Dan Schneider and Chris Ruedy inspect the Interior Greenbelt Trail Corridor.

Its been rumored about for quite some time, there have been community meetings, and there was even an emotional vote of approval from the SFRPD Commission, but nothing tells the story like a photo.

The long awaited Interior Greenbelt Trail project, or better known as the Stanyan Street trailhead, finally breaks ground on Saturday October 2nd, 2010. The project is a partnership with UCSF and SF Rec & Park since the trail corridor shares property lines. Visit the SF Urban Riders Volunteer Page for more details on getting involved in this exciting and historic project.

The Interior Greenbelt trail was originally established in the 1880′s when Adolph Sutro owned the land and planted the trees that would become the infamous Sutro Forest. At that time Cole Valley was farm land, UCSF had not been constructed, and the newest train stop was at Stanyan Street to bring visitors close to Golden Gate Park. In order for Adolph Sutro to get weekly laborers to his Nursery at Clarendon and 7th Avenue he needed a connecting trail, so he constructed it and made it into an official route. It went on to become another of Sutro’s amazing recreational gifts to the city he loved, only to be improperly managed and lost to the public in the 1950′s.

This project will take 6-9 months to complete, and thousands of hours of volunteer work. It will add approximately 1/2 mile to the current Mount Sutro trail system, and more importantly direct access to Mount Sutro from Stanyan Street and Cole Valley. This trail project also signifies the beginning of a dream to build a trail that will continue from the Stanyan Street trailhead all the way around Mount Sutro, continuing over to Twin Peaks, and then  down into Glen Canyon. Its a big dream shared by many open space organizations, and just One Big Reason why the cycling community needs SF Urban Riders to be at the big table and advocate to keep this dream accessible to bikes!

Please be excited for this NEW Trail Project, but be RESPECTFUL. Please do not try to use the trail during construction, as it has NO EXIT.  Local neighbors thank you in advance for your courtesy!

The best way to check it out is to VOLUNTEER at the monthly trail building party.

The best way to stay informed of all things Mount Sutro and Trails is the Sutro Stewards website:

This section the Interior Greenbelt trail has been closed to the public for 50 years

Chris Ruedy, Craig Dawson, and Bandit at one of the hidden Chert Rock outcrops that are waiting to become cool trailside features.

There was also the glorious moment of the planning commission revealing the data gathered from the last survey.  Another hearty thanks to everyone who took time to fill out the second survey.  Just look at these figures! The people have indeed spoken.

What’s that? Can’t read the text? Lets have a closer look.

So now we just need to keep pushing.  Within the hallowed halls of the great institution known as SFUR, which could easily be mistaken for a dive bar, we’re working to get a second draft of our bike park proposal submitted.  Then comes assurance that we can have a space to work with, then comes fundraising and building.  Then comes some sweet, sweet play time for you, me, and everyone who loves bike riding in the bay area, and many who do not yet know how much they (will) love it.

Many thanks, and if you have time, please fill out the second survey, located here.

Note that this survey is not as open ended as the first, and it is a little disappointing to not see any mention of a bike park within, especially given the results of the first survey.  Please take some time with the second survey to select the ‘other’ option and note how much you would appreciate a place for you and your children to ride bicycles off road in a structured environment.

But paperboys on the corner are a thing of time past, so we’ll have to do with spreading the news electronically that we’ve made some print news.   If you’re feeling a little strained from reading on a computer all day, head down to the local newsstand and pick up a copy of the SF Examiner.  They’ve put together a nice article in the 6/13/09 issue regarding our efforts and designs on bringing a mountain bike park to San Francisco’s McLaren.  You can see the electronic version here, or by clicking on the riders below

If you go by the digital article, we’d love to have you leave a supportive comment, as that’s one way we can demonstrate public support of the Bike Park plan.  I know I’m going to grab a paper copy for posterity, and perhaps the kitty’s litter box as well.  Or perhaps some arts and crafts.   Thanks for reading, and we’ll see you ’round the trails.

