What's happening: Marin Municipal Water District's board confirmed a preferred planning scenario June 18 that would decommission and restore more than 60 miles of unauthorized social trails, designate a 2,500-acre protection zone off-limits to future recreational development, and open roughly 42 miles of roads and trails to bikes and other users. Trails proposed for expanded access include North Side Trail, sections of Pumpkin Ridge, and a new route along the east shore of Kent Lake, according to a presentation by district staff and consultant Ascent Environmental.
The West Point Inn West Point Inn on Mount Tamalpais, a destination accessible via watershed fire roads now open to Class I e-bikes under Marin Water's revised pilot program. (MVB, June 21)
Why it matters for Mill Valley: The watershed boundary runs close to Mill Valley, encompassing the Double Bowknot area used regularly by local hikers and cyclists, according to Marin Water's watershed map. Board President Jed Smith, whose Division IV includes Mill Valley, called the plan "so much more than a plan for providing access to bicycles."
What cyclists can do right now: Class I e-bikes are permitted on watershed fire roads where conventional bikes are allowed, including the roads leading to West Point Inn, under a revised pilot program launched July 1, 2025. The pilot runs up to two years. Single-track trails remain closed to bikes; any change requires the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) process now underway.
The context: The board directed staff toward a full CEQA review, the legally required next step under a 2025 settlement resolving a lawsuit by the Marin Chapter of the California Native Plant Society (CNPS), the Marin Conservation League, and the Marin Audubon Society. The groups sued in September 2024 after the district approved pilot programs that would have opened nine single-track trails to bikes without CEQA review, according to CNPS board member David Long.
A Marin County Superior Court preliminary injunction halted both pilots. The district rescinded them as part of the settlement and paid $105,000 in plaintiff legal fees, according to the Marin Independent Journal. "Environmental review is how we achieve an appropriate balance to both enjoy and protect the natural places we cherish," Long said. "We remain committed to exploring future opportunities for bike access on select single-track trails," then-board president Matt Samson said at the time of the settlement.
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