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State Sen. Mike McGuire joined local officials and trail stewards at the 2024 Humboldt Trails Summit in Eureka today to talk about progress being made on the Great Redwood Trail. The ambitious project would transform the defunct railway between Humboldt Bay and San Francisco Bay into a 307-mile hiking and biking trail.

“I think building the Great Redwood Trail is the opportunity of a lifetime to share one of the most beautiful spaces on planet Earth: the North Coast,” McGuire told the crowd. “On the Great Redwood Trail, visitors and locals alike will experience the tallest trees on the planet, remote, fog-shrouded beaches, oak-studded golden hills, wild rivers, vineyards and some of the most welcoming folks in the United States. The Great Redwood Trail is all about opportunity.”

The rail-to-trail project would provide a much-needed shot in the arm for rural communities along the trail, McGuire said. An economic benefits analysis published in 2023 estimated that the proposed trail system could generate over $102.5 million annually, nearly half of which would directly benefit Humboldt County.

“The conservative estimate suggests that there will be between 5.3 and 7.9 million new walking or hiking trips on the trail on an annual basis,” McGuire continued. “The average trail user will spend about $64 in food meals each day. They’re going to spend about $60 in retail each day and about $93 per day in lodging. Outdoor recreation is one of the fastest growing economic sectors in the entire state of California, generating an estimated $93 billion a year.”

How much will it cost to build the trail? A 2020 study by the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA)estimated design and construction costs to clock in at approximately $1 billion, which amounts to roughly $3 million per mile. 

McGuire did not mention that figure during today’s summit but told the Press Democrat in a 2020 interview that the estimate was “complete hogwash” and “not based in reality.” McGuire said most of the trail would cost between $15,000 and $20,000 per mile.

“Approximately 90 percent of the trail – from the southern Mendocino County line all the way up to Samoa – would be backcountry, and that would be the least expensive portion of construction,” he said. “We can put in dirt and/or gravel between railroad ties and between rails. … The more expensive areas [that] will require longer-term maintenance will be within our community centers. … That will [cost] approximately $100,000 to several $100,000 a mile because we also have to take into account underground facilities, water and sewer.”

The good news is that some of the trail has already been built. Elaine Hogan, the Great Redwood Trail Agency’s executive director, said 22 percent of the trail is either complete, under construction, in planning and design, or soon to begin planning. “I was actually really surprised when I did the numbers and thought, ‘Okay, you know, we’re doing it! It’s happening!’” she said.

One of the Great Redwood Trail Agency’s top priorities is addressing environmental and safety concerns in Eel River Canyon, the “heart and crown jewel” of the Great Redwood Trail. The agency is also working with landowners from Island Mountain to Alderpoint to Fort Seward and the Wildlands Conservancy to address local concerns about the trail.

“[W]e are really working at the grassroots level,” Hogan said. “There’s a group of community members in Alderpoint that are looking to get a planning grant. [There are] really excited neighbors who are looking forward to the economic revitalization of that area that has been really affected [by] the downfall of cannabis.”

The Great Redwood Trail Agency has extended the public comment period for its Draft Master Plan. The new deadline to submit written comments is July 3. Online comments can be submitted at this link or emailed to info@greatredwoodtrailplan.org.

Several local officials provided updates about new and ongoing local trail projects earlier in the summit. Some of the trail projects will eventually become a segment of the Great Redwood Trail; others will connect to the trail.

Just a few days ago, the county announced that the Humboldt Bay Trail is on track to be finished by the end of the year, possibly as early as October, according to Hank Seemann, the county’s deputy director of environmental services. Once the Humboldt Bay Trail South project is complete, you’ll be able to walk and bike all the way from Arcata to Eureka. If you deviate slightly from the trail, you can make it all the way up to Clam Beach by taking the Hammond Trail.

Emily Sinkhorn, the City of Arcata’s director of environmental services, said the city is expected to begin construction on the Annie and Mary Connectivity Trail next year. The trail will enhance connectivity between Arcata and the Valley West area.

The City of Eureka has also made significant progress on the Bay-to-Zoo Trail. The preliminary design and environmental documents for the trail should be wrapped up by the end of the year, according to city engineer Jesse Willor. If everything goes according to plan, construction could begin as early as 2026.