$5.1 million trail planned for 2

By David Downey | Contributing Writer

Outdoor enthusiasts may get a new place to walk, jog and ride bicycles in late 2024, with the anticipated construction of a $5.1 million, 2-mile trail network in north Riverside.

The project, which would feature parallel asphalt and gravel trails, would be built on top of a covered historic canal that more than a century ago transformed Riverside into a citrus-growing juggernaut.

City parks officials propose lining the Gage Canal corridor from Blaine Street – next to UC Riverside's baseball complex – north to Palmyrita Avenue with trees, lights, drinking fountains, fitness equipment, benches, bike racks and other amenities.

"The goal is that, in 10 years, that whole trail will be a nice shaded tunnel to walk through," said Jordan Maus, who is managing the project for the Riverside Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department.

Desmond Daniels and sons Pierce, 9; and Honor, 11; walk through an unofficial trail atop the Gage Canal in Riverside on Wednesday, March 22, 2023. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG)

The paved road on an unofficial trail atop the Gage Canal is seen in Riverside on Wednesday, March 22, 2023. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG)

An unofficial trail is seen Wednesday, March 22, 2023, atop the Gage Canal in Riverside. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG)

An unofficial dirt trail is seen Wednesday, March 22, 2023, near the Gage Canal in Riverside. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG)

The Daniels family walks an unofficial trail over the Gage Canal in Riverside on Wednesday, March 22, 2023. The family is visiting from Minnesota. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG)

The end of the fenced-off dirt road on an unofficial trail over the Gage Canal in Riverside is seen Wednesday, March 22, 2023. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG)

The end of the fenced-off dirt road on the unofficial trail on top of the Gage Canal is seen Wednesday, March 22, 2023, in Riverside. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG)

The Daniels siblings, Pierce, 9; Honor, 11; and Kinley, 7; make their way toward their parents on an unofficial trail over the Gage Canal in Riverside on Wednesday, March 22, 2023. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG)

Officials hope the project will spur trail additions along other sections of the Gage Canal, Maus said. The waterway, built in the 1880s, runs 13 miles through the Inland Empire's largest city.

The prospect of a later expansion is a thrilling thought for some.

"It would be an asset for the city to make that into a park because it is part of our natural history," Riverside resident Judy Anderson said.

Anderson walks with a friend along the canal almost every day, near Arlington Avenue.

Anderson used to walk along palm-lined Victoria Avenue, which runs parallel to the canal in her neighborhood, but no longer does so because traffic is heavier. She feels more comfortable by the canal.

"It's a nicer environment," she said. "It's birds singing. It's safer."

The corridor is widely used and is listed prominently on recreation websites as a place to walk and run.

"People have been using that for years when they weren't supposed to," Riverside City Councilmember Chuck Conder said.

Maus said the heavy use is a strong indication of the need for more trails in Riverside and across the Inland Empire.

Though many use the corridor "informally," it is in essence a utility easement and not a developed trail, Maus said. At many points, there are no-trespassing signs and metal gates.

"The public isn't supposed to be utilizing the ‘trail,’" he wrote in an email.

The $5.1 million project between Blaine and Palmyrita would begin to change that.

"We’re hoping that this is super successful and popular," Maus said by phone.

If it is, he said, the project could pave the way for pursuing more grants for expansions, he said.

"The plan is to eventually formalize the trail and develop it all the way south to the other end of the city," Maus wrote.

Planners also want to extend the trail north from Palmyrita toward Spring Street, Maus said. Because that section courses through an arroyo, an environmental study will be needed, he said.

Canal sections farther south have exposed "open water," and building a trail would require coordination with city attorneys and utility officials, and the Gage Canal Co., to address safety and liability, he said.

As for the covered section that's first up, the city intends to pay for the project with a pair of state grants.

Plans call for a 10-foot-wide gravel trail for walkers and runners and a 10-foot-wide asphalt path for bicycles, skateboards and roller skates, within a mostly 50-foot-wide easement, Maus said. In places the corridor is narrower, there will be room only for the asphalt trail.

The trails aren't intended for equestrians, he said.

The city will plant 700 trees, most of them drought-tolerant varieties that won't need watering once established, Maus said.

Solar-powered lights would be installed throughout the section, he said. Brightness would vary by location, he added, to avoid casting light into nearby homes or onto the Box Springs Mountain Reserve, which borders the area. Light will be pointed down onto trails.

At each street crossing, trail users could take advantage of benches, bike racks, fitness equipment and drinking-water fountains, and brush up on their knowledge of the area through interpretive signs.

The city anticipates launching construction by early 2024, Maus said, and trails could open in fall or winter next year.

Alex Cortez, academic coordinator for UC Riverside's Dynamic Genome program, looks forward to jogging and cycling in the new recreation area.

"I would imagine that a lot of the students and residents would take advantage of it," Cortez said.

Cortez predicted the trail system will become a sort of "low-budget golf course where you can conduct business or just socialize with people."

Riverside City Councilmember Clarissa Cervantes, whose Ward 2 takes in part of the project area, expects the area to become popular.

"What I love about this is … it provides safe access for people to explore, while protecting and preserving the natural landscapes, wild lands and open space," Cervantes said.

Conder, whose Ward 4 crosses the canal farther south, said the project is needed.

"We need places to encourage people to go out and exercise," Conder said. "Places to walk your dog. Places to hold hands with your wife and walk."

The project will deliver an economic benefit, too, he said.

When prospective employers shop for places to expand or move to, Conder said, they inquire about the quality of local schools and the crime rate. Then, he said, they want to know what kind of outdoor amenities a city has.

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