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Midpen Reopens Alpine Road Trail After Major Upgrades

The 2.5-mile multi-use trail improvements, funded in part by Measure AA bond money, restore watershed health, improve habitat, and create a safe route to Skyline Boulevard.

Courtesy of Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District

June 11, 2024—The Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District is excited to announce the completion of the Alpine Road Regional Trail Improvement Project, between Page Mill Road and Alpine Road near Portola Valley. Midpen crews were able to complete repairs on nearly 2.5 miles of trail while simultaneously improving the health of the land in and adjacent to Coal Creek Open Space Preserve. The trail improvements made by Midpen reestablished the Alpine Road Trail as a safe and sustainable connection to a vast trail network in the Skyline corridor for hikers, bikers and equestrians alike.

One of the most important goals of the project was to help restore the health of Corte Madera Creek, part of the San Francisquito Creek Watershed. The project will reduce erosion and sedimentation into water bodies, helping improve habitat for wildlife that rely on the watershed, including steelhead trout (a federally threatened species). Other work involved the installation of a larger culvert to transport rainwater down the hillside without destroying trails, and the installation of more than 200 feet of retaining wall to further protect the trail from landslides.

This project is an excellent encapsulation of Midpen’s three-part mission to preserve open space, protect and restore the environment, and provide opportunities for ecologically sensitive public enjoyment.

The Alpine Road Trail was identified by the community as a Top 10 project in Midpen’s Vision Plan, and was completed with support from Measure AA. This year, we are celebrating 10 years of accomplishments made possible by Measure AA, a 30-year, $300 million general obligation bond passed in 2014. Measure AA helps fund 25 “Priority Projects” that were determined through the community-supported Vision Plan. The project portfolios focus on land protection, habitat restoration, ecologically sensitive recreation and climate change resilience.

Measure AA really helped Midpen increase its capacity to take on and deliver large scale projects. These include the Alpine Road Trail project, the restoration of public access to Mount Umunhum, the opening of Bear Creek Redwoods, and more. Follow this link to learn more about all the Measure AA-funded projects and their progress.

We marked the completion of this project by featuring some of the trail-building crew members on an episode of Open Road that aired Sunday, June 9 on NBC Bay Area. We will also post the video to our YouTube channel. Additionally, we will have staff tabling at the trailhead on Friday, June 14. 

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