Santa Cruz Mountains Trail Stewardship Breaks Ground on 1.5 Miles of New Trail in Santa Clara County Parks' Coyote Canyon
SANTA CRUZ, CA - July 16, 2024 - Santa Cruz Mountains Trail Stewardship (SCMTS), a 501(c)(3) stewardship organization, today broke ground on Ojo de Agua Trail working for Santa Clara County Parks (SCCP). This new 1.5-mile trail will serve hikers, cyclists, and equestrians who visit SCCP’s upcoming Coyote Canyon Property, which will open to the public later this year.
As outlined in Santa Clara County Parks’ 2018 Strategic Plan, this trail work is the final step to enable safe public access at Coyote Canyon. SCMTS has decades of experience building high-quality trails, and Santa Clara County Parks selected the nonprofit stewardship because of the team’s ability to bring a sustainable and fun trail to life in Coyote Canyon.
“We’re thrilled to create better trail connectivity in the Morgan Hill area this summer,” said Matt De Young, Executive Director of Santa Cruz Mountains Trail Stewardship. “There’s tremendous opportunity for enhanced connections between open spaces, and the new trail we’re building will help more folks get outside and enjoy more of Coyote Canyon’s beautiful landscape.”
Funding for this trail construction comes from the remaining acquisition fund that was originally used to purchase the property in 2016. The project also generates support for underfunded public trails projects in the Santa Cruz Mountains, as all revenue from Ojo de Agua will be channeled into SCMTS’ nonprofit trail work and volunteer events.
“We’re really excited about starting this pivotal trail connection project, and SCMTS is the perfect partner to take us across the finish line,” said Don Rocha, Director at Santa Clara County Parks. “With their team’s deep expertise in responsible trail development, users should get excited for all the fantastic trail experiences to come.”
Ojo de Agua is one of three trails being built this summer that will connect existing open spaces to deliver new adventure possibilities in the Morgan Hill area. By way of Ojo de Agua Trail, outdoor enthusiasts will gain new public access to the 2,741-acre land in the western foothills of the Diablo Mountain Range. Ojo de Agua will also connect with the planned Coyote Ridge Trail and the Woodland Trail to form a multi-use loop of approximately 5 miles. The proposed trail name in Spanish translates to “Eye of Water,” and maintains a link with the Property history as it was part of the Rancho Ojo de Agua de la Coche land grant.
Interested parties may follow along for trail construction updates and additional access information via SCMTS’ newsletter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Media Contact:
Katy Poniatowski
408.705.5808
Nadine Abousalem
408.605.1044
