Bay Area Ridge Trail

Trail circling the San Francisco Bay Area

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Bay Area Ridge Trail

Tunnel to Alpine Pond at Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve

Length| 550 mi (890 km)
Location| San Francisco Bay Area, United States
Use| Hiking, bicycling, horseback riding, birdwatching, environmental education
Waymark| Yes

The Bay Area Ridge Trail (shortened as Ridge Trail) is a planned 550-mile (890 km) multi-use trail along the hill and mountain ridgelines surrounding the San Francisco Bay Area, in Northern California. As of May 2022[update], 400 miles (640 km) have been established.[citation needed] When complete, the trail will connect over seventy-five parks and open spaces. The trail is being designed to provide access for hikers, runners, mountain bicyclists, and equestrians. It will be accessible through trailheads near major population centers, but the trail will extend into more remote areas. The first trail section was dedicated on May 13, 1989.

## History

[edit]

William Penn Mott Jr., the twelfth director of the National Park Service, gave a speech in March 1987 at a state parks and recreation conference and discussed plans for the Ridge Trail.[1] While working for the East Bay Regional Park District in the 1960s, Mott's office was on a ridgeline in the East Bay, and the views from the office inspired his vision of a hill-and-ridge trail encircling the Bay and linking its communities.[2] The plan would later attract bipartisan support, with George Miller joining Mott.[3]

In May 1987, the Greenbelt Alliance held a meeting to strategize how to approach the San Francisco Water Department and convince them to open their watershed lands to the public; Mark Evanoff convened the meeting and Brian O'Neill, Superintendent of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, proposed a potential strategy to pursue the goals outlined in the report by the President's Commission on Americans Outdoors.[1][4] Later that year, a planning committee was formed with memberships from nearly forty public agencies, recreation groups, and individuals. Eventually, this committee became the Bay Area Ridge Trail Council.[1]

Dinesh Desai, a retired engineer, and Bob Cowell, a retired fire chief, completed the first hike of the Ridge Trail in 1999.[5] The pair followed designated and non-designated trails, including a crossing of the Carquinez Strait by kayak.[6]

### Trail development

[edit]

This article needs to be updated. The reason given is: this section needs to be updated to reflect recent changes/developments. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (May 2022)

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The first two segments of the trail, dedicated on May 13, 1989, were located in San Mateo County and managed by the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District and the San Mateo County Department of Parks.[5] Marin County and San Francisco City and County opened their first segments in September 1989; Napa, Solano, and Santa Clara counties in October 1989; Contra Costa and Alameda counties in June 1990; and Sonoma County in October 1990.[7] Existing trails in public spaces were incorporated into the Ridge Trail, extending the trail to 100 miles (160 km) by 1990 and 200 miles (320 km) by 1995.[5]

By 1999, 217 miles (349 km) of the Ridge Trail had been completed, mostly on public lands.[3] 10 miles (16 km) of the Ridge Trail were added in 2005, including a new bridge over San Geronimo Creek; at that point, the Ridge Trail ran for 285 miles (459 km).[8] The section of Ridge Trail through Crockett Hills Regional Park in Contra Costa County, which opened in June 2006, pushed the trail past the 300-mile (480 km) mark.[5]

As of 2020[update], the Ridge Trail stood at 383 miles (616 km) completed.[5] The section of the trail that runs through San Francisco has been completed, and parts of the San Francisco trail have been rerouted to pass through more green space and over the Twin Peaks. Large sections of the trail running through San Mateo,[9] Marin, Contra Costa, and Alameda counties have been completed. Much of the remaining mileage is on private property in Santa Clara,[10] Sonoma, and Napa.

## Route

[edit]

Trail marker for Bay Area Ridge Trail

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Bay Area Ridge Trail

Legend

|  | Robert Louis Stevenson State Park

Mt St Helena 4,342 ft (1,323 m)

|  |
Lower Oat Hill Mine Trail |  |

|  | Duff and Wildlake Ranches

Napa River

|  |

|  | Las Posadas State Forest
Bothe-Napa Valley State Park |  |

|  | Moore Creek Park
| Sugarloaf Ridge State Park

Bald Mtn 2,729 ft (832 m)

|  |

| Napa County

Sonoma County

|  | Rector Watershed
| Hood Mtn Regional Park

Mt Hood 2,733 ft (833 m)

|  |

Atlas Peak

Spring Lake and Howarth Parks  |  |

|  | Milliken Watershed
| Annadel State Park

Bennett Mtn 1,887 ft (575 m)

