Proposal for Trail Restoration

On a windy afternoon in May 2009, a small fire was kindled by sparks from a weed whacker being used to cut grass along Jesusita Trail. Pushed by gusting winds, the flames raced uphill out of San Roque Canyon towards Inspiration Point. Over the next two days the fire spread into Mission Canyon, destroying scores of homes, then reversed itself and headed up towards La Cumbre Peak, where it expanded east across Rattlesnake Canyon and Gibraltar Road and west across the upper part of San Roque Canyon.

While the greatest tragedy was to the homeowners (80 homes destroyed; 15 homes seriously damaged; estimated cost $17 million), after the fire had been contained and the hillsides were cool enough to assess other damage, it was evident that a number of our local trails had also been heavily impacted. More than 95% of Jesusita and Tunnel trails had been burned to mineral soil, leaving denuded hillsides.

Over the span of several weeks and multiple visits to both trails, it became clear that major reconstructive efforts would most likely be needed, partly due to the impacts of the Jesusita Fire but especially because of the lack of maintenance over the past few decades.

Ray Ford planned and designed the Tunnel Trail restoration proposal. The 44 page PDF is posted here: https://sbtrails.org/docs/Tunnel-Trail-Proposal-05-22-11.pdf