Humboldt County Coastal Trail Implementation Strategy

Final Humboldt County Coastal Trail Implementation Strategy

(Scroll to Documents section to download Implementation Strategy)

Photo Credit: M. Dronkers

The final Humboldt County Coastal Trail Implementation Strategy has been completed and all Humboldt County residents, jurisdictions, and agencies are encouraged to view its recommendations and guidance for completing the California Coastal Trail (CCT) through Humboldt County. Thank you to all the individuals and organizations that have participated in the Implementation Strategy process and given valuable feedback.

The Humboldt County Coastal Trail Implementation Strategy was a collaborative effort to plan a continuous public right-of-way for the CCT for non-motorized users along the Humboldt County coast – funded by the California State Coastal Conservancy and led by the Natural Resources Services Division of Redwood Community Action Agency (NRS). For the past year, the Humboldt County Coastal Trail Implementation Strategy team has coordinated with agencies, tribes, municipalities, interest groups, and the public to provide recommendations for CCT routes and guidance to jurisdictions and organizations to complete this network of coastal trails and routes through Humboldt County.

The vision fo the CCT is a contiguous network of public trails, beaches and routes that serves walkers, cyclists, equestrians, wheelchair riders and others along the California coastline; a route designed to foster appreciation and stewardship of the scenic and natural assets along the coast through modes of non-motorized recreation and transportation. This Implementation Strategy illustrates our collective vision for the Humboldt CCT as a braided route system that ties into existing and planned trails to connect coastal communities and increase coastal access opportunities.

This final Humboldt County Coastal Trail Implementation Strategy will serve as a guiding document and reference for further development of the CCT through Humboldt County. This Implementation Strategy includes tools and resources to assist jurisdictions in bringing individual segments of the Humboldt CCT to fruition in a coordinated manner.

The main body of the Implementation Strategy describes the project background and planning approach in the first three chapters, recommends preferred route alignments in Chapter 4, and prioritizes CCT segments for implementation, outlining actions necessary for CCT development in Chapter 5. Additional sections of the Implementation Strategy that will be valuable to local agencies and jurisdictions include examples of interagency coordination and joint trail management agreements in Appendix J, tips for working with the Coastal Commission on trail development in the coastal zone in Appendix O, a “case for railbanking” in Humboldt County in Chapter 2 section 2.9, and an outline of funding opportunities in Appendix M.

The valuable contributions of Humboldt County residents have been the backbone of the Humboldt County Coastal Trail Implementation Strategy.

Photo Credit: N. Wynne

Humboldt CCT Priority Projects

Several Humboldt CCT trail segments, prioritized highly for imple­mentation through the Implementation Strategy, were pursued with more detailed plans, designs, and environmental compliance. The goals of this effort were to 1) assist several jurisdictions in moving these segments forward towards implementation, and 2) recommend to the SCC trail segments for future implementation funding.

Several projects involved included in-depth planning and trail design while others involved technical assistance to jurisdictions. Detailed plans, designs, and draft permits were completed for CCT segments along Waterfront Drive in Eureka and on the Redwood Creek levees through Orick. Public workshops were held to gain input into preliminary plans and designs for both of these CCT priority projects.

The goals of the Waterfront Drive Coastal Trail project included providing greater non-motorized connectivity along the Eureka Waterfront by planning a multipurpose trail connection south from the existing Eureka Boardwalk. Planning considerations for the Waterfront Drive Coastal Trail included designing a trail through an industrial section of the Eureka Waterfront and encouraging a transition of uses along the Waterfront Drive corridor to promote increased public access and connectivity. The City of Eureka was a partner in the development of plans for Waterfront Drive Coastal Trail and will pursue the implementation of this segment.

The Orick Levee Coastal Trail project goals were to provide plans, designs, and draft compliance for two trailheads / levee access points and concept plans for CCT connections between Orick and Redwood National Park. Orick project plans, developed with the support of the County, landowners, Orick Community Services District, and Orick Chamber of Commerce, included designation of clear access routes to the levee to afford economic opportunities for the community of Orick.

The project team also worked with the County of Humboldt to update recommended CCT routes and CCT policy language in the County’s Local Coastal Program (LCP). The incorporation of routes and CCT policy in the LCP will encourage CCT development and provide for official CCT designation upon implementation of planned CCT segments. The project team also assisted the County of Humboldt in identifying an engineering firm to conduct a structural assessment of the Hammond Bridge, a critical link along the Hammond Coastal Trail connecting the communities of McKinleyville and Arcata. The structural assessment outlined immediate bridge maintenance needs and also provided recommended bridge replacement options. Other priority projects included development of CCT and public access signage for CCT segments through Humboldt Lagoons State Park along the beach parallel to Mattole Road, and from the town of Petrolia to the Mattole Beach / Lost Coast trailhead.

Technical assistance projects included coordination among multiple stakeholders for the development of a CCT segment along Gyon Bluffs between Freshwater and Stone Lagoons, recommendations to County of Humboldt Public Works for trail surfacing options along the Vista Point section of the Hammond Coastal Trail, and additional planning for a potential property acquisition along Little River to help facilitate a trail connection between the end of Scenic Drive and the Hammond Coastal Trail. Each priority project allowed the Implementation Strategy to more closely examine specific Humboldt CCT segments and move several segments closer to implementation.