Segment of bluff trail in Fort Bragg to open Saturday

Unable to deter trespassers from seeking out spectacular views of the rugged Mendocino Coast from Fort Bragg’s partially completed coastal trail, city officials have decided to open the northern stretch that is done to everyone.

One mile of the planned 4.5-mile trail will officially open Saturday.

“If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em,” Fort Bragg Mayor Dave Turner said Friday. He called the move a “soft opening.”

People just can’t seem to resist the urge to skirt the fencing and no-trespassing signs to walk the trail’s side-by-side paths, one dirt, one paved, Turner said. And it’s no wonder, he said.

“You can’t believe how beautiful it is, with the outcropping of rocks and the seals lolling on them,” Turner said. The northern section of trail also offers access to a couple of beaches, he said.

Until recently, Fort Bragg’s breathtaking bluffs were largely off-limits to the public. For more than a century, the bluffs were in private ownership and the ocean views were blocked by industrial timber buildings where logs were processed.

When Georgia-Pacific shut down the sprawling 430-acre mill site in 2002, the city of 7,000 people lost a major employer. But their tourism draw was enhanced by the city’s new scenic backdrop and the acquisition of 92 acres, some donated by Georgia-Pacific and some purchased with a $4.2 million grant from the Coastal Conservancy.

The trail eventually will link the bluffs south of Fort Bragg with MacKerricher State Park to the north. In addition to the trail, future plans for the property include a park and marine biology center.

There is much work to be completed before the entire trail can be opened to the public, city officials say. That includes restoring native vegetation, constructing bathrooms and completing the parking areas.

The work is being funded with a $1.3 million grant from the State Coastal Conservancy, a $4.8 million grant from the Statewide Park Program and a $348,000 grant from Caltrans.

For more information and photos of the trail and restoration project, check out the city’s website: http://city.fortbragg.com/163/Coastal-Trail

You can reach Staff Writer Glenda Anderson at 462-6473 or glenda.anderson@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter ?@MendoReporter.