|  | Skyline Wilderness Park
| North Sonoma Mtn Regional Park & Preserve

Sonoma Mtn 2,463 ft (751 m)

|  |

| Napa County

Solano County

Jack London State Historic Park |  |

|  | Vallejo Lakes Watershed
|  |

|  | Rockville Trails Preserve
Rancho Petaluma Adobe |  |

|  | Rockville Hills Regional Park
Helen Putnam Regional Park |  |

|  | Vintage Valley Trail

| Sonoma County

Marin County

|  |  | Lynch Canyon Open Space Park

McGary Rd
Olompali State Historic Park |  |

|  |  | (L) Hiddenbrooke

(R) Vallejo King-Swett Ranches
| Mount Burdell Open Space Preserve

Mt Burdell 1,558 ft (475 m)

|  | Benicia State Recreation Area
Indian Tree Open Space Preserve  |  |

|  |  | Alfred Zampa span of Carquinez Bridge

← to San Francisco Bay Trail
Lucas Valley Open Space Preserve  |  |

|  |

| Solano County

Contra Costa County
Benicia–Martinez Bridge

Samuel P. Taylor State Park |  |

|  | Crockett Hills Regional Park
| Gary Giacomini & White's Hill Open Space Preserves

Green Hill 1,418 ft (432 m)

|  | Carquinez Strait Regional Shoreline
| Loma Alta Open Space Preserve

Loma Alta 1,592 ft (485 m)

|  | Fernandez Ranch
Bolinas Ridge |  |

|  |  | John Muir National Historic Site

Mt Wanda 640 ft (200 m)
| Mount Tamalpais State Park

Mt Tamalpais 2,571 ft (784 m)

|  | Pinole Valley Watershed
Muir Beach Overlook |  |

|  | Sobrante Ridge Regional Park
Marin Headlands |  |

|  |  | Wildcat Canyon Regional Park

Wildcat Peak 1,250 ft (380 m)

Golden Gate Bridge | Marin County

San Francisco City & County

|  |  | Tilden Regional Park

Vollmer Peak 1,905 ft (581 m)
| Presidio

→ to San Francisco Bay Trail

|  |

| Contra Costa County

Alameda County
Sibley Volcanic Preserve

Round Top 1,763 ft (537 m)

| Twin Peaks

Twin Peaks 925 ft (282 m)

|  |  | Redwood Regional Park

Redwood Peak 1,619 ft (493 m)

Lake Merced & Stern Grove (West Portal)

|  |

|  | Anthony Chabot Regional Park

| San Francisco City & County

San Mateo County

|  | Cull Canyon Regional Recreation Area

Milagra Ridge (Daly City)

|  |

|  | Five Canyons Open Space
Sweeney Ridge |  |

|  | Stonebrae Country Club
Peninsula Watershed |  |

|  | Garin & Dry Creek Regional Parks
Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve |  |

|  |
|  El Corte de Madera Creek Open Space Preserve

Sierra Morena 2,417 ft (737 m)

|  | Vargas Plateau Regional Park
La Honda Creek Open Space Preserve |  |

|  |
| Windy Hill Open Space Preserve

Windy Hill 1,905 ft (581 m)

|  |  | Mission Peak Regional Preserve

Mission Peak 2,517 ft (767 m)
Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve |  |

|  |

| Alameda County

Santa Clara County

Skyline Ridge Open Space Preserve  |  |

|  |  | Ed R. Levin County Park

Monument Peak 2,594 ft (791 m)

| San Mateo County

Santa Cruz County

|  | Sierra Vista Open Space Preserve
Long Ridge Open Space Preserve |  |

|  |  | Alum Rock Park

Penitencia Creek Trail
Saratoga Gap Open Space Preserve |  |

|  |

(Berryessa/​North San José)

| Castle Rock State Park

Castle Rock 3,214 ft (980 m)

|  | Grant Ranch County Park

| Santa Cruz County

Santa Clara County

|  | Coyote Creek Trail
Sanborn County Park |  |

|  | Santa Teresa County Park
El Sereno Open Space Preserve |  |

|  | Almaden Quicksilver County Park
| Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve

El Sombroso 2,999 ft (914 m)

|  | Coyote–Bear County Park
|  Mt Umunhum 3,486 ft (1,063 m)

Loma Prieta 3,790 ft (1,160 m)

|  |  | Mount Madonna County Park

Mt Madonna 1,897 ft (578 m)

