New trail set to open in Jack London State Historic Park

A new 1.2-mile section of trail will debut Saturday at Jack London State Historic Park, offering visitors sweeping panoramas from the top of Sonoma Mountain and adding another link in the Bay Area Ridge Trail.

Organizers said the new East Slope Sonoma Mountain Ridge Trail, on land never before accessible to the public, is the culmination of nearly two decades of planning.

Numerous dignitaries are expected to be on hand for Saturday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony in the winery ruins of Beauty Ranch inside the Glen Ellen park.

The event is at 10:30 a.m. and will be followed by a hike led by Craig Anderson of LandPaths, Dave Chalk, former board member of the Valley of the Moon Natural History Association and John Lynch, the park’s naturalist.

The 13-mile, round-trip hike heads first to Jack London Lake and to Mountain Trail before connecting with the Ridge Trail trailhead and then onto the new East Slope Ridge Trail, which features a slow elevation gain and views of the Sonoma Valley, and possibly, San Pablo Bay.

Organizers said there are numerous turn-around points along the way for those who don’t wish to complete the entire route. Hikers should bring water, hiking poles, lunch and binoculars, dress in layers and wear sturdy shoes.

The natural surface, multi-use East Slope trail, which is about seven miles northwest of the city of Sonoma, crosses two private properties and a Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation & Open Space District-owned property.

A portion of the trail is being named “The Eliot Family Trail,” in honor of Pat and Ted Eliot, who helped make the trail a reality. The project received a $55,000 planning grant from the Coastal Conservancy and Bay Area Ridge Trail, a $10,000 construction grant from REI and a $5,000 grant from Sonoma Mountain Preservation.

Last month, Sonoma County opened the North Sonoma Mountain Regional Park and Open Space Preserve adjacent to Jack London. The preserve’s main trail connects with Jack London’s Hayfields Trail, adding 8 miles of Bay Area Ridge Trail on Sonoma Mountain. The trail, when completed, will offer more than 550 miles of contiguous trails for hikers, mountain bikers and equestrians along the ridgelines overlooking San Francisco Bay.

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