Naveen Ketterer / Unsplash
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Senior Staff Writer
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March 26, 2026
This week, the Great Redwood Trail Agency board approved a master plan three years in the making, set to design and construct most of the world-class Great Redwood Trail (GRT) project.
The project aspires to build a 300-mile trail through California’s most scenic redwood regions, converting the disused Northwestern Pacific Railroad into a multi-use path for walking, cycling, horseback riding, and more non-motorized uses. It would stretch from the San Francisco Bay in the south to the Humboldt Bay in the north.
When completed, the Great Redwood Trail will be one of the longest rail-to-trail conversion projects in the country, traversing redwood forests, farm lands, mountains, rivers, and California’s famous wine country. It will offer a variety of surfaces along the route, from 12-foot paved multi-use segments to 2-foot-wide backcountry trails.
GRT project background
The Great Redwood Trail Agency is in charge of the 231-mile northern segment of the full trail, which crosses Mendocino, Trinity, and Humboldt Counties. Their newly-approved Master Plan involved 3 years of collaboration with regional Tribal and local leaders, as well as community input.
The Master Plan covers all elements of trail development, from design to habitat restoration and operations, and will guide all trail work going forward. While a few parts of the northern segment are completed, there are decades of work to be done.
SMART (Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit) handles the 71.3-mile southern segment, which crosses Sonoma and Marin. SMART operates commuter and freight trains on this section of the railroad, but they’ve also constructed 29 miles of multi-use trail along the 71.3-mile southern corridor, ending in Larkspur.
Together, the two segments are envisioned to comprise about 307-320 miles of trail through Northern California.
The full trail is a long-term project spanning decades, with no specific opening date yet on the table.
🌐 Learn more: You can visit the Great Redwood Trail Agency website to learn more about the project.