A TRAIL FOR THE RIDGES

Adding to the Bay Area Ridge Trail

Thanks to you, we have broken ground on trail building at Rockville Trails Preserve. The overall vision for the future of the property’s trail system includes a tw0-mile section of the Bay Area Ridge Trail, which will provide inspirational views of Suisun Valley, Mount Diablo, Green Valley, Rockville Hills Regional Park, and Rockville Trails Preserve.

This two-mile trail will contribute to the Bay Area Ridge Trail, a planned 550-mile trail that soars on ridges throughout the Bay Area. Thirty years ago, the first segment was dedicated and within six years 200 miles of the Ridge Trail clicked into being. Today there are 375 miles of trail dedicated, and the rest will come in sections to provide great local adventures and longer thru-hikes.

A future thru-trail

The Bay Area Ridge Trail at Rockville Trails Preserve will loop back to the parking lot at first. In the future, it will continue northwest to the Vallejo Lakes Watershed and up to Robert Louis Stevenson State Park, and Mount St. Helena, the northernmost tip of the trail. The portion at Rockville Trails Preserve will also eventually loop to Skyline Wilderness Park in Napa and back down to Lynch Canyon.

Janet McBride, executive director of the Bay Area Ridge Trail Council, says the biggest challenges in finishing the remainder of the planned trail are to get trail access across or adjacent to private property.

For example. Rockville Trails Park has 4.2 miles of Ridge Trail, and people are going to want to across Rockville Road to hike from Rockville Trails Park to Rockville Trails Preserve. Plans for that are in the works.

“We couldn’t piece together the trail without partnerships like the one we have with Solano Land Trust,” says Janet. “Everything happens because of partnership.” The Bay Area Ridge Trail Council nonprofit is an advocacy organization dedicated to getting the trail built. It’s the partners and public landowners that plan, build and steward the segments of the Bay Trail, she says.

With your support, Solano Land Trust has already contributed to the Bay Area Ridge Trail by dedicating trails at Lynch Canyon and King-Swett Ranches. Check out this map to see how you can hike from Martinez to Rockville Trails Preserve, and (soon) beyond.

Photos courtesy of Kuo Hou Chang, Jasmine Westbrook, and Jorge Fleige.