Bay Area Ridge Trail adds 14 scenic miles near San Jose for hiking, biking, horse riding

For nearly years environmental groups parks planners and other outdoor lovers have worked to piece together a breathtaking vision Building a continuous -mile trail around the Bay Area s ridgelines for hikers bicyclists and horse riders to get out of traffic step away from computer screens and enjoy the outdoors Marked with blue signs the Bay Area Ridge Trail takes in stunning views of the Golden Gate Bridge from the Marin Headlands San Mateo County forests above Crystal Springs Reservoir bucolic former ranch lands on the slopes of Mount Hamilton and the necklace of East Bay parks from Mission Peak to the Carquinez Strait Now the project is receiving a key boost this month as a new -mile section is added on San Jose s southern edges which will bring the total to miles about three-quarters done Fourteen miles is a big stretch disclosed Janet McBride executive director of the Bay Area Ridge Trail Council a Berkeley non-profit group spearheading the project The Bay Area is spectacularly beautiful The trail is a thread that connects all nine counties It supports wildlife habitat and recreation It improves our medical our well being and provides inspiration The new miles is already open to the masses for hiking bicycling and horse riding It runs from the Rancho San Vicente trailhead of Calero County Park in South San Jose to the Rancho Ca ada del Oro Open Space Preserve in the meadows and rolling foothills between Los Gatos and Morgan Hill A residents dedication is planned for a m on May at the Rancho San Vicente trailhead The new stretch of trail which is open from sunrise to sunset didn t involve new construction Rather it was the impact of a plan by the Bay Area Ridge Trail Council and leadership agencies like the Santa Clara County Parks and Recreation Department and the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority to reroute the larger Bay Area Ridge Trail away from its original planned way The original path included a stretch along Summit Road on the Santa Cruz-Santa Clara County boundary But that area contains sparse parks dozens of private properties with owners who haven t wished to sell their land or trail easements and residents who have been known for decades for putting up no-trespassing signs along road It was just stuck McBride commented The journey along Summit Road wasn t going anywhere It was extremely demanding So we changed plans Instead planners rerouted miles to the east to better connect Almaden Quicksilver County Park and Mount Madonna County Park near Gilroy Bay Area Ridge Trail Council Executive Director Janet McBride talks during an interview at the Lisa Killough Trail at Calero County Park which will become part of the Bay Area Ridge Trail that spans all nine Bay Area counties on May in San Jose Calif Dai Sugano Bay Area News Group That kind of flexibility has been key to keeping momentum going over the years It s the reality announced Bob Doyle retired general manager of the East Bay Regional Park District in Oakland If you can t go somewhere because somebody sued somebody or they built a freeway the goal is to connect it in the the bulk scenic corridors In certain cases you move the track That helps drive the vision to reality so it doesn t stall There are famous hiking trails across the United States from the mile-long Pacific Crest Trail which traverses the Sierra and Cascade mountains of California Oregon and Washington to the Empire State Trail which runs miles from downtown Manhattan to the Canadian edge But the Bay Area Ridge Trail is unique A loop overlooking a region of million people passing through forests meadows and mountaintops all within a short walk drive or bike ride from cities The idea was born in the dreams of a limited hardy hikers But it took William Penn Mott Jr a former general manager of the East Bay Regional Park District to make it happen In Mott as President Ronald Reagan s national parks director provided advice and funding to help organize the trail It was an incredible vision disclosed Doyle who was friends with Mott until his death in He knew it would take a long time But it takes a long time to do great things He would be very pleased now He would be clapping After the first mile was dedicated in in San Mateo County at Purisima Creek Redwoods Preserve and Huddart County Park the trail grew fast at first It reached miles within one year as existing trails in parks were connected It took another years to get to miles then another years to get by McBride estimated it will take another years to get to miles Although there are long unbroken stretches in the Peninsula and East Bay the course in the North Bay through Napa and Sonoma wineries has been slow to complete And it had been slow in Santa Clara County until a boom in newest years of parks agencies and land trusts buying ranches and other property around Coyote Valley and other open areas Just get out on a piece of the trail noted Dan Allison from Sacramento who has hiked miles of it twice in the past three years You can go out for a day hike and if you enjoy that you can start backpacking I run into people who live in the Bay Area who aren t even aware of all the parks It s amazing to have that much society land in such an urban area On a new Thursday morning the new -mile stretch of trail had regular cyclists hikers and dog walkers taking in views of Mount Hamilton to the east and Mount Umunhum to the west a mosaic of oaks and orange poppies I m from the Midwest where there s lots of open space explained cyclist Mike Peterson of San Jose I also lived in Salt Lake City and used to ski after work When I moved here I wasn t expecting it to be that outdoorsy Getting out here is good for your mental physical condition You can blow off specific steam out there on the trail A bicyclist rides on the Lisa Killough Trail at Calero County Park which will become part of the Bay Area Ridge Trail that spans all nine Bay Area counties on May in San Jose Calif Dai Sugano Bay Area News Group