How Can We Connect the Rim of the Valley Trail?

In 1976, public lands advocate Marge Feinberg published her graduate thesis for a Master's in Environmental Planning at California State University, Northridge: "Rim of the Valley Park Proposals for a Green Belt Around the San Fernando Valley." Identifying a range of interconnected benefits, Feinberg proposed a "Rim of the Valley Trail" that would connect the existing trails, recreational facilities, cultural sites, flood control basins, and undeveloped green spaces of the San Gabriel Mountains, Verdugo Mountains, Santa Monica Mountains, Simi Hills, and Santa Susana Mountains.

"Alone among cities of the world," she wrote, "Los Angeles possesses an unspoiled mountain range within its borders, with easy access both visually and literally for its millions of people. With its priceless attributes of wildlife, wildflowers and trees, historic treasures, and air and watersheds, plus its recreational potentialities, it affords a rare opportunity to combine urban life with access to nature."

Since Feinberg's initial proposal, this idea of a connected network for preservation has continued to ignite imaginations and guide conservation efforts in the greater Los Angeles area. The Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy adopted a "Rim of the Valley Trail Corridor Master Plan" in 1990 to inform its activities, and in 2016 the National Park Service put forth a proposal to expand the the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area to include the full Rim of the Valley Corridor. The Rim of the Valley Corridor Preservation Act passed the U.S. House of Representatives in a bipartisan vote in 2021, but the bill did not advance through the Senate.

Despite decades of conservation accomplishments in the Rim of the Valley Corridor, the central vision of a continuous trail remains unfulfilled, with many excellent but disconnected segments spread over an incomplete patchwork of open spaces. In the absence of federal legislation, community trail advocates might take the initiative to move parts of the plan forward on a local level. In particular, by improving the connectivity of the hiking trail, we might demonstrate proof of the concept, and we might expand the constituency for the plan by improving access to the recreational resources of the corridor.

Yet the question emerges: In a fragmented landscape that spans numerous governmental jurisdictions, land management agencies, and private entities, where might we focus our efforts for improving trail connectivity?

The Rim of the Valley Trail Corridor crosses Tataviam, Chumash, Kizh, and Tongva land surrounding some of the most heavily urbanized parts of Los Angeles and Ventura Counties. As noted and advised in Feinberg's original proposal, much of this land is currently protected under federal, state, local, and nonprofit jurisdiction.

The National Park Service (NPS) plan, which builds on California state plans, envisions a recreational trail of about 200 miles, which it estimates is about 40 percent complete. The current proposed alignment expands Feinberg's original proposal to encompass more of the upper LA River basin, all the way down to the Arroyo Seco, which it then traces into the San Gabriel Mountains. It also suggests a number of spur trails ranging up through the Santa Clarita valley and out into the Simi Hills and Santa Monica Mountains.

This project aims to identify connectivity gaps through spatial analysis, using map layers that highlight current protected land, equity considerations, conservation priorities, existing trail segments, and proposed trail extensions.

The map below shows all protected open space in the study area according to Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) data, most of the agency-managed trails within those protected open spaces, and the boundaries of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (SMMNRA) under the proposed Rim of the Valley expansion. Using these three principal overlays, we can get a sense of the gaps in both open space and trail mileage that exist within the Rim of the Valley corridor. Additionally, we can identify opportunities that lie within existing protected areas and that build upon existing trail resources.

"A San Fernando Valley surrounded by beautiful mountains, clearly visible in sparkling sunshine under a blue sky, with opportunities for recreation and rest within a few minutes of every citizen, with birds, flowers and wildlife abundant... this is a dream worth dreaming... and a vision that is attainable." — Marge Feinberg

For the purposes of this analysis, we will generally focus on the trail corridor highlighted in the 2016 NPS plan and not consider the areas within the Verdugo Mountains (directly north of the cities of Burbank and Glendale) and the western Santa Monica Mountains (west of the cities of Calabasas and Agoura Hills), even though these lie within the proposed SMMNRA expansion. There are ample opportunities to expand conservation and equitable access in both of these regions, but they are outside of the scope of this study, which is solely interested in connecting the trail.

While not all trail data for the study area were available—specifically equestrian trails in and trails in City of Los Angeles parks—this study created an approximate map of trails by combining layer data from LA County, SMMNRA, the U.S. Forest Service, the City of South Pasadena, and the City of Los Angeles bicycle networks. Additionally, where this study uses land use data, it confines itself to Los Angeles County.

