The long-awaited opening of the Annie and Mary Trail isn’t exactly tomorrow — but it is coming soon. 

The quarter-mile segment from the Arcata Skate Park on Sunset Avenue down to the Hinarr Hu Moulik dorms was paved this week after a few weeks of clearing foliage from the old railroad bed. It’s not officially open yet (the concrete was still wet this morning where the trail connected to the sidewalk), but will likely be 100% ready for use by the end of November when some crosswalks are added.

Beyond that, Granite Construction crews have started ripping up brush and laying the foundation for more trail on West End Road past the Arcata Ridge trailhead. When it’s complete, it’ll run all the way from Arcata out to the Mad River. 

Work will continue on the last 3.5 miles of trail through the winter and into 2026 and may be finished late in the summer. The section to the Arcata Ridge trailhead might be done by the end of 2025. 

Emily Sinkhorn, the city’s Director of Environmental Services, told the Outpost that she was grateful for the years of planning and dreaming that advocates put into the project, as well as to Cal Poly Humboldt and the Yurok Indian Housing Authority for helping fund it. She’s happy to see skateboarders roll up to the park and students walking to class on it.

“If you build multi-use trails, especially ones that go between destinations and where people live; people are going to use it,” said Sinkhorn. “It’s like, ‘Aaah, why did it take this long?’ But it’s really exciting to see people use it. It’s going to make a big difference for safety and for the feeling of safety.”