* * *

|  |  |  |  |  |
|  |  |

|  | Legend

|
|
|
|

Bold |  |

|  | bridges
Italic |  |

|  | trails
Small italic |  |

|  | prominent physical features
|  |

|  | completed trails
|  |

|  | planned trails
|  |

|  | transit station
|  |  |  |  |  |

Starting at the Golden Gate Bridge and proceeding clockwise, the route goes through every Bay Area county: Marin, Sonoma, Napa, Solano, Contra Costa, Alameda, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, San Mateo, and San Francisco. The planned alignment of the Ridge Trail extends as far north as Calistoga and Angwin, and as far south as Gilroy.[11]

### San Francisco City and County

[edit]

From south to north, the trail passes through the following landmarks: Lake Merced, Stern Grove, Twin Peaks, Buena Vista Park, the panhandle of Golden Gate Park, and the Presidio.

Ridge Trail segment status (as of 2015)[7] County  | Completed length of segments  | Final planned length of segments

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|

Marin  | 62 miles
(100 kilometres)  | 72 miles
(116 kilometres)
Sonoma  | 29 miles
(47 kilometres)  | 50 miles
(80 kilometres)
Napa  | 18 miles
(29 kilometres)  | 80 miles
(130 kilometres)
Solano  | 30 miles
(48 kilometres)  | 50 miles
(80 kilometres)
Contra Costa  | 43 miles
(69 kilometres)  | 49 miles
(79 kilometres)
Alameda  | 36 miles
(58 kilometres)  | 56 miles
(90 kilometres)
Santa Clara  | 83 miles
(134 kilometres)  | 190 miles
(310 kilometres)
San Mateo  | 44 miles
(71 kilometres)  | 65 miles
(105 kilometres)
San Francisco  | 15 miles
(24 kilometres)  | 20 miles
(32 kilometres)
Santa Cruz  | 1 mile

(1.6 kilometers)

| 1 mile

(1.6 kilometers)

## Bay Area Ridge Trail Council

[edit]

The Bay Area Ridge Trail Council (BARTC), founded in 1987,[12] is the organization building, maintaining, and promoting the Ridge Trail. BARTC initially was supported by the Greenbelt Alliance, but it was incorporated in 1991 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit under co-chairs Brian O'Neill and Marcia McNally.[1] The Council office is located in Berkeley.[13]

## See also

[edit]

* San Francisco Bay Area portal

* San Francisco Bay Trail

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d Brinkley, Suzanne; O'Neill, Brian; Van Houten, Holly (November 10, 2005). "Partnerships: Bay Area Ridge Trail". National Park Service. US Department of the Interior. Archived from the original on May 3, 2012. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
2. ^ Rogers, Paul (May 25, 2010). "Mile by mile, landmark Bay Area Ridge Trail comes together". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
3. ^ a b McHugh, Paul (June 10, 1999). "Hikers' Bay Trek Hints At Ridge Trail to Come". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
4. ^ President's Commission on Americans Outdoors (December 1986). Report and recommendations to the President of the United States (Report). Washington, D.C.: President's Commission on Americans Outdoors. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
5. ^ a b c d e "Trail History and Timeline". Bay Area Ridge Trail. Bay Area Ridge Trail Council. 2015. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
6. ^ King, John (June 1, 1999). "Pair Throw Kayaking Into Trail Mix". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
7. ^ a b "26 years of Ridge Trail" (PDF). Santa Clara County. 2015. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
8. ^ Stienstra, Tom (October 27, 2005). "Bridgint the gap: A new span completes much of the Bay Trail in Marin". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
9. ^ Scott, Julia (May 28, 2010). "Bay Area Ridge Trail about two-thirds complete in San Mateo County". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved July 24, 2017.
10. ^ Rogers, Paul (May 25, 2010). "Santa Clara County: Lots of trail, lots of gaps". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
11. ^ Pease Press (July 2016). "Bay Area Ridge Trail" (PDF). Bay Area Ridge Trail Council. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 16, 2017. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
12. ^ McHugh, Paul (July 25, 2002). "Ridge Trail a dream coming true". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
13. ^ "About us". Bay Area Ridge Trail. Retrieved May 5, 2023.

