Mountain Cyclist –
July-August 2001
Lead Stories
The City of Saratoga has closed the upper section of the Parker Ranch Trail, which originates at the Toyon Trail near Nob Hill in Fremont Older Open Space Preserve. This is in addition to the closure on the lower section of the trail, which was enacted in 1999. Sheriff deputies have recently started patrolling the trail to enforce these closures.
No sign currently exists at the Toyon trail junction to denote this closure, another sign on Prospect Rd. notes that these trails are open to all users, and the current map of Fremont Older indicates that this trail is open to all users. Cary Bloomquist, speaking for the city, has stated that these trails were never open to bicycles due to stipulations in the original deed for the land (which was created prior to the advent of off-road cycling). ROMP has attempted to get proper closures posted on the trail, but the city has so far been unresponsive.
Closures to the lower portion of the trail were originally made due to complaints by local neighbors who were concerned about the noise made by cyclists. Portions of that section of the trail are also highly eroded, so the city decided to close the trail to all users until these problems could be remediated. Unfortunately, some cyclists have continued to use the trail, worsening the situation. Other sections of the Saratoga trail system have been landscaped, hardscaped, or fenced by neighbors, effectively eliminating them from public use. The city has declined to enforce their ownership of these trails.
Cyclists who are concerned by these closures are urged to contact the city council and city manager at City of Saratoga, 13777 Fruitvale Avenue, Saratoga, CA 95070. Further contact information is available at http://www.saratoga.ca.us/contact.htm.
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Cupertino is currently planning its sections of the Stevens Creek Trail, a trail planned to extend from the Bay to the Skyline to the Sea Trail. On May 22, the trail task force met to consider alignments for the portions between Stevens Canyon County Park and Linda Vista Park in Cupertino. The proposed alignment will extend from Fremont Older and Stevens Canyon Park into the adjacent abandoned quarry, then climb out of the quarry and connect to Linda Vista Park. This section of the trail will likely be dirt. Other sections of the trail, continuing from Linda Vista Park and roughly paralleling Stevens Creek, will likely be paved.
If approved and completed, this section of the trail will make "official" sections of social trail currently used by cyclists, hikers, and runners, as well as add some nice trail in previously inaccessible areas. Your support will be needed to make sure that this project stays on track. Please watch this newsletter and the ROMP website for further details on how you can help.
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...by Charles Jalgunas
Stewards of Soquel Forest
The Braille Trail in the Soquel Demonstration State Forest officially opened to hikers, cyclists and equestrians on Saturday, June 2. The story and photos at http://www.trailworkers.com will give one a glimpse of the events of the day.
More than just another day working on the trails, that Saturday was the culmination of months of hard work from many volunteers. There was time for a little rejoicing afterwards and schwag compliments of Zoic clothing, Specialized Bicycles, Trail Head Cyclery, Team Wrongway, ROMP and others. The hosted BBQ was followed by a disorganized procession of riders trying out the recent handiwork, and the feedback so far has been overwhelmingly positive. We have been able to succeed on so many different levels. Environmentally, the Steelhead Trout in Soquel Creek are pretty psyched about the realigned sections resulting in a trail that will have no effect on their spawning habitat. From a management perspective, the trail is durable, and capable of being patrolled/evac'ed by an ATV. Socially, the trail is both a lot of fun for riders of many abilities, and challenging for those looking to attempt its many, now optional, obstacles.
Again, my thanks go out to those that have made this trail possible.
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California & Nevada Horsemen are trying to help raise money for the Truckee Donner Land Trust (TDLT) to purchase Schallenberger Ridge. Acquisition of the ridge is essential to completing the 23-mile Donner Lake Rim trail. This will be a shared-use trail open to mountain cyclists, equestrians and hikers. Currently 17 miles are complete which includes a 4-mile segment of the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). Access to Schallenberger Ridge is required to complete the loop as now an "up and back" is the only option available.
The Truckee Donner Land Trust is the steward and administrator of the Rim Trail currently in its fifth season of construction. Once complete (in 3 years) the trail will be an economic and recreational asset to the local community. Users of the trail can enjoy the scenic beauty and historic significance of the ridges encircling Donner Lake.
One issue of concern to mountain cyclists is the alignment of a 4-mile section of the Rim Trail with the Pacific Crest Trail. Currently the PCT is closed to bikes; however the Truckee Donner Land Trust is planning an alternate bicycle trail. See this map.
Many ROMP members and friends have provided input on this project and expressed their support. It appears all groups involved (California & Nevada Horsemen, TDLT and USFS) are supportive of shared use trails. Additionally, trail work dates are planned for July and August. Please check out their website for more info :
http://www.tdlandtrust.org/index.htm
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The Portola Valley Trails Committee (PVTC) is in the process of reviewing new "No Bikes" signs that have been posted on a number of trails in Portola Valley. According to Mary Hufty of the PVTC, the committee is in the process of reviewing some of these hastily erected signs, with the intention of removing those that are not warranted. Input from the community is encouraged.
Historically, bikes have been prohibited from using many of the dirt trails in Portola Valley and have been signed "No Bikes" for some time. However, some trails have newly erected signs. For example, the trails that parallel the south side of Alpine Road from Los Trancos Road to Corte Madera School have been shared by all users for decades, and used primarily by children going to school and to the store. Newly restricted trails such as the Firethorn, Nathorst and Valley Oak trails are paved and give cyclists an alternative route to Valley Oak Road instead of the highly traveled, no-shoulder, Los Trancos Road.
