California State Parks (CSP) is hiring a crew to work on Rogers Road Trail in Topanga State Park and Will Rogers State Historic Park. The work will include brushing to remove the overgrowth and some tread work to remove the ruts. The bridge on Chicken Ridge will be repaired and upgraded, and new signs put up to remind riders (bikes and equestrians) to walk through this section. CORBA will be supplying bicycles and B.O.B. Trailers to allow the trail crew volunteers easier access to the remote work sites. The work is expected to take place from February to June 2012. We will post notice of the work schedule and impacts to trail users as it is supplied by State Parks.
This project is made possible by a grant from the National Park Service. It serves as a prime example of how the National Park Service can help another agency achieve their goals through financial support and shared resources, as we are advocating for the San Gabriel Mountains Special Resource Study.
The Guadalasca Trail in Point Mugu State Park will also undergo some substantial improvements over the next year or two. First, the lower section (part of the old ranch road), will be brushed out to allow access for motorized equipment. An excavator will be used to remove the existing drain culverts and convert them to level crossings. The large rut on the uphill side will be filled in and the travel surface moved to the downhill side to improve water drainage. Part of the newer section of the trail will be rerouted and in the process will add 1/4 to 1/2 mile to its length. The old trail will remain open while construction takes place on the re-route. Some of the switchbacks could be converted to climbing turns, and rolling dips will be added to help control erosion. Using IMBA-influenced designs, sinuosity and pinch points will be incorporated to reduce downhill travel speeds. This will help reduce conflicts with other trail users, including climbing mountain bikers. CSP has asked CORBA and other organizations to recruit volunteers to help with some of this work. We expect to be announcing trailwork days in the new year to get this work done.
Tapia Spur trail will be receiving an upgrade as well, bringing the trail up to the State’s shared-use standards. There are many blind corners and other potential problem spots, and narrow sections where two trail users cannot safely pass each other. The trail will serve a model for how shared-use principles will be implemented as other trails are converted to shared-use and new trails are constructed.
Improvements? By that do you mean, making the trails easier to ride? By that, do you mean taking the challenge out of the trail? Granted I’ve only been riding the Santa Monicas for the last 7 years, it seems as though if you wanted to increase your skill level, you should be riding trails that would let you do that. By grading trails and making switchbacks more “user friendly”, your taking the challenge out of it. Guadalasca is good the way it is. Leave it alone! SPEED BUMPS ON DOWNHILL SECTIONS! WTF!!! Someone did this in Wildwood and it sucks. It actually creates a dangerous situation. How about some love for the AM / gravity crowd?
Hi Brad,
Frankly, the AM and gravity crowd should follow the rules and guidance of the organizations that promote trail maintenance. I love you guys, but you are developing a bad reputation for cutting switchbacks, exceeding safe speeds, and scaring equestrians. The Guadalasca trail modifications are intended to preserve the trail for shared use. If you tear it up and terrorize the other users, you put all mountain bikers at risk of being denied access. There are plenty of other trails for DH thrills. Guadie was not built to challenge your skills.
I would love to see a large contingency of AM and DH riders at trailwork events, but that just doesn’t happen. If you exercise care and maintenance of our trails, you might develop respect for the purpose of shared use.
I’m rarely against any trail work that is done by Corba, State Park crews, or private companies (SoCal Gas Co. Sullivan Cyn – WLA). Often times peeps get their baggies in a bunch. And, often times in my opinion, once the literal dust has settled, mother nature comes in, and lines have reformed, we end up with something new and sometimes something better / more fun.
In the case of Guadalasca out in Sycamore Cyn, I do hope both Corba and the State Parks staff sited go about their work with a delicate hand. Guadalasca is one of my all time faves in SoCal, both for climbing, and descending. Fun trail, flow, mini tech, amazing views, true single track, and in the spring like riding in a botanical garden. Living in WLA, its not my “local” trail, but really only less than an hour away it do get out to the area often, in fact just this past Saturday, and it was amazing!
Anyway, I’m hopeful one of the most fun (for many reasons) trails in SoCal is able to maintain its character.
Hi Folks,
Thanks for weighing in on this. As you are aware, trails are dynamic. Work must be done to them periodically to repair erosion from water and normal wear and tear. CORBA helps with this work because we feel it is part of our responsibility as advocates for open space trails and shared use. CORBA does not make policy or decisions when it comes to how, when, or why work gets done. We hope that our concerns are heard and our involvement is recognized, but in the end it is up to the agencies to make the final decision as to the kind of work that gets done.
If you have been riding the trails in the Santa Monica Mountains for more than a few years, no doubt you’ve seen work performed that initially changes the trails’ characteristics, then through weather and use the trails take on different, some would say more natural characteristics. But the bottom line is that trails need maintenance, or they will erode and become unsafe. It has nothing to do with the types of users that are enjoying the trails, it is a matter of long-term sustainability and resource management. Sometimes trail work can seem overly aggressive, but the result is less overall work needed to maintain the trail’s condition. Like most everything in life, things that get used often need maintenance and upkeep.
Regarding the specific comment about “speed bumps”, sometimes water diversion drains can look like speed control devices. I was riding in Wildwood just yesterday and the southern section of Lynnmere Trail that ascends from Wildwood Canyon has had some water diversion mounds installed across the trail. Due to the nature and steepness of this trail, these are the most effective means of keeping water from running straight down the trail and causing dangerous and damaging ruts. As the chairperson for the Conejo Open Space Trail Advisory Committee I will bring up your concerns of safety at our next board meeting, which takes place Monday March 5, 6:30pm, at the Conejo Recreation Park District Headquarters, 403 West Hillcrest Drive, Thousand Oaks. This is a public meeting and you are welcome to attend and voice your concerns in person. Thanks!
Mark Langton
President, CORBA