### Bibliography

[edit]

* Rusmore, Jean (2008). Bay Area Ridge Trail: The Official Guide for Hikers, Mountain Bikers, and Equestrians. Birmingham, Alabama: Wilderness Press. ISBN 978-0-89997-469-9. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
* Walker, Richard A.; Cronon, William (2008). The Country in the City: The Greening of the San Francisco Bay Area. Seattle, Washington: University of Washington Press. p. 157\. ISBN 978-0-295-98815-3. Retrieved December 27, 2016.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bay Area Ridge Trail.

* Bay Area Ridge Trail Council
* Bay Area Ridge Trail on OpenStreetMap

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Santa Cruz Mountains

Peaks|

* Black Mountain
* Crystal Peak
* Loma Prieta
* Long Ridge
* Montara Mountain
* Mount Bielawski
* Mount Chual
* Mount Madonna
* Mount Thayer
* Mount Umunhum
* San Bruno Mountain
* Santa Teresa Hills
* Twin Peaks

Rivers and creeks|

* Adobe Creek
* Alamitos Creek
* Alpine Creek
* Bean Creek
* Bogess Creek
* Boulder Creek
* Branciforte Creek
* Butano Creek
* Carbonera Creek
* Clear Creek
* Coyote Creek
* Deer Creek
* El Corte de Madera Creek
* Guadalupe River
* Guadalupe Valley Creek
* Hale Creek
* Harrington Creek
* La Honda Creek
* Laguna Creek
* Little Boulder Creek
* Llagas Creek
* Loch Lomond
* Los Gatos Creek
* Love Creek
* Naples Creek
* Permanente Creek
* Pescadero Creek
* Peters Creek
* Pilarcitos Creek
* San Bruno Creek
* San Francisquito Creek
* San Gregorio Creek
* San Lorenzo River
* San Pedro Creek
* San Vicente Creek
* Stevens Creek
* Tip Toe Falls
* Uvas Creek
* Waddell Creek
* Waterman Creek
* Zayante Creek

Parks|

* Big Basin Redwoods State Park
* Butano State Park
* Castle Rock State Park
* Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park
* McNee Ranch State Park
* Portola Redwoods State Park
* Redwood Grove
* San Bruno Mountain State Park
* Sanborn County Park
* The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park
* Uvas Canyon County Park

Hiking trails|

* Bay Area Ridge Trail
* Devil's Slide Trail
* Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail

Open Space Preserves|

* Bear Creek Redwoods
* Coal Creek
* El Corte de Madera Creek
* El Sereno
* Foothills
* Fremont Older
* La Honda Creek
* Long Ridge
* Los Trancos
* Monte Bello
* Picchetti Ranch
* Pulgas Ridge
* Purisima Creek Redwoods
* Rancho San Antonio
* Ravenswood
* Russian Ridge
* Saratoga Gap
* Sierra Azul
* Skyline Ridge
* St. Joseph's Hill
* Stevens Creek
* Teague Hill
* Thornewood
* Windy Hill

Other|

* Santa Cruz Mountains AVA

* v
* t
* e

List of tourist attractions in Santa Clara Valley

Arboreta & gardens|

* Arizona Cactus Garden
* Chinese Cultural Garden
* Edenvale Garden Park
* Emma Prusch Farm Park
* Hakone Gardens
* Japanese Friendship Garden
* Overfelt Gardens
* San Jose Municipal Rose Garden
* Stanford Arboretum

Cultural organizations|

* Choral Project
* Opera San José
* Pacific Art League
* sjDANCEco
* Symphony Silicon Valley
* Vivace Youth Chorus

Event venues|

| Performing arts
venues|

* California Theatre
* Frost Amphitheater
* Hammer Theatre
* Montalvo Arts Center
* Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts
* Mountain Winery Amphitheatre
* San Jose Center for the Performing Arts
* San Jose Civic
* San Jose Improv
* Shoreline Amphitheatre

|

Sports venues|

* CEFCU Stadium
* Earthquakes Stadium
* Excite Ballpark
* Levi's Stadium
* PAL Stadium
* Provident Credit Union Event Center
* SAP Center
* Sharks Ice San Jose
* Stanford Stadium
* Stevens Stadium

Civic venues|

* Santa Clara Convention Center
* San José Civic Plaza
* San Jose McEnery Convention Center

Events|

* BayCon
* Christmas in the Park
* Cinequest Film Festival
* FanimeCon
* Further Confusion
* SJ Bike Party
* SJ Holiday Parade
* SJ Jazz Festival
* Silicon Valley Comic Con
* Stanford Jazz Festival