Not only did we have Jason and Inga, but lots of the folk who had attended the training and trail work on Saturday came along for the ride on Sunday. In total our group had 27 riders of good spirit and ability.

We gathered at the Crocker Amazon skatepark. While we waited for the stragglers (you know who you are) we took a leisurely circuit on the Pilarcitos cyclocross course, stopping to take in the view of San Bruno Mountain where we would later be riding. Once we had the full crew we set off for the grind up South Hill Blvd. and then a circuit of lower San Bruno Mtn. County Park. We stopped off for a break and photo-op at a vista point looking north back at Crocker Amazon.

Coming out of the park, we crossed Guadalupe Canyon Parkway and took a nice bit of single track/fireroad back toward the Cow Palace. That short stretch took its toll on the hardware, with one broken frame and one flat tire. Fortunately, when you’re on bikes some kind of entertainment is always at hand. A long stretch of freestanding curb served as a skinny to challenge the waiting riders.

We finished the ride back to Crocker Amazon with a high speed pavement section down Carter Ave and then set off over to the adjacent McLaren Park. We followed a clockwise route around the park, first up to a vista point at the water tower, then on trails to the Jerry Garcia amphitheater, and then back up and over Mansell to the old BMX track. The track’s heyday was in the 1970 – 80′s. The big sweeping berms are still there, but long gone is any family activity which was so prevalent during its BMX days.

As we pedaled north parallel to Mansell, we looked down on the web of singletrack that has built up over the years on the hillside above the Gleneagles golf course. It looks inviting, but we’re not headed that way today. Instead we continue on until the roadside trail pinches in at the quarry above the water tanks.

Here we found a secluded bicycle play spot with drop offs, some jumps and a few bermed turns. Not everyone was up for this sort of riding, but we soon had six or seven riders trying out the features. One of our woman riders (Becky) took the lead on a big drop, followed by some of the seasoned freeride hands and then several other riders slowly worked through the visualization process and took the plunge. One rider went a little too big on the lower hip jump and landed “off by inches”. The result was a bit dramatic, but after a careful inspection by a wilderness first aid responder in our group, he was back at it in no time.

From the quarry, we proceeded down a nice bit of singletrack to the main path and back over to Crocker Amazon. That was about it for the ride. It was great to share it with our friends.

It certainly won’t be the last day we get together to enjoy the flow, friendship, and beauty that comes from riding a bicycle through trails and trees.  Stay tuned to this site for mention of upcoming group rides and events.  Thanks to Ruedyshots for the keen eye and swift shutterfinger.

The good people at RideSFO and CA frame builder NemesisProject Bikes are holding a raffle for this fine, blue DJ frame.

Get your chance to win @ booth 808 at the Sea Otter booth.  Proceeds will go to the finest MTB advocacy group in San Francisco.  The good ol’ SFUR.

So go to the Sea Otter, race, raffle, maybe win, support Team SFUR/IMBA, and we’ll see you there.

Saturday April 4th

Join SF Urban Riders as we join the International Mountain Bicycle Association’s (IMBA) trail crew, Jason Van Horn and Inga Beck as they lead a trail building workshop that includes a morning presentation followed by an afternoon of on trail experience.  We are proud to announce that Jim Jacobson (China Camp, Camp Tamarancho) and Zack Anderson (Forest Trails Alliance) will also be lending their knowledge to the project. We will be realigning the East Ridge Trail and adding THREE unique switchbacks to divert the original trail from sensitive habitat and mitigate steep elevation loss.

Don’t Miss Out – Register today!
http://go.imba.com/sanfran.

Food and refreshments will be provided all day.  Free food, free education, and working to make your world a better place.  Does free get any better?

Below this fine photo, you will find some well-honed event details, and as always, feel free to contact SFUR with any questions you may have.

DUE TO CONSTRUCTION: Remember to travel via Clarendon to Johnstone then down Medical Center Way.

Parking is available for volunteers only during scheduled activities.