The federal Surface Transportation Board has denied the Great Railroad Trail Agency’s request to convert a rail line from Willits to Fort Bragg into a hiking path as part of a planned 300-mile trail system.
The rail line hasn’t transported freight for decades. But the route's owner, Mendocino Railway, argued that could change in the future.
In 2024, the Department of Transportation provided $31 million for improvements on the line.
The tourist attraction Skunk Train also runs part of the route.
“The idea, like the Pacific Crest Trail or the Appalachian Trail, is to give this area a real boost economically,” said Caryl Hart with the Great Redwood Trail Agency. “But at the same time, Mendocino Railway is trying to do that too.”
The transportation board ruled that the trail agency did not meet the “heavy burden” to disconnect the line from the interstate rail network.
The trail agency must now build a trail next to the rail, rather than on it in a process called railbanking, which Hart said is more expensive. The Great Redwood Trail Act, signed into law by Governor Newsom in 2021, directs the trail agency to railbank when possible.
“Rather than fight, fight, fight — the idea is to try to work together to continue to pursue this vision of wonderful outdoor recreation opportunities,” Hart said.
Mendocino Railway also called for renewed collaboration.
“The Board’s decision does not prevent trail development,” Mendocino Railway said in a statement. “Instead, it makes clear that recreational trail use can coexist with rail service where properly planned.”
The Great Redwood Trail will be the longest rail trail in the nation, stretching from Marin to Humboldt Counties.
The cost of the trail system could reach $1 billion, although the project’s chief sponsor, California Senator Mike McGuire, disputes the figure. A 2023 report estimated the trail could generate over $100 million annually for the region.
