Restored, realigned Dias Ridge Trail opens amid smiles
National Park Service/GGNRA
Horse Hill… ‘every town needs hills for horses’
Marin Stables and Trails

Dias Ridge Trail Dedication speakers Barbara Weitz, GGNRA Superintendent Frank Dean and Don Herzog enjoy the celebration with hikers, bikers and equestrians

Restored, Realigned Dias Ridge Trail Opens Amid Smiles
Hikers, bikers and equestrians - groups that have not always mixed kindly on Marin's pathways - wore broad smiles Saturday morning as the new Dias Ridge Trail opened.
The trail, which takes visitors from the Panoramic Highway near Tam Valley to Muir Beach and offers sweeping vistas of the Pacific Ocean along the way, was embraced by the 100 people who came out for a ceremonial ribbon cutting.

"Well, this took a few years, but I'm happy to see it opening," said Barbara Weitz of Mill Valley, who is on the Bay Area Ridge Trail Marin committee. She has worked to get the new trail in place since 1989. "It's nice to see all the users up here. That was a goal."

The realignment and restoration of the 3.1-mile trail was completed after more than $1 million was poured into the project headed by the National Park Service, with support from the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, California State Parks, Bay Area Ridge Trail Council and California Coastal Conservancy.

A longtime favorite destination for those getting outdoors, Dias Ridge - named after one of the Portuguese dairy ranchers who once owned swaths of the West Marin hills - is on a ridgeline above Muir Beach.

The newly completed segment of the trail replaces an old ranch road that was steep, rutted and difficult to use. The new trail establishes a healthier footprint that reduces erosion impacts to the Redwood Creek watershed.

It also fills a gap in the planned 550-mile Bay Area Ridge Trail encircling the San Francisco Bay along ridgetops. So far, more 310 miles of trail for use has been dedicated.

"It creates an important connection for mountain bikers and equestrians," said hiker Bill Long of Novato, chairman of the ridge trail council. "The old trail was a disaster. It was eroding, a real mess. The new one is beautifully done; it's an engineering marvel."

The opening ceremony was marked with a blessing from a representative of the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria.

"Our hope is this trail will be a symbol of unity and cooperation for all of us," said Mill Valley resident Maureen Pinto, of the equestrian group Ocean Riders, as she sat atop her horse "Little Bear" waiting for the trail to open. "I'm looking forward to riding down it."

The trail was closed for a year to allow the new trail to settle and vegetation to take hold.

Work is not done. More vegetation and habitat will be restored and about 20,000 native plants will be placed along the trail that were grown at the Marin Headlands Native Plant Nursery.

"One of the most significant things is that this is a multiuse trail," said San Anselmo resident and bicyclist Tom Boss of the group Share the Trail. "We need more of these in Marin County to bring people together."

Mark Prado, Marin Independent Journal
May 8, 2010

National Park Service/GGNRA:
*Marin Equestrian Plan 2010
When completed, the GGNRA management plan will propose options for the future use of three Marin County stables located on GGNRA land. It will address site and facility needs, improvements, and protection of important cultural and natural resources at and surrounding the sites. The plan will enhance the public outreach and equestrian programs, identify Best Management Practices, sustainable programs, increase protection of natural resources, and preserve the cultural and historic resources at the stables. NPS Southern Marin Equestrian Plan

*GGNRA planning continues on the Peninsula: See COUNTY NEWS San Mateo.

The GGNRA/Marin District currently permits boarding, lessons, trailer parking, trail access at the following locations:

Muir Beach: Golden Gate Dairy Stables, 1760A Shoreline Highway. 415-388-7670 Ocean Riders of Marin
Maureen Pinto, President of Ocean Riders/Golden Gate Dairy Stables, continues to work with GGNRA Planners who are considering several proposals for the 'Dairy' including the 'transfer' of horses to a new site a mile to the north: The Banducci Farm.

Rodeo Valley: Fort Cronkhite Stables, 901 Bunker Road, Marin Headlands www.presidioridingclub.org/

Tennessee Valley: Miwok Stables, 701 Tennessee Valley Road, Mill Valley. www.miwokstables.com

Horse Hill… ‘every town needs hills for horses’
‘Horse Hill is a very special place on the border of Mill Valley and Corte Madera, adjacent to Highway 101 in Marin. Fourteen privately owned horses are able to graze on this land thanks to an arrangement between the Marin County Open Space District (MCOSD) and the Alto Bowl Horseowners Association (ABHA). ABHA is a non-profit coalition of horseowners that work in close collaboration with the County to remain in compliance with the Open Space regulations...Just like all Open Space in Marin, people are welcome on Horse Hill with little interference from the horses. When not under saddle, the horses have little interest in the trails. They are mostly interested in the grass. People walking with their canine companions are also welcomed. The horses simply ask that the dogs stay with their human companions, either on leash or by voice control, just as they would around other wildlife.’
www.horsehill.org


Horse Hill photo by Robert Eichstaedt