The Briones Pilot has kicked off and is underway. Details can be found on the EBRPD Briones Pilot web site. The pilot establishes a pilot area in the northeast portion of the park. Within the pilot area the program allows downhill bike only access to four “bootleg” trails, bike and hike access to two trails, and hike only on about three trails. Hikers, mountain bikers, and equestrians all have access to the pilot area Monday through Friday. On odd weekend days bikes have access to the pilot zone while on even weekend days equestrians have access. The remainder of the park is accessible to all users 7 days a week. If you show up on the ‘off’ day at the Alhambra Creek trailhead and are an equestrian or mountain biker there is the option to ride Orchard trail to Toyon Canyon to access the rest of the park. Trail B3, Isaac’s on Trailforks, is outside the pilot zone and bike accessible 7 days a week.
Trail work days have started and will be once a month on the 2nd weekend, likely the bike access day. Originally they were scheduled for the 2nd Saturday but some of those Saturdays won’t be bike access days so they may get rescheduled to the odd weekend day. The next work day is scheduled for June 10th and is full. The July 8th date just opened and has plenty of availability. Check the trail work volunteer website for more details and to sign up. Work days are planned to run until October. We are hopeful that the workdays will continue past October when moisture conditions will be more favorable as rains return. There was still some moisture available for the May 13th workday and some tread and drainage work was done along with the usual brushing along the trail corridor to improve sight lines.
The Briones Pilot Program is a significant step unlike any the park district has taken and it’s a start towards equitable access. We ask that you do what you can to make the pilot successful. If you have feedback on things you like, don’t like, or would like to see the pilot test out please provide feedback. You can also provide feedback by email to brionespilotproject@ebparks.org. If you’ve got issues with the pilot please engage staff in discussion. Ask questions and suggest solutions to deal with issues that are driving decisions or action you don’t like.
The downhill bike only trials in the pilot contain advanced features, some of which are not rollable. Ride with caution and scout features to understand their size and conditions. Pre-ride, re-ride, free ride and understand your abilities. Some trails have mandatory drops or jumps without a ride around. Be aware and choose wisely. If you are unfamiliar with some of the trails in the pilot zone checkout our BTCEB Tour of Briones Pilot route available on Trailforks to use for navigation.
