"It was close to 9:30 a.m. when we arrived at the new parking lot for the Cotoni-Coast Dairies trail system. While the sun had barely risen over the Santa Cruz Mountains, the 62-space lot was already jammed, and one thing was immediately clear to my wife and me: This new destination just off Highway 1 is a hit. Not that there was much doubt people would come."
"I shared this excitement, but as a hiker, I found one aspect within the packed parking lot concerning: At least half the people in it were mountain bikers. This trail system was designed not only for hikers and bikers but also for joggers, dog walkers, horseback riders and paracyclers. While this may sound like a recipe for all kinds of trail rage, the SCMTS managed to take all of these groups into account to create a system that actually works for everyone."
The Cotoni-Coast Dairies trail system opened in mid-August with close to nine miles of well-planned trails on a 5,800-acre parcel about 10 miles north of Santa Cruz. The new 62-space parking lot filled quickly on opening morning. Local volunteers contributed over 10,000 hours to planning and construction. The Santa Cruz Mountains Trail Stewardship (SCMTS) designed and built the trails to serve hikers, mountain bikers, joggers, dog walkers, horseback riders, and paracyclers. The parcel became a national monument in 2017 and public response has been overwhelmingly positive. Early planning meetings and trail-map routing guidance were used to minimize user conflicts.
Read at SFGATE
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