These newly signed trails puts cyclists, especially younger cyclists, at risk by forcing them to ride in the streets when going to school or to the Portola shopping center. High motorist speeds on these main roads makes safe trail access a community imperative. The close proximity of schools, markets, and playing fields qualify these trails as key corridors that keep riders out of harm's way.
Please contact me if you have any questions on these trails. You can also attend the PVTC meetings on the 2nd Tuesday of every month @ 7:30 pm at the Portola Valley town hall. Alternatively, you can email the committee members directly at the following addresses :
Mary Hufty MD - hufty@aol.com
Richard Anderson- dicka@best.com
Lynne Davis - lynne@davisdata.com
Susan Gold - SusanBeeG@aol.com
Please remember to be constructive with any of your correspondence with the committee members.
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This festival has something for every rider:
Epic rides: Challenging 38 mile loop off-road through the Marin Headlands to the top of Mt. Tam. 16 mile and 25 mile options are available.
Family ride: A 7 mile loop through the Headlands will be full of fun events; face painting, bike decorating, environmental games and even bike limbo!
Festival for all: An afternoon festival will include music, great food, a visit to the Marine Mammal Center, a bike jeopardy game, and environmental activities courtesy of the Headlands Institute.
How to Register:
Email your contact information (name, address, email and phone) to tfknatl@pacbell.net and we will send you a registration form. The registration fee is $20 per person (unless you are under 12). Register as a team, 4 or more people, and the registration fee is $10 per person. Please include your team name and contact information for all team members.
Everyone goes homes with a t-shirt, a water bottle, a full stomach and a good feeling at knowing that you are helping kids who don't often get the chance to spend the day on a mountain bike in a beautiful place.
Fundraising:
Riders are asked to set a personal fundraising goal of $500 in order to participate. When you register we will send information to help in the fundraising process. It's not as hard as you may think.
Why participate?
Twice a month throughout the summer we will lead training rides, including a special full moon ride! Trips for Kids fundraising rides don't just have water stations, they have Fun Stations! There will be lots of fundraising prizes. Celebrities are known to show up on our rides.
Most important, you are raising money for a good cause and the kids will thank you!
For more information, contact Corry Wagner at 415-458-2986 or tfknatl@pacbell.net.
Trips for Kids National is a non-profit organization providing mountain bike outings and environmental education for kids across the country who would not otherwise have these opportunities. Help keep us in high gear as we continue to develop Trips for Kids Chapters across the country.
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...by Berry Stevens
There is a new trail on the upper West side of the Canyon that extends the perimeter trail to the South end of the canyon, near Club Dr, below Hastings, on the opposite side from the High School. This trail descends through 13 switchbacks as it drops to the bottom/back of the canyon below the junction of Hastings and Witheridge.
One can access the upper end of these trails from the vacant lot 100' North of the white wooden fence on the East side of Hastings, in the large gap in the saddle. No Trail connects the two sides of Hastings, and as it would have to cross pavement to do so, none will ever exist. The city does plan to build (actually ROMP will build it) a trail (could be 2-3 years out) that climbs the East wall (West of Hastings) at the back of the canyon, at the end of Carlmont, that wraps back up to Hastings about 100 yds up from Alameda de Las Pulgas. One would climb this trail heading Northeasterly.
Are you available to do trail work at Water Dog Lake to continue to expand the riding opportunities there? Trail work is over for the summer, but we will begin a new season of trail building late in the fall, around Thanksgiving. Hope you can help.
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...by Jim Owen
The recent meeting of the Santa Clara County Parks Strategic Plan covered the results from a phone survey of 500 county residents. As such, this survey was not limited to users of the Parks. This year’s survey showed little change in the public perception and usage since the 1999 survey. It showed that hikers and runners accounted for roughly 50% of parks usage and cyclists made up 25%. The public was generally very positive with their opinion of the County Parks.
The Parks commissioners are positive and are trying to determine the best direction for the Strategic Plan. While they are trying to accommodate as many uses of the Parks as possible, budget considerations and the number of users will play a role in determining the priorities going forward. It was clear from the survey that the trails are one of the top priorities for residents.
An important meeting is coming up September 8th. The Parks Department is inviting all special interest groups, including ROMP, to represent their respective constituencies. Each group will be asked to provide a white paper and possibly a short presentation.
The next regular meeting is July 18 in Los Gatos. Please visit their website for more details: http://www.parkhere.org/strategic_plan.htm
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Mountain bike adventurer Bob Ward will be giving slide presentations at three different REI stores during the month of July. Join Bob as he shares many of his favorite rides in the Tahoe Sierra as well as sneak peaks into some classic mountain bike destinations such as Moab, Utah, Crested Butte, Colorado and Molokai Hawaii. Whether you are looking for great places to ride, or just want to escape via the photographs, you will enjoy this program.
Bob's "Mountain Biking in the Northern Sierra" guidebooks were some of the original mountain bike guidebooks in the country (Volume 1 was published in 1986). Although the books are mostly collector’s items these days, the rides are still outstanding. Bob was also the owner/operator of Harebrain Adventures mountain bike tours for 11 years. In addition, he spent 2 1/2 years developing and managing the mountain bike program on the island of Molokai. With over 150 miles of singletrack, the Molokai Ranch became the premier mountain bike destination in the Pacific and was feature on ESPN as well as in all the major mountain bike magazines.
Bob is currently managing the action sports department at the Saratoga REI and he invites any ROMP members to stop by any time to talk trails. His slide presentations will be at the following locations. July 12 at Fremont, July 18 at San Carlos and July 24 at Saratoga. Bob will be giving away a free copy of Mountain Biking in the Northern Sierra Volume 2 to the first ROMP member that arrives at each show and says hello.
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