Briones Pilot Project

Over the last decade visitation to District parks has increased significantly. This rise in visitor numbers has been primarily due to increases in the population of our District (Alameda and Contra Costa County) but also in the Bay Area as a whole. The Covid-19 pandemic also boosted visitation significantly, especially on District trails. Another impact has been the significant growth in the popularity of mountain biking. The increased number of trail users overall coupled with the greater number of bikers has increased the potential for conflict between different types of trail users. Although the Park District is seeking to open new parks and provide more trails to reduce crowding on trails, the trail development process takes time. The pilot project will test some new ways to safely share trails and improve the trail experience for all users while protecting habitat, wildlife, and watersheds.

The Pilot Project Zone is limited to a 1,600-acre area located in the Northeast corner of Briones Regional Park. The Pilot Project Zone can be accessed from the Alhambra Creek staging area, Old Briones Road staging area, the park office entrance near Pine Tree Trail, and the Reliez Valley staging area. The northern boundary of the Pilot Project Zone excludes the Orchard trail, first ¼ mile of the Pine Tree trail (from the Briones Park office entrance to the junction of the Toyon Canyon trail), and the Toyon Canyon Trail. This allows bikes or equestrians to use the Alhambra Creek and Orchard (Park Office) staging areas to access the rest of the park on restricted weekend days instead of having to go all the way to the Bear Creek entrance. See Project Zone Map.

Illegally built trails are constructed without consideration for the protection of threatened or endangered species, and sensitive plant communities and can disturb streambank stability and create erosion potential.
Some of the issues caused by illegally built trails are:

• Human presence in areas previously providing protection: Existing trail systems are designed to intentionally preserve certain areas of open space as intact habitats for sensitive plant and animal communities. Illegal trails fragment these areas of open space and bring human presence into these previously protected areas, disrupting wildlife activity like nesting eagles and spreading pathogens such as Sudden Oak Death and introducing invasive plant species.
• Erosion and threats to stream habitats including those of the California red-legged frog: The illegal trails in extremely steep terrain are causing substantial erosion into streams. The sediment from this erosion causes harm to wildlife that occupies stream habitats, such as the threatened California red-legged frog.
• Damage to the habitat of the state and federally threatened Alameda whipsnake: Some illegal trails are constructed in scrub/chaparral habitat which is a core habitat occupied by the state and federally threatened Alameda whipsnake. The trails have damaged habitat essential to this sensitive species as well as increased the likelihood that individual Alameda whipsnakes will be crushed by a bicycle.
• Maintenance, Safety Hazards, and Drainage Issues: Many non-sanctioned trails are not built to sustainable trail standards and can present maintenance, safety hazards, and drainage issues.
• Public Safety Concerns: Many of these trails have been created without the knowledge of park staff and public safety personnel. If a trail user requires emergency assistance, it can be difficult for public safety personnel/park staff to find them or get resources to them quickly since the trails are in unknown locations, have no official name, and do not exist on Park District Maps.

• Odd / Even Days: This strategy restricts the use of either horses or bikes in the pilot zone on specified WEEKEND days only. These restrictions DO NOT apply to hikers who can use the trails in the pilot zone seven (7) days per week except for the designated BIKE-ONLY trails in the pilot zone that do not allow hikers or equestrians at ANY time.
• On ODD weekend days (by date, for example, Saturday, May 13), bikes will be allowed to use all trails open to bike use within the pilot project zone. Horses will be prohibited from using ANY trails in the pilot project zone on ODD weekend days during the pilot project.
• On EVEN weekend days (by date, for example, Sunday, May 14), horses will be allowed to use trails open to equestrian use within the pilot project zone. Bikes will be prohibited from using ANY trails in the pilot project zone on EVEN weekend days during the pilot project.
• Specific trails in the pilot zone will be designated for bike use ONLY and will be limited to a downhill direction of travel ONLY. These trails will be signed as such at both the top entry point and the bottom exit. These trails are recommended for expert riders only and are not regularly maintained by park staff. On EVEN numbered weekend days, bikes are prohibited from using any trails including bike-only trails.

