Ribbon Cutting Ceremony to Celebrate Completion of Arcata Ridge Trail This Saturday

This is a press release from the City of Arcata:

Arcata Ridge Trail ribbon cutting location and completed final segment of the Arcata Ridge Trail.

The City of Arcata invites residents to celebrate the completion of the Arcata Ridge Trail at a ribbon cutting ceremony in Sunny Brae Forest on Saturday, Nov. 12 at 12 p.m. 

The Arcata Ridge Trail has been a City and community priority for over a decade, and its completion marks a monumental achievement in connecting the main tract of the Arcata Community Forest with the Sunny Brae Forest Tract. The Arcata Ridge Trail now provides hikers, equestrians and bicyclists the opportunity to traverse on a multi-use trail between the South Fork Janes Creek Trailhead on West End Rd. to Margaret Ln. in Sunny Brae. 

The Fickle Hill Rd. trail crossing will not serve as a trailhead but rather a vital connection along this 4.5 mile trail between West End Rd. and Margaret Ln. in Sunny Brae. Parking or temporary stopping of vehicles near the Fickle Hill crossing will not be permitted. There is sufficient parking near the West End Rd. and Margaret Ln. trailheads to accommodate Arcata Ridge Trail users. There are also trailheads on Diamond Dr. and California Dr. to access the Arcata Ridge Trail at a higher elevation. 

Planning for the Arcata Ridge Trail began back in the mid-2000s. The City and community partners worked together to acquire the properties that would later become the Sunny Brae Forest Tract of the Arcata Community Forest and the West End Rd. trailhead. Earlier stages of the Ridge Trail development were funded by donations to the Arcata Forest Fund and participation in events such as Bat ‘N’ Rouge and the Arcata Ridge Trail Festival – all of which saw tremendous community support. Funding for the Ridge Trail crossing of Fickle Hill Rd. and the final trail segment was provided through the Open Space, Parks & Trails Special Tax, a measure approved by Arcata voters in 2020 to support acquisition, improvements and maintenance of the City’s open space, parks, forests and trails. 

City crews have led the development of the Ridge Trail through the Arcata Community Forest including this final segment in the Sunny Brae Forest with support from the Humboldt Trails Council Volunteer Trail Stewards. Humboldt County Public Works has been a partner for the road crossing improvements, and GR Sundberg Inc. served as the contractor for these crossing improvements on Fickle Hill Rd. City crews will continue to maintain and improve all segments of the Ridge Trail. 

The ribbon cutting ceremony will take place at 12 p.m. at the southern end of the new trail segment within the Sunny Brae Forest, near the crossing of Grotzman Creek. Those interested in joining for the ribbon cutting may walk the 0.8 mile length from the Margaret Ln. Trailhead. City staff will lead informal walks up to the ribbon cutting location from Margaret Ln. at 11 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. Maps for the Arcata Ridge Trail can be found on the City’s website and through the Avenza app. 

For more information, please visit cityofarcata.org or call Environmental Services at (707) 822-8184.