After the Trail Stewardship Summit, we were full of vigor to continue what we started in our Ferretti Non-Motorized Trail System (PDF Map Here) but have just been given a yellow light due to a pending Fish and Wildlife survey.
So, we are shifting focus to a project that has been on the books since 2014. Here’s the scoop:
NEW PROJECT: PINE MOUNTAIN LAKE UNIT 16
In 2014, we signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Pine Mountain Lake Association for the purpose of building multi-use singletrack trails in Unit 16.
There are close to 300 acres of land in the Unit which also includes an archery and shooting range. The area is easily accessed from Ferretti Road (using the same entrance as the Pine Mountain Lake campgrounds) and offers moderate to steep terrain with rolling grass and oak hills and areas with a mix of oak and conifer. Some ridges in the Unit offer beautiful views of the Sierra and of area ranchlands as well as of Pine Mountain Lake itself.
PHASE ONE: APPROACH TRAIL
Phase One of the project includes the design and construction of a trail that will take users from the main kiosk to the roads at the upper elevation of the Unit. The Unit is currently advertised as a hiking and walking area but the access road to the hikable/walkable roads (also shared with vehicles) is prohibitively steep for some ability levels. Phase one will consist of the design of an access trail that will allow users of all abilities to access the upper hiking trails and roads.
Additionally, many of the roads and/or trails suffer from erosion and can be hazardous for bikers and hikers. Our overall goal is to offer many miles of sustainable recreational trails that can be used by the community and that will accommodate all ability levels.
Here is a map of the Unit with the proposed areas for trail development shaded in red. The Phase One trail can be seen as a red line on the map (PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS NOT A TRAIL DESIGN, JUST AN ILLUSTRATION OF WHERE AN ACCESS TRAIL COULD POTENTIALLY GO).
We’ve completed rough corridor flagging and will begin more detailed pin flagging and design this month and will host our first volunteer days the first weekend in December. Stay tuned for details!
PROJECT UPDATE:
For a detailed description, read this post.
We’ve recently completed flagging Phase One of the Pine Mountain Lake Unit 16 trail project.
As mentioned, GTH has agreed to build a trail that will access the upper roads of PML’s Unit 16. The trail will begin at the information kiosk for PML’s Unit 16 ‘Hiking and Walking’ area and will be accessible to bikers, hikers, runners, and walkers who would like to safely hike off-road to access the upper roads and trails in the Unit.
We would love your help in constructing this trail and in participating in the first ever volunteer trail building event hosted by the Groveland Trail Heads. This trail is only the beginning of what we hope to create in the 300+ acres available to us in this Unit. The trails we build will be open to the public and are just outside of downtown Groveland.
Current trail info kiosk and access road for the upper roads and rec areas of Pine Mountain Lake’s Unit 16.
The terrain we flagged for the Phase One trail is steep but open with some nice oak trees and rock features.
Example of the hillside where the Phase One trail will be built.
NEXT STEPS:
The GTH trail design team will be hard at work for the remainder of December getting the site prepped and pin flagged and ready for construction.