It’s not often that a huge chunk of redwoods ecosystem gets redesigned for public recreation. So it’s a cause for celebration that 7.3 miles of new trails are opening near Santa Cruz on Dec. 3, accessible to any hiker, cyclist or equestrian with a free permit.
The trails are located in the northern part of the San Vicente Redwoods, a sprawling open-space area near the Pacific coast in Davenport. It’s the first phase of a planned 38-mile trail system; the next phase could begin construction in three to five years. The trails are named in Awaswas, an Ohlone language, to recognize the ancestral stewardship lasting up to the present day of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band.
The new hikers’ stomping grounds are located in the burn area of the destructive 2020 CZU Lightning Complex fires. A lot of work went into restoring the land to a place that will resemble healthy forest decades from now. Correspondingly, the evolving trail system isn’t just meant for recreation – it’s also designed as a critical fuel break in the likelihood of future wildfires.
“When you’re out on the trails, you’ll be able to witness firsthand how nature is rebounding” from the fire, said Sarah Newkirk, executive director of the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County.
Free registration permits are available online at landtrustsantacruz.org/svr. The San Vicente Redwoods are managed by that Land Trust, the Peninsula Open Space Trust, the Sempervirens Fund and the Save the Redwoods League.
Here’s a rather desolate scene from after the 2020 fires:
And here are a couple of shots of the new trails set to open this winter:
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