Newest Regional Trail is IN the Bay

While thousands of people enjoy walking, running and bicycling along the shoreline via the San Francisco Bay Trail, an emerging new trail invites exploration of the Bay itself. The Bay Area Water Trail is a growing network of launch and landing sites for kayakers, canoe paddlers, windsurfers and other non-motorized water craft on the Bay.

The State Coastal Conservancy is leading development of the trail, working closely with the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG). The Conservancy awarded ABAG a $1 million grant in 2011 to help implement the plan and to initiate a grant program to help improve launch and landing sites. This month, the Conservancy authorized another $750,000 to ABAG to further implement the plan and to add to Water Trail grants.

The Trail was created officially when the state Legislature passed the Water Trail Act in 2005, and the Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC) stepped up to develop the Bay Water Trail Plan in 2007.

Although dozens of beaches and piers around the Bay already exist where small boats and boards can be launched, Water Trail planners envision a linked network of new and improved launching and landing sites that will entice more people to experience the fun of being on the Bay, including overnight camping getaways. The Trail mandate also includes promoting safe boating practices, reducing impacts on wildlife habitats, and generating greater appreciation and stewardship of the Bay.

To date, the Water Trail has five “designated” launch and landing sites that meet its criteria. The first to become part of the trail network is the Tidewater Boating Center on the Oakland Estuary. This small, East Bay Regional Park District oasis, tucked away in an industrial area off of High Street, has a Park District office, a parking lot, picnic tables, restrooms, and a large floating dock with two gangways, one of which is fully accessible to disabled persons, a high priority for Trail launching sites. From here, boaters can paddle south to San Leandro Bay, a good spot to view birds and seals, or head north toward Jack London Square past working industrial areas and on out into the Bay.

Ayala Cove on Angel Island is another designated Water Trail site where boaters can pull their boats onto the beach or share dingy slips. This state park has picnic areas, restrooms, a visitors’ center, and an overnight camping area. In the South Bay, the Sailing Center in the Palo Alto Baylands Nature Preserve, a popular windsurfing site, has a pier where boaters can launch canoes, kayaks and windsurfing boards to explore the winding sloughs. The Alviso Marina County Park at the southern tip of the Bay is adjacent to salt ponds and marshes of the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge. From the park’s two boat launch ramps, there is a clear route through the salt marshes to the open waters of the Bay. The most recent designation is Ferry Point Beach in Richmond. For those who don’t own a boat, the Trail’s website lists boating recreation programs by county, as well as numerous places to rent boats, join clubs and take classes

To encourage and assist more Bay Area communities and nonprofit organizations to create or improve suitable launch and landing sites, ABAG is managing the Coastal Conservancy grant funds for Water Trail site enhancements. (Information on applying for grants is available on the Water Trail website.) Water Trail signage and information at the launch sites about boater safety and wildlife stewardship are also in the works, and the Coastal Conservancy is developing a plan that outlines accessibility improvements for launch sites eligible for grant funds.

The incentive for creating a Water Trail actually began over a decade ago when Bay Access, a local, non-motorized boating club, determined to save boat launch sites around the Bay that were fast disappearing due to development. According to Bay Access President Penny Wells, “We decided to pursue state legislation, and the Water Trail Act, passed with flying colors in 2005.”

Wells and other Water Trail supporters envision places all around the Bay where boaters can camp overnight, such as at Point Pinole in Richmond, or stay in a nearby waterfront hotel, such as in downtown Petaluma.

“The Bay is our largest open space,” notes Galli Basson, ABAG’s Water Trail planner. “And we have such a diversity of habitats – urban, natural, marshy wetlands, sandy beaches, and rivers. There’s something for everyone on the Bay, from exciting experiences to quiet and peaceful ones. People travel long distances to visit places that they can experience right here on the Bay.”

The Water Trail joins the other two regional trail systems in progress: the Bay Trail, which now covers more than 330 miles around the Bay, and the Bay Area Ridge Trail, a 550-mile trail along ridgelines overlooking the Bay. “The Water Trail will greatly increase opportunities for Bay Area residents to enjoy the beauty and wonders of our region,” said Ann Buell, Coastal Conservancy Project Manager.

The Bay Area Water Trail has a logo, a website —www.sfbaywatertrail.org —and a colorful brochure, which can be downloaded from its website.

— Marjorie Blackwell