New trail open at Jack London
Sonoma Mayor David Cook and First District Supervisor Susan Gorin cut the ceremonial ribbon opening the East Slope Sonoma Mountain Ridge Trail at Jack London State Park.
The Glen Ellen park serves as the “gateway” to the new 1.2-mile East Slope, which also adds to 20-plus miles of trails currently accessible within its 1,400 scenic acres.
The new trail, the culmination of nearly two decades of focused effort and collaboration, traverses and never before accessible to the public. Hikers, cyclists, and equestrians can now experience sweeping panoramas from the top of Sonoma Mountain, finding different views than ever seen before.
The new segment extends the Bay Area Ridge Trail to over 350 miles of its planned 550-mile loop.
The March 14 event featured the inaugural hike, lead by Dave Chalk, former board member of the Valley of the Moon Natural History Association and founder of the popular Bill and Dave Hikes, and John Lynch, Park naturalist of Jack London State Historic Park.
The natural surface, multi-use trail crosses two private properties and a Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation & Open Space District-owned property, meandering along the ridge through oak woodland and open grassland habitats, and affords stunning views. A portion of the trail will be named “The Eliot Family Trail,” in honor of Pat and Ted Eliot who were instrumental in making the trail a reality.
The project received a $55,000 planning grant from the Coastal Conservancy and Bay Area Ridge Trail, a $10,000 construction grant from REI, and a $5,000 grant from Sonoma Mountain Preservation, as well as many, many hours of volunteer time from community members led by the Sonoma County Trails Council and Jack London Park Partners.
“This project truly represents the best of collaboration amongst private and public landowners, funders, non-governmental organizations, and the public,” said Gorin. “Working together, we built on each others’ strengths and were able to stretch limited taxpayer dollars to provide amazing outdoor recreational opportunities for everyone to enjoy.”
All photos: Paul Martin © Vineyard Productions 2015
