After five months of repair, visitors can hike or bike a popular San Luis Obispo trail again.
King Trail is located in the Irish Hills Natural Reserve. It was already in need of repair before the storm season last year. Greg Avakian, the director of San Luis Obispo’s Parks and Recreation Department, said that the damage from the storms encouraged the city to improve the trail.
“This was an opportunity to now institute the new technology and trail design, so we can go another 20 years and not have to have seasonal repair in a sense to the same locations,” Avakian said.
According to Avakian, updating the trail was also part of the city’s goal to have more open spaces for residents.
Starting in June, the ranger service team and a group of volunteers began working on the project. Doug Carscaden, the ranger service supervisor, said the team didn’t use equipment in certain parts of the trail to preserve the natural environment.
“We're truly stewards of the land, doing the best that we can you know, 365 days a year to provide trails,” Carscaden said. “But also be as light on the landscape as possible.”
Since the trail reopened, Carscaden said that it’s less steep and that the paths are formed to the natural curvature of the land. This gives visitors more opportunities to explore. Additionally, the team added accessibility features like wooden boardwalks over rougher terrain and bells for bikers to alert others that they are on the trail.
All trails will occasionally be closed due to weather conditions. To see if King Trail is open on any day, visit the Ranger Services website.