View a calendar example of pilot zone trail use on odd and even days.

Yes. On days when bikes are restricted in the pilot zone, trails outside the zone that are designated for bicycle use are available to ride. Most of these are accessible from the Bear Creek entrance to the park, but the northern boundary of the Pilot Project Zone allows for a bypass of the zone using the Orchard trail, the first ¼ mile of the Pine Tree trail (from the Briones Park office entrance to the junction of the Toyon Canyon trail), and the Toyon Canyon Trail. This allows bikes or equestrians to use the Alhambra Creek and Orchard (Park Office) staging areas to bypass the zone and access the rest of the park on restricted weekend days instead of having to go all the way to the Bear Creek entrance. The Pilot Zone was specifically limited to allow for bike use in other areas of the park outside the pilot zone on restricted use days. See Project Zone Map.

Yes, the Odd/Even days restrictions only apply to bicycle and horse use during the weekends. Hikers can access hiking trails in the zone seven days per week during normal park hours.

Community volunteers play an important role in helping park staff monitor and maintain park trails. The pilot project will provide volunteer opportunities and hopefully encourage more members of the trail user community to join in trail maintenance and habitat restoration activities. Volunteer projects will consist of a combination of restoration and improvement of trails within the pilot zone. Sign up for Dig Days. 

The project will include a robust monitoring and patrol program to document and prevent the expansion of bootleg trails in the pilot zone. The Park District will continue to enforce Ordinance 38 as it relates to this Pilot Project which does not permit the illegal construction of trails, the willful devastation of natural resources or property, prohibits trespassing, prohibits the use of motorized vehicles in parkland, specifies allowed uses of trails, prohibits tampering with Park District signs, facilities, or equipment, and designates hours, days, and areas of allowed use.

The Park District will be providing education to the community on the impacts of illegal bootleg trail construction and trail etiquette principles to encourage good interactions between park users and the protection of natural resources. View Ordinance 38.

Parkwide: All areas of Briones Regional Park outside of the pilot project zone, shall be governed by trail and park use rules under Ordinance 38 seven days per week. Please be prepared to encounter trail crews and park district staff working inside and outside of the pilot project zone and proceed with caution when passing workers and other park visitors.

Informational signage with a large-scale map, QR codes and links to more information will be provided at the main park entrances at the Alhambra Staging Area, Reliez Staging Area, and the Briones Road Staging Area as well as the Spring Hill Road, Toyon, Tavan Estates and Pine Tree walk-in entrances. Signage designating trails open and closed will be posted at trail junctions and entrances to the Pilot Project zone. Directional signage and rule signage will also be placed at exits or entrances to trails subject to the Pilot Project.

The Park District will be conducting online and in person surveys to collect information from the community on issues and concerns throughout the pilot period and will be collecting trip data using automated trail counters and crowd-sourced data to determine use patterns and behavior related to various management strategies. The Park District is taking an adaptive management approach to the Pilot Project and will address safety and compliance issues and make physical or policy changes as necessary. Regular updates on the Pilot Project will be provided on the Park District’s website.

The following criteria were used to identify trail closures and restoration priorities: 

• Does the trail traverse high quality habitat for federally and/or state listed wildlife species, such as Alameda whipsnake?
• Is trail within line of sight of a known golden eagle nest?
• Does the trail cross streams and or occur within a stream corridor?
• Is there observable erosion occurring along the trail?
• Does the trail traverse a CDFW sensitive plant community? 
• Is the trail established or actively being constructed?

Based on these criteria, the following ecological and recreation benefits were accomplished:

• All bootleg trails within/adjacent to Alameda whipsnake core habitat either closed/restored or designated hiker only  
• Trails with most stream crossings and erosion closed/restored
• Trails within stream bed closed and restored or to be restored
• Trails within line-of-sight of golden eagle nest closed/restored
• Reduced habitat fragmentation
• A network of bootleg trails “opened” that provides various routes through the Pilot Zone including terrain/trails valued by mountain bike community
• Scenic hiker only trails opened