While a highlight of the project is creating miles of new trails for the community to enjoy, the project’s goal is to create sustainable trails to preserve the park’s natural areas and ensure they remain accessible for years to come, explained Jill Zachary, the Parks and Recreation Director.
Many of the current trails in the park – which was gifted to the city in 1973 - are old cattle trails that were never designed to be hiking trails.
"Part of our objective is to either keep the ones we think we can maintain sustainably and/or retire those that don't need to be where they are - and provide great access throughout the park at the same time," said Zachary.
The 200-acre property is one of 14 open space parks overseen by the Parks and Recreation Department and saw increased use during the recent closure of the Los Padres National Forest.
The project is funded by the Parma Park Trust and more information about this project can be found at SantaBarbaraCA.gov/ParmaTrails.
