Anyone wanting to comment in-person on the East Bay Regional Park District’s plan to build a 1.4-mile bicycle-only trail in Wildcat Canyon Regional Park can do so on Tuesday.
The proposed trail has divided nearby East Bay residents with proponents arguing that it would give local mountain bikers, especially young cyclists, a safe place to ride, and opponents worried about soil erosion, noise and increased congestion on nearby trails.
The Wildcat Canyon Flow Trail would be located in the western portion of the park, north of Wildcat Creek Trail on a hillside near the Mezue Road intersection. It would feature rollers, essentially speed bumps meant to slow bikes, jumps, berms and turnout areas to keep riders from skidding off. The proposed trail would be up to 4-feet-wide with an average grade of 5 to 7%.
Planners say the trail would reduce the number of bikes on other local trails and close some to bikes entirely, creating a more enjoyable experience for both hikers and cyclists.
If you go
What: EBRPD Wildcat Canyon bike flow trail meeting
When: Tue., Jan. 27, 6 p.m,
Where: San Pablo Community Hall, 2450 Road 20, at 6 p.m. Written comments can be sent to trailsdev@ebparks.org by Feb. 14.
Details: The meeting will include a presentation about the project and its history and an overview of the input being sought, environmental requirements and timeline.
The purpose of Tuesday’s “scoping meeting,” which will be held at San Pablo Community Hall, is to let residents share what they want the environmental impact report to address. The district is also accepting comments via email by Feb. 14.
“This meeting is about asking the public ‘What should we look at?,’ ” said Max Korten, acting general manager for the parks district. “We want to give the community a chance to weigh in.”
After the initial comment period closes on Feb. 14, the district will draft an environmental impact report (EIR) that will evaluate how the trail might affect groundwater, soil and wildlife, grazing cattle and other factors and how potential impacts can be lessened. For example, it’s proposed that fencing be installed along several stretches of the trail to protect cattle from wandering onto it.
After that is released, the public will have 45 days to comment before the EIR is finalized. The EBRPD board of directors will then vote on the project.
Proportionally the proposed trail represents a tiny part of an enormous regional park system that encompasses more than 1,000 miles of trails across 126,000 acres in multiple counties, making it the largest regional parks system in the country. Despite the proposed trail’s modest size, it has generated reams of opposition from people who say mountain bikers careening down narrow trails is inconsistent with the park’s intended use.
“The park district set aside this land as a natural area and we think that ought to be respected for hiking and the particular needs of wildlife and the protection of flora,” said Jim Hanson, a volunteer with the East Bay chapter of the California Native Plant Society. “It’s about protecting the quiet areas of the park to preserve the experience people are looking for.”
Hanson points to the EBRPD’s Land Use Plan for Wildcat Canyon Regional Park, written in 1985, that states that “the vast majority of Wildcat Canyon Regional Park will be a natural area … where development is limited to preserve the park’s natural features and qualities. This area contains a variety of wildlife habitats, topography and scenic areas…(and) will be free from intensive recreation activities, and other than several camp areas, devoid of any development except trails for hiking, equestrian and service use.”
tight turns and jumps for mountain bikers to enjoy. Several portions will be fenced off. Courtesy of East Bay Regional Park District
He and others who are opposed to the trail say the district should prepare a separate trails plan to identify more appropriate areas for a bikes-only trail.
However, Korten, who was quick to explain that the district has not yet made any decision about the flow trail, said that it would be adjacent to many existing bike trails.
Proponents have been equally vocal, saying that the trail is needed given the growing popularity of mountain biking. They also argue that a bike-only trail will reduce the number of “bootleg” trails, illegal paths carved out by cyclists that often cause erosion. Only two west Contra Costa County parks allow mountain bikes: Wildcat Canyon and Crockett Hills, although both trails are multi-use. Those wanting to access bike-only trails have to travel to Briones, Redwood Regional or parks in Marin County.
“Everything up there (in Wildcat Canyon) has been a product of human intervention, like the former Nike military installation and a former sanitarium off Belgum Trail,” said project supporter Gordon Gladstone, a Richmond resident and volunteer mountain bike coach at El Cerrito High School. “It seems to me that the opposition is so invested in opposing bicycles that they end up being contrary to the whole vision of parks, which is to provide people opportunities to recreate in nature. People want to get out there and be under the trees.”
The idea to build a bike-only trail in Wildcat Canyon dates back to 2020, when the Northern California chapter of the National Interscholastic Cycling Association approached the park district with a proposal to expand bike use, specifically a biking trail that students could ride to and from their homes. To do so, they would have to use existing multi-use trails.
In 2022, the district hired an ecology firm to study the area to identify the right location, settling on Mezue Trail. In subsequent years, a conceptual design and more surveys were done.
Opponents are also concerned about the growing use of e-bikes in the park, which they say rip up trails with their thick treads, trampling plants and eroding soil. Currently only Class 1 electric bikes are allowed on trails where bikes are permitted, although they can’t exceed 15 mph. Class 2 bikes are only allowed on paved trails and Class 3 e-bikes, which have throttles and can travel up to 28 mph, are not allowed. Korten acknowledged that the rise of e-bikes has been a problem at some parks but said that they are more likely to be used on paved trails such as the Bay Trail.
In an initial study park staff acknowledged that the project could potentially impact groundwater flow, air quality, animal species, riparian habitat and wetlands. Korten explained that it’s normal to evaluate the worst possible outcome of any project and that steps will be taken to avoid such impacts.
For example, installing berms along the trail could change the direction of underground water drainage, risking erosion, according to the initial study. However planners plan to build rollers and drains before each berm to better collect water and allow groundwater recharge. And before construction starts, the parks district would prepare a plan that addresses construction-related erosion control and minimizes disturbance of soil and vegetation.
“We want to build in a way that’s light on the land,” Korten said.