Given its unique location in the urbanized environment of Los Angeles, the Rim of the Valley Trail has the potential to help address the city's environmental justice gaps. According to the Trust for Public Land's  2021 ParkScore rankings , which evaluate park access and equity, Los Angeles's parks ranked 71st out of America's 100 largest cities, with nearly 1.5 million people living more than the recommended 10-minute walk from a park. Green spaces such as parks have been shown to have  valuable mental and physical health benefits .

Communities with poor park access typically also face other interconnected environmental and social hazards. One immediately actionable approach to enhancing park equity would be to focus on trail and facility improvements on protected land in or near communities with poor environmental and health indicators.

Sources: California Protected Areas Database (CPAD), The Wilderness Society, California Healthy Places Index; Photos: Kyle Kramer

In addition to linking recreational opportunities across the San Fernando Valley, the Rim of the Valley Trail can provide the connectivity needed to maintain healthy, functioning ecosystems. One of the top priorities for conservation groups in the face of the climate change and biodiversity crises is simply to protect more parcels of land from development.

Natural landscapes help sequester carbon, reduce the effects of habitat fragmentation, and provide other green infrastructure benefits such as groundwater filtration. As we look for places to improve trail connectivity between protected areas, we might start with the locations that have the most conservation value.

Sources: California Protected Areas Database (CPAD), The Wilderness Society, Los Angeles County Department of Regional Planning, SCAG, Los Angeles County Fire; Photos: Kyle Kramer

Knowing some of our target areas based on these previous analyses, we can look at the existing trail network and identify gaps to bridge. Potential opportunities might include prioritizing current proposed trail plans and routing new short trail segments through protected land.

Sources: California Protected Areas Database (CPAD), City of Los Angeles Department of City Planning, City of Pasadena GIS, The Wilderness Society, Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation, Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area GIS, U.S. Forest Service; Photos: Kyle Kramer

While federal legislation could be transformative for completing the Rim of the Valley Trail, local stakeholders can take action right away to make this longstanding vision a reality. As identified in the analyses above, some of the most promising projects to improve trail connectivity might include:

• Accelerate construction/implementation of proposed and planned trail segments along the lower Arroyo Seco and in the Santa Susana Mountains
  • Key Agencies: MRCA, LA County Parks, City of LA Parks, California State Parks, LADWP
• Build connector trail segments on protected land around Veterans Memorial Park in Pacoima and May Canyons
  • Key Agencies: USFS, LA County Parks, MRCA, City of LA Parks
• Build connector trail segments on protected land near and pedestrian improvements along Mulholland Drive between Sepulveda Pass and Franklin Canyon Park
  • Key Agencies: MRCA, City of LA Parks, LADWP, LADOT, homeowners' associations
• Improve Rim of the Valley trailhead access, wayfinding, and interpretive resources in gateway parks such as Sycamore Grove Park, Veterans Memorial Park, and Franklin Canyon Park
  • Key Agencies: City of LA Parks, LA County Parks, MRCA, NPS

While this project has identified several promising areas for action, continued spatial analysis and community outreach could reveal even more possibilities for connecting the Rim of the Valley Trail and integrating it into the surrounding urban and natural environments. Some recommended approaches include:

• Work with Tribal stakeholders in the area to identify significant locations for preservation, approaches to stewardship, and opportunities for cultural education
• Identify large private landowners within the study area, such as museums and educational institutions, who might be willing to grant trail easements and work toward overall trail corridor management goals
• Explore the formation of a regional planning body with oversight of the trail and the ability to bring together various stakeholders
• Create City of LA trail map data layers, especially for Griffith Park and equestrian trails in the Rim of the Valley corridor
• Identify transit and bike connections to trailheads; study overall bike network connectivity
• Establish an expanded set of trailhead locations and identify wayfinding needs at trailheads and trail connections
• Identify hazardous road crossings along the trail corridor for pedestrians, cyclists, equestrians, and wildlife
• Develop a simplified, public-facing Rim of the Valley map to be used for trail navigation

The Rim of the Valley Trail concept has inspired conservationists, hikers, equestrians, and dreamers of all types in the San Fernando Valley area for decades. Yet even as considerable progress has been made on protecting the highland areas that surround the valley, the goal of a truly unbroken connection has remained elusive. The actions presented here imagine a few more tentative steps on the trail to the Trail, with the understanding that though the journey may be long, it will be worthwhile. Onward, now—the path forward awaits!