New boardwalk to connect popular SLO County coastal preserve trails. Take a look at the site

Kathe Tanner
·2 min read

Soon, there will be a new ADA-accessible boardwalk on Cambria’s Fiscalini Ranch Preserve, connecting the two most popular boardwalks into a circular course on the 430-acre open space preserve.

The new 1,200-foot-long boardwalk will cover the terrain rise between the Bluff and the Marine Terrace trails, closing a 1.6-mile loop that will be suitable for everyone, including people who use wheelchairs, walkers and other mobility-assisting equipment.

The two trails meet at the north side of the preserve now, but there’s a big gap on the south end, so it can be tough for someone who’s mobility challenged but who wants to take both trails. For now, they’d have to complete a round trip on one boardwalk, then travel along a steep section of Wedgewood Street between the boardwalk’s access points on Windsor Boulevard and Madison Street, then do a round trip on the second boardwalk.

“We’ve been talking about doing this for years. Now, we’re doing it,” Kitty Connolly, executive director of the nonprofit Friends of the Fiscalini Ranch Preserve, told the Tribune on Monday.

Kitty Connolly, executive director of the nonprofit Friends of the Fiscalini Ranch Preserve. The preserve will soon have a closed-loop, ADA compliant boardwalk, a 1.6-mile trail along bluff-top and coastal prairie.
Kitty Connolly, executive director of the nonprofit Friends of the Fiscalini Ranch Preserve. The preserve will soon have a closed-loop, ADA compliant boardwalk, a 1.6-mile trail along bluff-top and coastal prairie.

In fact, the project has been on the group’s wish list since 2017, “but in 2022 it became a priority project,” she said.

The nonprofit is working with the construction firm on a contract, so there’s no firm start date yet for the work.

Even so, Connolly said she expects the new boardwalk to be finished this year, hopefully by fall, with the only possible effect to existing trails during the work “perhaps while materials are moved onto the site.”

Fiscalini Ranch Preserve will soon have a closed-loop, ADA compliant boardwalk, a 1.6-mile trail along bluff-top and coastal prairie. A couple of hikers enjoy the Bluff Boardwalk Trail.
Fiscalini Ranch Preserve will soon have a closed-loop, ADA compliant boardwalk, a 1.6-mile trail along bluff-top and coastal prairie. A couple of hikers enjoy the Bluff Boardwalk Trail.

The project is estimated to cost about $800,000, she said — “a cost which increased significantly after COVID and with the need to pay prevailing wage on a project performed for a community services district.”

The community bought the hilly, tree-laced, oceanfront ranch in 2000, using donations and public funding. The Cambria Community Services District holds the title to the land, co-managing it with the Friends group. The district board approved the boardwalk project at a recent meeting.

The popular preserve includes a variety of habitats, including the dramatic, mile-long oceanfront bluff, a ridge that’s 200 feet above sea level and a rare native Monterey pine forest stand. Each of the 17 criss-crossing trail routes — totaling more than 8 miles — provides a different view and experience.

Fiscalini Ranch Preserve will soon have a closed-loop, ADA compliant boardwalk, a 1.6-mile trail along bluff-top and coastal prairie. Pictured is the rough trail, now closed, from the Marine Terrace Trail to the Bluff Boardwalk Trail.
Fiscalini Ranch Preserve will soon have a closed-loop, ADA compliant boardwalk, a 1.6-mile trail along bluff-top and coastal prairie. Pictured is the rough trail, now closed, from the Marine Terrace Trail to the Bluff Boardwalk Trail.

The boardwalk project will also help protect and preserve the coastal prairie’s habitat and make the route safer, especially after rains.

The work will be paid for entirely by donations to the Friends group, Connolly said. The group is also now seeking donations “to rebuild our project fund.”

Fiscalini Ranch Preserve will soon have a closed-loop, ADA compliant boardwalk, a 1.6-mile trail along bluff-top and coastal prairie. Debi Thoresen, of Morro Bay, brings her dogs Taz, left, and Ace to walk the Bluff Trail boardwalk. Thoresen said she thinks the new boardwalk would be fabulous. “We live in such a remarkable area,” she said.
Fiscalini Ranch Preserve will soon have a closed-loop, ADA compliant boardwalk, a 1.6-mile trail along bluff-top and coastal prairie. Debi Thoresen, of Morro Bay, brings her dogs Taz, left, and Ace to walk the Bluff Trail boardwalk. Thoresen said she thinks the new boardwalk would be fabulous. “We live in such a remarkable area,” she said.
Fiscalini Ranch Preserve will soon have a closed-loop, ADA compliant boardwalk, a 1.6-mile trail along bluff-top and coastal prairie.
Fiscalini Ranch Preserve will soon have a closed-loop, ADA compliant boardwalk, a 1.6-mile trail along bluff-top and coastal prairie.
Fiscalini Ranch Preserve will soon have a closed-loop, ADA compliant boardwalk, a 1.6-mile trail along bluff-top and coastal prairie. Pictured is area the proposed boardwalk is going to zig-zag across the field.
Fiscalini Ranch Preserve will soon have a closed-loop, ADA compliant boardwalk, a 1.6-mile trail along bluff-top and coastal prairie. Pictured is area the proposed boardwalk is going to zig-zag across the field.