Taylor Mountain Regional Park to get new trails

By the time Josh Cox finished running at Taylor Mountain southeast of Santa Rosa on Monday, sweat glistened on his face and his shoes were a muddy mess.

In other words, the conditions were perfect. Cox, a Santa Rosa personal trainer, frequently uses the 1,100-acre regional park to train for obstacle course events.

Taking a breather, Cox was overjoyed to learn that Sonoma County has secured a $1.7 million federal grant to construct eight miles of new trails at ?the park.

“That’s like a second set of presents on Christmas day,” he said.

Work on the new trails will start this spring, according to Caryl Hart, the county’s parks director.

“We can’t wait to get the project underway,” Hart said Monday.

The new pathways will add to the park’s existing six miles of unpaved trails that wind through oak woodlands, across ridges with views of Santa Rosa and Bennett Valley, over the headwaters of Colgan and Cooper creeks and past historic hot springs.

New trailheads on Kawana Terrace, Linwood Avenue and Panorama Drive also could make it easier for nearby residents to walk or bike to the park.

“Taylor Mountain is one of the greatest gems we have,” said Sonoma County Supervisor Shirlee Zane, whose district includes the park. “It’s in the backyard of the southeast Santa Rosa section of the city that is absolutely in need of parks and open spaces.”

The county applied for the $1.7 million grant for the trail work through the Federal Highway Administration’s Recreational Trails Program in September 2015.

Zane announced at a recent Board of Supervisors meeting that the money had come through.

California State Parks will bestow the grant. Officials last year stated the county will put up a $316,000 match with money from the Sonoma County Regional Parks Foundation, maintenance funds, mitigation fees, the Sonoma County Trails Council and the equivalent cost of volunteer work and donated materials.

The park opened in 2013 with an entrance off Kawana Springs Road and four miles of trails. A second entrance and trailhead on Petaluma Hill Road opened in June 2015, extending the trail network by two miles. The park also features a disc golf course.

The Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District began buying land for the park in 1995 and spent about $21 million on the project over the course of a decade.

Working up a sweat during a hike at the park Monday, Joe Martinez said he welcomed the addition of new trails.

“Anything to add to outdoor activities in Sonoma County, I’m all for it,” Martinez said. “It gets people out of the house.”

You can reach Staff Writer Derek Moore at 707-521-5336 or derek.moore@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @deadlinederek.