NEWS RELEASE.

Thursday, May 13, 2021 

Southern Skyline Boulevard Ridge Trail Extension Project will provide additional  recreational and educational opportunities on SFPUC land in San Mateo County  

San Francisco, CA – A plan to add six miles of public trails on Peninsula Watershed  land owned by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission was approved this week.  The new Southern Skyline Boulevard Ridge Trail Extension Project will add to the  SFPUC’s existing Fifield-Cahill Ridge Trail, a 10-mile path where volunteer docents will  continue to offer guided hiking, running, and mountain biking events three days a week. 

“As stewards of the Peninsula Watershed, we want to make sure that we provide the  public with access to these unique and sensitive landscapes that is compatible with our  responsibility to provide high quality drinking water to our customers,” said SFPUC  Acting General Manager Michael Carlin. “This six-mile expansion of the ridge trail will  allow the public to explore the nature of the Peninsula while learning more about the  importance of protecting our watershed and its surrounding habitats.” 

The six-mile trail expansion will run alongside State Route 35 and will be served by a new parking lot and two restrooms. The project also includes a new half-mile trail loop— compliant with the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards—as part of the  existing Fifield-Cahill Ridge Trail and designed to support education opportunities,  particularly with school programs.  

Unlike the Fifield-Cahill Ridge Trail, the new trail will be accessible via an annual permit  system. Users will be able to access the trail without supervision by obtaining a permit  which will include an educational tutorial on how the watershed is managed to protect  ecological resources and drinking water quality, and how to responsibly use the trail.  

The SFPUC is actively working with the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District,  Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Peninsula Open Space Trust, and the Bay Area  Ridge Trail Council to connect this new trail to adjacent public trail networks. 

“Tuesday’s action was a high point along the path to fully connect the Bay Area Ridge Trail,” said Janet McBride, Executive Director of the Bay Area Ridge Trail  Council. “Huge thanks to SFPUC, and countless organizations and advocates who worked so hard over decades to design an environmentally sensitive, safe and  spectacular trail. We can’t wait for the ribbon cutting!” 

Construction on the project, which was approved by the SFPUC Commission on  Tuesday, will start next year and is scheduled to be completed in 2023. 

The SFPUC owns approximately 23,000 acres of land in the Peninsula Watershed. The  area contains three reservoirs—Crystal Springs, San Andreas, and Pilarcitos—that  provide drinking water to approximately one million people in northern San Mateo and  San Francisco counties.  

Long protected as a source of drinking water, this watershed is also home to the highest  concentration of rare and endangered species in the Bay Area. In 2003, the SFPUC  opened the Fifield-Cahill Ridge Trail, which allowed the public to access the watershed  through guided trips led by volunteer docents. Those trips, which are available three  days a week through an online reservation system, include walking, hiking, biking and  horseback excursions. 

The Fifield-Cahill Ridge Trail and its Southern Skyline Boulevard Expansion are part of  the Bay Area Ridge Trail network, a connection of local trails that will one day amount to  a 550-mile loop that will circle the entire Bay. The Southern Skyline Boulevard  Expansion will fill a critical gap in that proposed 550-mile network. 

About the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission 

The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) is a department of the City and  County of San Francisco. It delivers drinking water to 2.7 million people in the San  Francisco Bay Area, collects and treats wastewater for the City and County of San  Francisco, and generates and delivers clean power for municipal buildings, residential  customers, and businesses. Our mission is to provide our customers with high quality,  efficient and reliable water, power, and sewer services in a manner that values  environmental and community interests and sustains the resources entrusted to our  care. Learn more at www.sfpuc.org. 

More SFPUC Planned Trails

Author: Coastside Buzz

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