Restoring Pedro Point Headlands

For decades, Pedro Point Headlands was the site of unrestricted off-highway vehicle (OHV) use, leaving bare scars and gullies. These created erosion into San Pedro Creek, impacting threatened steelhead and California red-legged frogs. It also resulted in landslides, which threatened to flow onto Highway 1 and the future California Coastal Trail area. While many scars have healed, some persist and continue to erode.

The Pacifica Land Trust is rallying the community to restore the beauty and health of the Pedro Point Headlands. Together with the community and our partners, we can restore this unique coastal ecosystem and improve the trails.

Restoration Goals

• Properly fill and eliminate existing gullies and past OHV damage;
• Re-establish the natural topography and drainage in the highly eroded coastal bluff areas;
• Restore disturbed trails and gullies to Coastal Prairie and Coastal Scrub vegetation;
• With the help of volunteer stewards, propagate and salvage native plants; and
• Incorporate a trail design and construction plan to build safe, sustainable pedestrian trails.

Trails

As part of the Point Pedro Headlands restoration project, the old foot paths and OHV trails have been replaced with safer, more sustainable pedestrian trails. When the California Coastal Trail is completed, it will allow hikers and nature lovers to connect to the trails at the headlands.

Progress

• Go Native, a local habitat restoration company, has completed the Pedro Point Headlands Restoration and Trail Improvement Project. Trail contouring, erosion control fabric and wattles have been installed to ensure that all restoration areas will be safeguarded from erosion.

• For hikers, all the trails are open. A kiosk has been installed at the trail head of the South Ridge Trail. Please refer to the kiosk for updates on the project.

• Volunteers in the stewardship program meet monthly to care for the land. Volunteers grow and plant native trees, shrubs and wildflowers – and provide a variety of crucial help. Local organizations, corporations, and schools are welcome to help out at the headlands. Check out our volunteer page or email us at volunteer@pacifica-land-trust.org for more information. 

• To ensure that the headlands is resistant to the expected changes from climate change, a high-diversity of species are being planted to enhance resilience. 

Funding

The California State Parks Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation Division awarded the PLT a $1,137,274 grant for Point Pedro Headlands Restoration. As a condition of its approval, joint land-owner California Coastal Conservancy required replacement of the existing footpaths with safer, more sustainable pedestrian trails, and contributed $12,000 toward trail design. In addition, $350,000 in San Mateo County Measure A funds have supported the re-vegetation and trail construction. In the near future, these internal trails will be connected to a soon-to-be-built section of the California Coastal Trail, which will skirt the southern and eastern edges of Point Pedro Headlands.

Partners

Partners are crucial to restoring the Headlands. The project is managed by the Pacifica Land Trust and funded by the California State Parks OHV Recreation Division and California Coastal Conservancy. State and local agencies and stakeholders include:

• California Department of Parks and Recreation
• City of Pacifica
• California Coastal Conservancy
• San Mateo County Parks