From Renegades to Stakeholders - A New Era of Stewardship and Access
Written by Michelle Petersen, Board Chair
Stakeholders — let’s build on the real progress we’ve made at Dig Days over the past two years. You can play an important role in helping bring the type of access gains happening elsewhere in the Bay Area (plenty of awesome examples highlighted below) to Mount Diablo State Park by signing the Trails 2035 Petition.
Share the petition with your family, friends and neighbors. Let’s build a community mandate. Continue reading my inaugural blog to learn why all of this matters.
For decades, the relationship between land managers and off-road cyclists—mountain bikers and gravel riders—has been defined by friction regarding singletrack trail access. In years past, off-road cyclists have been referred to as “renegades” due to unsanctioned trail building by a select few, and more broadly, for excessive speed or unauthorized use on singletrack trails.
The good news is that a new paradigm is emerging across the Bay Area. The land agency–trail user model is shifting from one of exclusion to one of collaboration and inclusion. When land managers recognize the needs of the off-road cycling community, they can help transform “renegade” trail users into dedicated, valued “stakeholders”.
This recognition turns a formerly disenfranchised group into a motivated workforce of volunteers eager to protect the land and expand access, helping balance conservation and recreation.
The result of this new era of stewardship and access is that off-road cyclists increasingly help trail groups and land managers meet public needs by:
Sustainable, at-standard trails stewardship
Policy engagement for change-in-use (CIU) or new trail construction inclusive of bikes
Adoption of responsible recreation or trail etiquette practices and signage
Examples of trail organizations championing this new era of stewardship and access include:
Bicycle Trails Council of the East Bay
Marin Trail Stewards
Marin County Bicycle Coalition
Mount Diablo Trails Alliance
Redwood Trails Alliance
Santa Cruz Mountains Trail Stewardship
Silicon Valley Mountain Bikers
Stewards of Briones
Recent Bay Area Developments related to Singletrack Trails Access for Off-road Cyclists:
Briones: Successfully transitioned from a pilot program to a permanent program, operated by East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD)
Cotoni-Coastal Dairies Natural Monument: 8.5 miles of multi-use trails with 10 more miles planned in the future, operated by the Bureau of Land Management and supported by a gigantic nearly decade long fundraising and implementation lift by Santa Cruz Mountains Trail Stewardship. This project is an inspirational example of Shared Stewardship that benefits everyone!
Pleasanton Ridge: New trail construction (Valle Vista) and expanded access for off-road cyclists (Taylor Ranch Staging Area), operated by East Bay Regional Park District
Marin Municipal Water District: Marin Water’s recent proposal includes 30+ miles of multi-use trail access as part of their draft Road and Trail Management Plan
La Honda Creek Preserve: New multi-use trails access, operated by Midpeninsula Open Space District
North Bay Expansion: New multi-use access on Bill’s Trail, Bob Middagh Trail, and Liberty Gulch Trail
Sierra Azul: Midpeninsula Open Space District recently approved new multi-use trails for this park
Wildcat Canyon Regional Park: EBRPD is in the CEQA-based environmental review phase of considering a bike-only flow trail in a park where local junior and high school mountain bike teams amass 40,000 hours of riding time each season on 30 miles of multi-use fire roads and with access to only 1.5 miles of singletrack trails
All of this Progress Matters - What Is Good for One Park Can Be Good for All Parks
Despite being the birthplace of mountain biking, the Bay Area has lagged compared to other regions across the country when it comes to the amount of singletrack trails open to off-road cyclists versus other trail user groups.
Next Up - Mount Diablo State Park
At Mount Diablo Trails Alliance (MDTA), we are advocating for singletrack trails access gains for off-road cyclists through the California State Parks Change-in-Use (CIU) process.
Currently, a stark disparity exists- only 18% of the 52.5 miles of singletrack trails in Mount Diablo State Park are open to off-road cyclists, while hikers and equestrians enjoy access to 100% and 99.5%, respectively.
Our Trails 2035 Strategic Plan aims to close the gap as relates to the singletrack trails, through the following goals:
Increasing access: We aim to increase off-road cycling access to 50% of singletrack trails over the next 10 years at Mount Diablo through the CIU process
Improving accessibility: We advocate for the construction of two ADA-compliant trails to better serve park visitors with accessibility needs
Maintaining the trails for everyone: We plan to work with California State Parks to maintain 50+ miles of singletrack trails at Mount Diablo over a 10-year period
While these types of trail-related improvements were originally outlined in the 2016 Road and Trail Management Plan (RTMP) for Mount Diablo, there has been no action taken in the decade since to address this unmet need of greater access.
Since its October 2023 inception, MDTA has worked with California State Parks to revitalize a long dormant trail maintenance program. The impact has been meaningful and lasting, with many trails passable the day after a major winter storm, versus trails being impassable and vulnerable to damage for many days in years past.
Nearly 50% of the volunteers serving at Dig Day events are off-road cyclists, and the majority of these are volunteers are youth, echoing the important role that this trail user group can play in the new era of stewardship and access.
The size of the off-road cyclists’ role is impressive, especially given the user group has not benefitted from any incremental access to singletrack trails at Mount Diablo State Park since the approval of the 2016 RTMP.
Just imagine how many more off-road cyclists might show up and power future trails stewardship if incremental access gains (through the CIU process) were realized.
Shared Stewardship Stats since October 2023:
Cost Savings: MDTA’s "Dig Days" have saved Mount Diablo State Park an estimated $300,000 in maintenance costs
Labor: More than 1,000 volunteers have serviced nearly 12 miles of trail with at-standard techniques focused on accessibility, sustainability, and ecological preservation
Community Investment: Nearly 50% of volunteers are off-road cyclists, and over 30% are minors
How You Can Help Bring the New Era of Stewardship and Access to Mount Diablo State Park
If you want to help achieve more sustainable, bike-friendly, and ADA-compliant trails in Mount Diablo State Park, take action today!
We are seeking 2,000-plus signatures by March 1, 2026, affirming widespread community support of our Better Trails | Greater Access strategic plan goals for all trail user groups at Mount Diablo State Park, especially off-road cyclists and park visitors with accessibility needs.
The Trails 2035 Petition will be presented to the California State Parks Diablo Range District Superintendent as part of our Phase II change-in-use (CIU) submission in Winter 2026.
Help us reach our inaugural fundraising milestone of $50,000 by March 1, 2026 to ensure that future Dig Day Seasons continue without any delays. Our Trails 2035 strategic plan will not achieve its ambitious goals without your support, especially given the unavoidable costs associated with change-in-use (CIU) projects, ADA-compliant trail construction, and the protection of our sensitive natural and cultural resources.