Mariposa County is seeking a $500,000 grant from the Sierra Nevada Conservancy to develop four miles of new hiking trails from Mariposa County Park to the Mariposa Creek Parkway.
“We’re well positioned for this funding,” said Hannah Harrison, a community design and development planner for Mariposa County.
It will be the first phase of a much larger project: 12 miles of multi-use trails on the southwest hillside overlooking the town of Mariposa.
The trailhead for the first phase will be located between the pickle ball and tennis courts in the county park and will connect with Mariposa Creek where the county has partnered with the Southern Sierra Miwuk Nation in restoring the riparian corridor.
The initial four mile trail will be able to accommodate “casual walkers to avid mountain bikers,” according to the project description.
When the final 12 mile hillside trail is complete, it will include four miles of multi-use trails, 4.5 miles of bike only trails, three miles of hike only trails and nearly a mile of trail that will be educational and disability accessible.
The Mariposa Hillside Trail project will begin with a four mile stretch of trails. Eventually, there were be 12 miles of trails for walking, mountain biking and for those with disabilities. Graphics courtesy Mariposa County
The plans also include a scenic overlook.
The Mariposa Hillside Trails project is considered shovel ready. The Mariposa Planning Department was awarded a grant in 2023 from the Sierra Nevada Conservancy to develop the plans.
There is already a kind of project roadmap, a Stewardship Guidebook and Field Supplement, developed last year with the Sierra Foothill Conservancy and the Southern Sierra Miwuk Nation.
The project is the outgrowth of the Mariposa Creek Master Plan adopted in 2019.
And if you like the sound of all that, there is an even grander dream: A network of trails, with separate portions for hiking and mountain bikes, that would eventually link to Stockton Creek Preserve and encircle the town of Mariposa.
Harrison, and other county leaders, believe it could be a way to diversify the local economy. The vision is for groups of hikers, and mountain bike riders, spending the weekend in Mariposa, maybe even creating a market for a local bike shop with rental gear.
“The hill side trails give visitors reason to spend time in Mariposa, beyond a Yosemite day trip,” Harrison said.
There is also an important fire prevention element.
Having trails along the south west hillside above Mariposa County Park, with its intense brush and growth, will provide a natural fire break and provide easier access in the event of wildfire.
The 2024 French Fire, which wrapped around town, and the 2017 Detwiler Fire on the west side, were reminders of just how vulnerable the town of Mariposa remains to wildfire.
Harrison said the project would have the “potential to reduce fuel load and increase the safety of the town.”
Harrison said people may see some preliminary work on the western hillside this summer with a fuel reduction effort that will cover some 500 acres.
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