Along with the Bay Area Ridge Trail Council, Solano Land Trust, and the Greater Vallejo Recreation District, we sponsored the first Solano County Ridge Trail overnight hike on April 14-15, 2018.
Seventeen intrepid hikers from the East and North Bay spent two days on the Ridge Trail, hiking from Newell Open Space Preserve to the Benicia State Recreation Area, staying overnight at McIntyre Ranch. Panoramic views of San Francisco and Suisun Bay, a docent-led tour through the Vallejo-Swett Ranch, gorgeous wildflowers and wind-blown vistas were enjoyed by the group.
The Bay Area Ridge Trail Council’s mission is to plan, promote, and sustain a connected hiking, cycling and equestrian trail on the ridgelines around the San Francisco Bay, linking people, parks, and open space for today and future generations. In Solano County, Ridge Trail works with partners managing dedicated ridge trails at the City of Fairfield’s Rockville Park, Lynch Canyon, Hiddenbrooke, Vallejo-Benicia Buffer, Blue Rock Springs, and Vallejo-Benicia Waterfront. For more information, please visit their website.
The mission of the Solano Land Trust (SLT) is to protect land to ensure a healthy environment, keep ranching and farming families on their properties, and inspire a love of land. SLT is the landowner at Lynch Canyon, where they partner with Solano County Parks to manage the Ridge Trail and this preserve, which is open to the public Friday through Monday. Rockville Trails Preserve and Vallejo-Swett are open to the public on docent-led events; for more information, please visit the Solano Land Trust website.
Greater Vallejo Recreation District’s (GVRD) goal is to build community and enhance quality of life through people, parks, and programs. GVRD manages McIntyre Ranch, as well as Blue Rock Springs, Glen Cove Park, and Carquinez Park, all of which are part of the Ridge Trail.
Greenbelts, trails, and open spaces in Solano County offer all of us a variety of opportunities to get outside and hike or bike on both dirt and paved trails. The Solano Trail Advocacy Group meets quarterly and offers volunteers an opportunity to get involved in trail planning, construction, and maintenance in Solano County. Our inaugural overnight was a huge success, and we look forward to working with trail and open space partners in Solano County to offer many more such opportunities to the public in the future.
Co-Written by Louisa Morris of the Bay Area Ridge Trail Council and Bob Berman of the Solano Trail Advocacy Group. Photo by Bob Berman
