FELTON — Nearly 80 acres of previously inaccessible public open space opened to hikers Oct. 26 with the debut of the Pace Wilderness Trails at Quail Hollow Ranch County Park.
Santa Cruz County Parks and District 5 Supervisor Monica Martinez celebrated the opening of approximately 6 miles of new hiking trails. A roughly half-mile connecting trail links the park’s existing Sunset Trail to the Pace Family Wilderness property.
The trails give visitors access to more of the Santa Cruz Sandhills, a rare habitat that supports plants and animals found nowhere else. Trail routes were designed to limit damage to sensitive vegetation and natural drainage features.
“The opening of the Pace Family Wilderness Trails represents an important new access to what was previously an unreachable island of public open space,” County Parks Director Jeff Gaffney said in an announcement. “This greatly expands opportunities for people to experience one of Santa Cruz County’s most unique natural landscapes.”
The project also includes Sandhills Sentinels, a public art installation featuring four steel sculptures.
Each includes bilingual information identifying a species unique to the Sandhills: the Ben Lomond spineflower, Ben Lomond wallflower, Mount Hermon June beetle and Zayante band-winged grasshopper.
“Many local residents have been visiting Quail Hollow Ranch for decades, and while there is always something new and wonderful blooming or hatching there, being able to open these new trails to visitors to explore is really special,” Martinez said in the announcement.
She said the trails will allow people to experience the landscape while preserving the property’s character and ecological value for future generations.
County Parks developed the project with community partners, park volunteers and AmeriCorps. Funding included a $200,000 matching grant from the state’s Habitat Conservation Fund.
Quail Hollow Ranch County Park is at 800 Quail Hollow Road in Felton.