that now spans what used to be a steep, rutted ravine known as “the Plunge”. While some may miss the challenge of trying to ride up the steep slopes, it has made a wonderful multi-use trail accessible to all. All projects were funded by Measure A.