Below is a directory of various land managing agencies and trail coordinating organizations in the area. Contact these people for more information on the parks and preserves under their jurisdictions.
Part of the process of maintaining access to the trails involves attending meetings held by these organizations which make decisions affecting our trail access. Public meetings for each group are highlighted in green.
Please help out by participating with these groups whenever possible.
- Acterra (formerly Bay Area Action – Peninsula Conservation Center Foundation, or BAA-PCCF)
- 3921 East Bayshore Road, Palo Alto CA, 94303
650-962-9876 (tel); 650-962-8234 (fax)
http://www.acterra.org
http://www.arastradero.org
Acterra manages Arastradero Preserve for the City of Palo Alto - Bay Area Ridge Trail Committee (BARTC)
- Bay Area Ridge Trail Council, 1007 General Kennedy Avenue – Suite 3, San Francisco, CA 94129
415-561-2595 (tel); 415.561.2599 (fax)
http://www.ridgetrail.org/
info@ridgetrail.org
San Mateo County Committee
Meetings: First Wednesday of each month from 9.30 AM – 12 Noon at the Point Museum (odd months) and other locations (even months) — call before attending).
Santa Clara County Committee
Meetings: Fourth Wednesday of each month from 7 PM – 9 PM at the United Way building, 1922 The Alameda, Santa Clara (this location may change — call before attending).
The Bay Area Ridge Trail Council plans, promotes, and constructs the Bay Area Ridge Trail, a 400-mile multiple-use trail connecting parks and preserved open spaces along the ridgelines surrounding California’s San Francisco Bay. - California Recreational Trails Committee
- PO Box 942896, Sacramento CA 94296-0001, 916-653-8803
Statewide Trails Manager: Ken McKowen
916-653-6501 (tel); kmcko@parks.ca.gov
The Committee is comprised of seven members, each appointed to a 4-year term by the Governor. Members are active in local, regional and statewide trails programs, generally with personal interests in hiking, biking, or horseback riding.
The Statewide Trails Manager serves as Executive Secretary and the Trails Office provides staff support for the members of the Governor’s-appointed California Recreational Trails Committee. The Committee is charged in-part with promoting trail use and regional and statewide planning efforts. The Committee meets three to four times each year. - Castle Rock State Park
- Located on Highway 35, just 2 1/2 miles southeast of the junction with Highway 9.
Latitude / Longitude: 37.2317 / -122.1158
408-867-2952 (tel) General Plan Team Leader: Dave Keck
916-445-8903 (tel); dkeck@parks.ca.gov
Castle Rock State Park embraces 3,600 acres of coast redwood, Douglas-fir, and madrone forest, most of which has been left in its wild, natural state. Steep canyons are sprinkled with unusual rock formations that are popular with rock climbers. The forest here is lush and mossy, crisscrossed by 32 miles of hiking and horseback riding trails. These trails are part of an even more extensive trail system that links the Santa Clara and San Lorenzo valleys with Castle Rock State Park, Big Basin Redwoods State Park, and the Pacific Coast. - Henry W. Coe State Park
- Henry W. Coe State Park, P.O. Box 846, Morgan Hill, CA 95038
408-779-2728 (tel); 408-778-5749 (fax)
http://www.coepark.org/ (general)
http://www.coepark.org/biking.htm (biking)
Coe Park is the largest state park in northern California, with over 87,000 acres of wild open spaces. The terrain of the park is rugged, varied, and beautiful, with lofty ridges and steep canyons. Once the home of Ohlone Indians, the park is now home to a fascinating variety of plants and animals, including the elusive mountain lion. Within Coe Park are the headwaters of Coyote Creek, long stretches of the Pacheco and Orestimba creeks, and a 23,300-acre wilderness area.
The park is open year-round for hikers, mountain bikers, backpackers, equestrians, car campers, picnickers, photographers, and people who simply like to visit parks. - East Bay Regional Park District
- 2950 Peralta Oaks Court, P.O. Box 5381, Oakland, CA 94605-0381
415-531-9300 (tel)
http://www.ebparks.org/index.htm
The East Bay Regional Park District’s vision is to preserve a priceless heritage of natural and cultural resources open space, parks and trails for the future and will set aside park areas for enjoyment and healthful recreation for generations to come. An environmental ethic guides us in all that we do. - The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park
- Located four miles north of Aptos on Aptos Creek Road
831-763-7062 (tel) General Plan Information: Ralph Fairfield
600 Ocean Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95060
831-429-2851 (tel); rfairfield@parks.ca.gov
The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park offers 10,000 acres of rugged semi-wilderness, rising from sea level to steep coastal mountains of more than 2,600 feet. Once the site of logging operations until the 1920s, visitors can still find evidence of logging operations, mill sites and trestles in the park. The land was donated to the state by the Marks family in 1963. With over 30 miles of trails, hiking, jogging and biking are some of the activities to be enjoyed here. Picnic tables and barbecue pits are available. A trail camp is located six miles from the nearest parking lot. - Golden Gate National Recreation Area
- Fort Mason, Bldg. 201, San Francisco CA 94123
415-561-4700 (tel); 415-561-4750 (fax)
One of the nation’s most highly visited National Park Service units, Golden Gate NRA comprises numerous sites, including Alcatraz, Marin Headlands, Fort Funston, Fort Mason, as well as Muir Woods National Monument, Fort Point National Historic Site, and the Presidio of San Francisco. Each has its own unique natural, cultural, and military history. - Los Gatos Trails Committee
- Meetings: Second Thursday of each month from 6 to 7 PM at 41 Miles Avenue, Los Gatos.
- Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District (MROSD)
- 330 Distel Circle, Los Altos CA 94022
650-691-1200 (tel); 650-691-0485 (fax)
http://www.openspace.org/
info@openspace.org
Meetings: Board of director’s meetings are open to the public on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month at 7:30 PM in the district offices at 330 Distel Circle (off El Camino Real north of Rengstorff), Los Altos. MROSD also holds Trail Policy Committee meetings which deal with development and implementation of trail use policy.
The Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, located in the San Francisco Bay Area, currently manages nearly 50,000 acres of land, in 26 open space preserves. The District’s purpose is to acquire, permanently protect, and restore lands forming a regional open space greenbelt. - Mount Diablo State Park
- Directions: Highway 680 to Danville; take Diablo Road exit, then 3 miles east to Mount Diablo Scenic Blvd.
Mailing Address: 96 Mitchell Canyon Road, Clayton, CA 94517
925-837-2525 (tel)
This park is one of the ecological treasures of the San Francisco Bay Area. Every season in the park has its special qualities. Discover for yourself the mountain’s beautiful wildflowers, its extensive trail system, fascinating wildlife and distinctive rock formations. View the stars from its lofty heights, bike ride to its 3,849 foot summit or explore the more remote trails by horseback. The park offers hiking, biking, horseback riding and camping. - City of Palo Alto Recreation, Open Space and Sciences Division
- 1305 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto, CA 94301
650-463-4900 (tel); 650-321-5612 (fax)
http://www.cityofpaloalto.org/gov/depts/csd/parks/preserves/default.asp
The goal of the City of Palo Alto Recreation, Open Space and Sciences Division is to give people who live and work in Palo Alto the widest possible range of opportunities to enrich their lives…and thereby build a healthier, stronger, and more vital community. - San Mateo County Parks and Recreation Department
- 455 County Center, 4th Floor Redwood City, CA. 94063
650-363-4020 (tel); 650-599-1721 (fax)
Meetings: Meetings of the Parks and Recreation Commission are held regularly on the first Thursday of every month at 2:30 p.m. in the Board of Supervisors Chambers, Hall of Justice, 400 County Center, Redwood City, CA 94063
The San Mateo Parks and Recreation Division operates 17 separate parks in a wide variety of natural settings including a coastside marine reserve, a bayside recreational area, coastal mountain woodland areas, and urban sites. - Santa Clara County Open Space Authority
- 6830 Via Del Oro, Suite 200, San Jose, CA 95119
(408) 224-7476
(408) 224-7548 Fax
http://www.openspaceauthority.org/
info@openspaceauthority.org
Meetings: The Citizen’s Advisory Committee meets on the 4th Monday of each month at the Open Space Authority administrative offices located at 6830 Via del Oro, Ste 200, San Jose, CA.
The Santa Clara County Open Space Authority’s purpose is to preserve Open Space and create greenbelts between communities, lands on the valley floor, hillsides, viewsheds and watersheds, baylands and riparian corridors. These are needed to counter the continuing and serious conversion of these lands to urban uses, to preserve the quality of life in the County and to encourage outdoor recreation and continuing agricultural activities. Development and implementation of land management policies that provide proper care of open space lands, allow public access appropriate to the nature of the land for recreation, are consistent with ecological values and compatible with agricultural uses. - Santa Clara County Parks and Recreation Department
- 298 Garden Hill Drive, Los Gatos CA 95030
408-355-2200 (tel); 408-355-2290 (fax)
http://www.sccgov.org/sites/parks/Pages/Welcome-to-Santa-Clara-County-Parks.aspx
parkinfo@prk.sccgov.org
Meetings: For general activities, the volunteer coordinating council meets the second Tuesday of each month at Hellyer Park. Public meetings are also held in conjunction with park master planning processes, which take place at regular intervals for each park. Call for more information.
The Santa Clara Trails Master Plan Advisory Committee meets the third Thursday of each month at 6:00 PM at the Franklin McKinley School District offices at 645 Wool Creek, San Jose.The mission of the Santa Clara County Parks and Recreation Department is to provide, protect and preserve regional parklands for the enjoyment, education and inspiration of this and future generations. - Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors
- 70 W. Hedding, San Jose CA 95110
408-299-2323 (tel) - California State Parks, Santa Cruz District
- 303 Big Trees Park Road, Felton CA 95018-9660
831-429-2850 (tel) http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=24248
The mission of the California Department of Parks and Recreation is to provide for the health, inspiration, and education of the people of California by:
Preserving the state’s extraordinary biological diversity
Protecting its most valued natural and cultural resources
Creating opportunities for high-quality outdoor recreation. - Soquel Demonstration State Forest
- 4750 Old San Jose Road, Soquel, CA 95073
(831) 475-8643 (tel)
http://calfire.ca.gov/resource_mgt/resource_mgt_stateforests_soquel.php
soquel_State_Forest@fire.ca.gov
Located along the east branch of Soquel Creek and including portions of Amaya Creek and Fern Gulch Creek, the Forest contains redwood, mixed hardwoods, and riparian ecosystems. Soquel is geologically active, with the San Andreas and Zayante Faults passing through the property. Associated with the Forest’s geologic activity are several natural springs and small marshes found in closed depressions, known as sag ponds. Visitors enjoy hiking, bicycling, picnicking and horseback riding. - The Trail Center
- 3921 E. Bayshore Road, Palo Alto CA 94303
650-968-7065
www.trailcenter.org
info@trailcenter.org
The Trail Center is a non-profit volunteer organization formed to provide and promote quality non-motorized trail opportunities for all people in San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Alameda and San Francisco counties.