Historical|

| Historic buildings|

* Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph
* Gurdwara Sahib
* Hotel De Anza
* Hangar One
* HP Garage
* Mission San José
* Mission Santa Clara de Asís
* Peralta Adobe
* Rengstorff House
* Villa Mira Monte
* Winchester Mystery House

|

Historic areas|

* Circle of Palms
* History Park
* Mexican Heritage Plaza
* New Almaden

Museums|

| Art|

* Cantor Arts Center
* MACLA
* Ira F. Brilliant Center for Beethoven Studies
* Martha Heasley Cox Center for Steinbeck Studies
* San Jose Museum of Art
* San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles
* Triton Museum of Art

|

History|

* Computer History Museum
* De Saisset Museum
* Japanese American Museum
* Portuguese Historical Museum
* Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum
* Viet Museum

Science|

* Children's Discovery Museum
* Intel Museum
* Lick Observatory
* The Tech Interactive

Parks & trails|

* Almaden Quicksilver County Park
* Alum Rock Park
* Anderson Lake
* Bay Area Ridge Trail
* Calero Reservoir
* Castle Rock State Park
* Coyote–Bear Park
* Coyote Creek Trail
* Ed Levin Park
* Joseph D. Grant County Park
* Guadalupe River Trail
* Henry W. Coe State Park
* Kelley Park
* Lake Cunningham
* Los Alamitos Creek Trail
* Los Gatos Creek Trail
* Plaza de César Chávez
* Rancho San Antonio
* Rosicrucian Park
* St. James Park
* Sanborn County Park
* SF Bay Trail
* Shoreline Park
* Stevens Creek Trail
* Uvas Canyon
* Uvas Creek Preserve
* Uvas Reservoir
* Vasona Park

Shopping|

* Eastridge
* Great Mall
* NASA Gift Shop
* Oakridge
* PruneYard
* San Antonio
* San Jose Flea Market
* Santana Row
* Stanford
* Valley Fair
* Westgate

Theme parks & tours|

* Billy Jones Wildcat Railroad
* California's Great America
* Gilroy Gardens
* Happy Hollow Park & Zoo
* CaliBunga Waterpark

Vineyards & wineries|

* Byington Vineyard
* J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines
* Mountain Winery
* Picchetti Brothers Winery
* Savannah–Chanelle Vineyards

* v
* t
* e

Hiking trails in California

Interstate|

* American Discovery Trail
* Great Western Loop
* Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail
* Pacific Crest Trail
* Tahoe Rim Trail
* Tahoe–Pyramid Trail

Bay Area|

* Alameda Creek Regional Trail
* Barbary Coast Trail
* Bay Area Ridge Trail
* Contra Costa Canal
* Coyote Creek Trail
* Guadalupe River Trail
* Iron Horse Regional Trail
* John W. Christian Greenbelt
* Lafayette-Moraga Regional Trail
* Los Gatos Creek Trail
* Ohlone Greenway
* Philosopher's Way
* Richmond Greenway
* San Francisco Bay Trail
* Santa Cruz Trail
* Sawyer Camp Trail
* Spur Trail
* Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail
* Stevens Creek Trail
* Three Creeks Trail

Sierra Nevada|

* Four Mile Trail
* Hetch Hetchy to Lake Vernon Trail
* High Sierra Trail
* Independence Trail
* John Muir Trail
* Lower Sagehen Creek Hiking Trail
* Mist Trail
* Mount Whitney Trail
* Sierra High Route
* Silver Knapsack Trail
* Tahoe Rim Trail
* Tahoe–Yosemite Trail
* Theodore Solomons Trail
* Trail of 100 Giants

Southern California|

* Backbone Trail
* Cactus to Clouds Trail
* Gabrielino Trail
* Lost Palms Oasis Trail
* Mount Wilson Toll Road
* Sam Merrill Trail
* Santa Clara River Trail
* Silver Moccasin Trail
* Trans-Catalina Trail
* Ventura River Parkway Trail
* Windy Gap Trail

Other|

* Bigfoot Trail
* Brad Freeman Trail
* California Coastal Trail
* Hammond Trail
* Jedediah Smith Memorial Trail
* Joe Rodota Trail
* Kortum Trail
* MacKerricher Coastal Trail
* Nobles Emigrant Trail
* Pine Ridge Trail
* Pinnacle and Shorttail Gulch Coastal Access Trails
* Prince Greenway

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF
* FAST

National|

* United States
* Israel

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