Skip to content The Trail Center

Bay Area Ridge Trail - REI Service Day

Activities: Due to the Trail Center's persistent efforts in the last several years maintaining the portions of the Bay Area Ridge Ridge Trail in the Skyline Boulevard region, we found there was not a contiguous area which would provide sufficient work for a large group this year. Therefore, we are recommending that volunteers who wish to work on the Ridge Trail this year sign up for an event at the various sites being organized by other agencies and groups. Trail Center will provide a few crew leaders to help out Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District at its project in Skyline Ridge Open Space Preserve in Los Altos, if you wish to join some fellow Trail Center folks there.

Visit the BARTC's EventBrite page to review available projects and sign up. (Use the "Tickets" button to register, but be assured the work day projects themselves are free.)

Project: Sugarloaf Mountain Open Space - City of San Mateo

Segment 3 Trail

Activities: We will begin work on a new trail on the west side of the mountain, connecting the Salson and Amphitheater Trails. This visit will focus on brushing the corridor and removing duff from the future tread. Although we will be clearing the trail corridor of poison oak to a large degree before the work day, expect that some will remain. We plan to return to Sugarloaf in the spring after rains have made the soil more workable in order to cut the "bench" (tread) for the trail.

Volunteer

Project: San Mateo Memorial Park - Mt. Ellen Trails

Mt. Ellen Trails

Activities: We will continue the work we started on the Mt. Ellen trails, with the goal of finishing the Mt. Ellen Summit Trail. If time permits, we would also do brushing and tread maintenance on the Mt. Ellen Nature Trail, repairing tread damage from large downed trees, and replacing some retaining structures on the Mt. Ellen Nature Trail.

Volunteer

Project: Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit - United States Forest Service
Note: This was originally incorrectly listed as being in Humboldt-Toiyabe NF

Incline Flume Trail

Activities: For many summers the Trail Center has volunteered with the Pacific Crest Trail Association (PCTA) to work trail for thru-hikers. This year we will be working in a different part of the Sierra, and in a different state!
For our annual summer trip to the Sierras, we will work with Friends of Incline Trails (FIT), Tahoe Rim Trail Association (TRTA), and Tahoe Area Mountain Biking Association (TAMBA) to continue work on the Incline Flume Trail, near Incline Village, Lake Tahoe, Nevada. The trail is in the process of becoming an "authorized" USFS trail and will be a multi-use trail. This project  was started last year, and will open a historical flume route in the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit of the USFS as a multiple-use trail between Mt. Rose Highway above Incline Village and the northern edge of Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park at Tunnel Creek Road.

The location is near the Diamond Peak Ski Area (see Project link above for details). Volunteers will need to arrive by Thursday evening to set up camp. We will work on Friday, Saturday and part of Sunday. Volunteers will need to be current members of the Trail Center in order to offset meal costs.

This trip is recommended for experienced volunteers who enjoy camping and understand the need to get acclimated in order to work at higher elevations (consider coming a day or two early). While the terrain may be fairly flat, you can expect a hike to and from the work site each day. Summer Sierra trail work has always been a delightful and rich experience, even more fun than our local trail days. If you love the trails and the mountains, this trip has room for 20 volunteers, so if you are interested please submit an email to our volunteer coordinator via the link below.

Volunteer

Photo of Incline Flume Trail above is by Jude Matsalla, used under Creative Commons License.

Project: Coyote Point Recreation Area

Coyote Point Bay Trail

Activities: We will complete rereoute of a trail to make the "run-down-the-hill" use trail safer at San Mateo County's Coyote Point Recreation Area, behind CuriOdyssey. We will improve about 450 feet of new trail, in two sections, plus about 40 feet of steps. All but the steps will be completed at least as usable half-width trail on June 3, with finishing of tread and building of steps on our second June workday, Saturday June 24. Major poison oak abatement will precede the workdays, but volunteers should be prepared for possible exposure, and tools must be handled with gloves (as always).

(Full - waitlist available: Volunteer)

Project: Coyote Point Recreation Area

Coyote Point Bay Trail

Activities: For our National Trails Day event, we will be rerouting a trail to make the "run-down-the-hill" use trail safer at San Mateo County's Coyote Point Recreation Area, behind CuriOdyssey. We will improve about 450 feet of trail, in two sections, plus about 40 feet of steps. All but the steps will be completed at least a usable half-width trail on June 3, with finishing of tread and building of steps on our second June workday, Saturday June 24. Work on June 3 will involve brushing and tread construction, with any necessary drainage. Major poison oak abatement will precede the work day by a week, but volunteers should be prepared for possible exposure, and tools must be handled with gloves (as always).

Don't miss this event because you'll also get a free lunch courtesy of the San Mateo County Parks system and have the chance to win cool prizes during a raffle at the end! 

Learn more about National Trails Day

Volunteer