Devil’s Slide to become a park
A section of Highway 1 south of Pacifica that is known as Devil’s Slide and has been responsible for at least 12 deaths in car crashes since 1990 will become a bicycle and pedestrian trail as early as 2013. An article in the Santa Cruz Sentinel has a slideshow of still photographs and a Google Map of the area to accompany the story. Those of us who have wished to hike around the area will soon have our wish fulfilled!
In late 2012, the twin bypass tunnels will be completed, and Caltrans will turn over the section of landslide-prone roadway to the San Mateo County Parks Department. Dave Holland, the assistant county manager who used to be head of parks says that “The timing couldn’t be worse” for the cash-strapped department!
The park will link McNee Ranch State Park and Gray Whale Cove State Beach to the south and Pedro Point Headlands (aerial view; Google Map link ) to the north. However, with no more Caltran involvement, the county likely would not have the money to clear the trail, if it should be blocked by a major landslide. Ever since the road through Devil’s Slide was opened in 1937, it has experienced regular closures from landslides, especially during winter when rain saturates the soil and destabilizes the bluffs. The road was closed for WEEKS in 1995 and 2006 when major slides occurred.
After the tunnels open at the end of 2012, Cantrans will build parking lots and bus stops on the northern and southern ends of the new trail, and the county will spend almost $2 million on the trail itself. The improvements are required as part of the agreement for the bypass tunnels. The money will likely come from state and federal grants. Holland says of the area:
“It’s stunning,” he said of the property. “It’s probably one of the most dramatic pieces of coastline on the whole San Mateo County coast.”
Personally, I think that the quote is an understatement!
Volunteers have spent hundreds of hours restoring the Pedro Point Headlands area to its natural state. Although the area is public, there is no easy way to get to the Headlands!
When Devil’s Slide park is accessible, the Parks Department will have to spend roughly $700,000 per year maintaining the trail, including clearing debris from minor rock slides. Caltrans performed work to stabilize the cliffs after the 2006 slide, and it has help up well.
But nature runs its course, and those of us who have been eager to access the area may want to do so sooner, rather than later after the opening of the park, before a large landslide changes the landscape again….
-Bill at
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