The Great Redwood Trail (GRT) is a planned 300-mile route through some of California’s most scenic redwood country. It would convert the disused Northwestern Pacific Railroad into a path for walking, cycling, horseback riding, and other non-motorized uses. The trail would run from San Francisco Bay in the south to Humboldt Bay in the north.
Once finished, it would rank among the longest rail-to-trail conversions in the United States. The route passes through redwood forests, farmland, mountains, rivers, and wine country. Surfaces would vary along the way, from 12-foot paved multi-use sections to backcountry trails as narrow as 2 feet.
How the trail is being built
Two agencies split the work. The Great Redwood Trail Agency oversees the 231-mile northern segment, which crosses Mendocino, Trinity, and Humboldt Counties. Its Master Plan was developed over three years with regional Tribal and local leaders and community input.
It covers every stage of trail development, from design and habitat restoration to operations, and it guides all work on the northern segment. A few northern sections are already complete, but decades of work remain.
In the south, Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) manages a 71.3-mile segment through Sonoma and Marin Counties. SMART runs commuter and freight trains on this corridor. It has also built 29 miles of multi-use trail along the corridor, which ends in Larkspur.
Together, the two segments would total roughly 307 to 320 miles of trail across Northern California.
🌐 Learn more: You can visit the Great Redwood Trail Agency website to learn more about the project.