The McMenemy Trail in Montecito is a popular 3.8-mile loop, but there's a problem with people going off-trail. Short-cutting switchbacks cause erosion, harm local plants, and can be dangerous.
"Being off the trail at any time is not a good thing," said hiker Dave Everett.
Eliminating cross-cutting is the main reason the Montecito Trails Foundation is considering re-routing the McMenemy Trail, but Everett claims he already fixed that problem in 2022.
"Took a bunch of dead wood and placed it across where people were short-cutting and blocked them, ending that problem," Everett said.
He has also started a petition against re-routing the trail that is gaining support.
Montecito Trails Foundation member Ashlee Mayfield says cross-cutting is a big issue but placing barricades isn’t the right solution.
"There are multiple problems with the barriers. They are easy to remove but my bigger concern is that someone who has historically used the cut-through isn’t going to think about it and will roll their bike down the hill, and when you see what’s been built, it's very dangerous for users," Mayfield said.
Since 2008, the Montecito Trails Foundation has been working on ways to re-route this trial while preserving the existing grade, views, and safety.
"What is the absolute best trail we can build, then we’ll bring in other trail builders to proof our thinking and then start more of a public process," Mayfield explained.
Everett’s petition claims little public outreach has been done.
Mayfield counters that, saying, "In the last year, we have put out newsletters, newspaper articles, and at the county advisory board meetings."
Mayfield says public outreach will increase once the project has a complete plan and is shovel-ready.
"One of the most important pieces right now is the environmental reports, and that could change the whole project," Mayfield said.
Once the project has been finalized and approved, Mayfield says it will be presented to the public for comment.
