After the various meetings that Jane and I have posted about, the Forest Sservice has a proposal for what to do with the area. The summary can be found here. 36 miles of existing trails will be cut to 27. The main trail that will close is the Lower Coyote or Coyote Canyon trail. This is the one that starts just a few tens of yards east of the parking area at the bottom of Courtney Road. The summary does not give reasons, and I'm sure there must be a more detailed analysis available. But in this case, I'm pretty sure it is because of private land that the trail either crosses or goes near to. This would also necessarily close the "Crybaby Trail" that connects it to the trail above the wall. Most of the trails in the Coyote Wall / Syncline area remain. There is another major closure on the east side of the Catherine Creek area, past the regular trailhead. I haven't hiked it - better go out and check it out now! The Catherine Creek area would be closed to bicycles.

At a glance it looks like this group has done an admirable job. I would guess that the trail at the crest of Coyote Wall will probably be treked into use, whether it's an official trail or not. The views are just too good.

The trail that I hate to see go is the Coyote Canyon Trail. It's the best maintained trail of the bunch and it's unique in the area as it travels through a beautiful oak forest. I understand the need to protect the private land and I can see why it has to go. Still, it's too bad the FS didn't buy this parcel when they were in a buying mood.

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What do you suppose is around that next bend?

Only one small section of the trail along the wall gets closed - the part below that horizontal fence, where a larger trail jogs right and connects with a dirt road. You can continue up from there and access the cliff-edge above again.

I think that there are a number of private parcels in the canyon, and I'm just assuming that they bought what was made available by willing sellers.

drm:

Only one small section of the trail along the wall gets closed - the part below that horizontal fence, where a larger trail jogs right and connects with a dirt road. You can continue up from there and access the cliff-edge above again.

It's a bit hard for me to tell exactly, where the closures are, but it looks like there are a couple of sections of "wall-side" trail being replaced by a new trail farther east.



The new trail won't have the views of the old.

drm:

I think that there are a number of private parcels in the canyon, and I'm just assuming that they bought what was made available by willing sellers.

I'm sure you're correct on this. I can't come up with a better solution; I'll just miss the trail. It makes for a really nice well-rounded loop with trail on top of the wall.

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What do you suppose is around that next bend?