Trail History and Timeline

Trail Progress

The first Ridge Trail segment was dedicated in May 1989. Existing trails in open public lands were quickly added to the Ridge Trail network allowing a 100-mile celebration in 1990 and ushering in 200 miles in 1995.

The complex nature of this ambitious project slowed the initial rate of progress with new parklands needing to be acquired and more trails needing to be designed and built.  We celebrated the opening of the 300th mile in 2006.

In mid 2010, over 325 miles are open and many miles all around the region are being planned and built.

Trail Timeline

Below is a year-by-year timeline of when specific trail segments were dedicated as part of the Bay Area Ridge Trail.  Other key milestones are also highlighted.

1987:  First meeting convened to discuss the Bay Area Ridge Trail concept and later that year, the Bay Area Ridge Trail was established as an official project of the Greenbelt Alliance.

1989:   First two trail segments were dedicated on May 13.

Wunderlich County Park to Huddart County Park
Purisma Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve
Golden Gate Bridge to Morning Sun Trail
Shoreline Highway to Pantoll
Pantoll to Bolinas-Fairfax Road
Bolinas-Fairfax Road to Samuel P. Taylor State Park
Fort Funston to Stern Grove
Skyline Wilderness Park
Milagra Ridge and Sweeney Ridge
Sanborn County Park to Saratoga Gap
Benicia-Vallejo Waterfront

1990:  Celebrated 100 miles!

Tilden Regional Park to Redwood Regional Park
Redwood Regional Park to Anthony Chabot Regional Park
Anthony Chabot Regional Park
EBMUD Lands to Cull Canyon Regional Recreation Area
Coyote Creek Parkway (North)
Mt. Burdell Open Space Preserve
Sugarloaf Ridge State Park

1991:  Santa Teresa County Park and Los Alamitos Creek Trail
          Carquinez Strait Regional Shoreline to John Muir National Historic Site

1992: Ridge Trail Council incorporated

Saratoga Gap
Long Ridge Open Space Preserve
Skyline Ridge Open Space Preserve
Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve
Windy Hill Open Space Preserve
Mussel Rock to Fort Funston
Kennedy Grove Regional Recreation Area to Inspiration Point
Samuel P. Taylor State Park (Connector Trail)
Cull Canyon Regional Recreation Area to Independent School
Stern Grove to the Presidio

1993:  Rockville Hills Community Park
          Mission Peak Regional Preserve to Ed R. Levin County Park
          Vallejo-Benicia Buffer
          Morning Sun Trail to Shoreline Highway

1994:  Skyline Community College (Segment of Sweeney Ridge to Milagra Ridge)

1995:  Celebrated 200 miles!

Coyote Creek Parkway (South)
Annadel State Park and Connector Trails from Howarth City Park and Spring Lake Regional Park
Pinole Valley Park (Connector Trail) and Sobrante Ridge Regional Preserve
City of Petaluma

1996:  "The Notch" from Mori/Sweeney Ridge Trail Junction to Skyline College
           Jack London State Historic Park.

1997:  Joseph D. Grant County Park

1998:  State legislation creates the San Francisco Bay Area Program - an important source of funding for the Ridge Trail.

Independent School to Five Canyons
Martinez City Streets to Carquinez Regional Shoreline
Indian Tree Open Space Preserve to O'Hair Park

1999:  Dinesh Desai and Bob Cowell circumnavigated entire Ridge Trail route (dedicated and proposed).

Mt. Madonna County Park
Loma Alta Open Space Preserve from Sir Francis Drake to summit
The Presidio

2000:  Alum Rock Park

2001:  Hiddenbrooke Trail
          Summit in Loma Alta Open Space Preserve to Lucas Valley Road

2002:  Boccardo Trail
          River to Ridge (Connector Trail)
          Sonoma Mountain Ridge Trail
          Lynch Canyon Open Space Preserve
          Brookside Trail

2003:  Big Rock Ridge Trail
          Fifield-Cahill Ridge Trail
          Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve to Lexington Reservoir
          Benicia State Recreation Area

2004:  Almaden-Quicksilver County Park
          Alfred E. Zampa Bridge
          Golden Gate Bridge

2005:  Coyote Lake Harvey Bear
          Napa Solano Ridge Trail
          Benicia Waterfront
          Petaluma River Trail Re-Route
          Samuel P. Taylor State Park to Loma Alta Preserve

2006:  Celebrated 300 miles! First trail easement on private property (Napa Solano Ridge Trail) held by Council.

Yountville Cross Valley Route
Crockett Hills Regional Park
Hood Mountain

2007:  Mt. Wanda
          Pinole Watershed

2008:  Penitencia Creek Trail

2009:  Celebrated 20th anniversary of first trail.

Coyote Creek Trail
Benicia-Martinez Bridge

2010:  Dias Ridge
          Crockett city streets (Stonegate Park to Tully Road)
          Fernandez Ranch