Dreaming Big for the California Coastal Trail
Follow Mo and Jo’s 1,200 mile hike to raise awareness of the California Coastal Trail and build a connected community of Trail supporters.
Please note the map above represents the MoJo Coastwalkers route and not the California Coastal Trail. Since the Coastal Trail is not yet complete, the hikers are walking and biking sections where the trail does not yet exist as well as the sections that are complete. The aim of the MoJo’s hike is to rally support for completing the Trail. The line on the map shows their route and was recorded by their GPS device but is not always perfectly accurate.
Download a GPX file of the MoJo Coastwalker’s route that you can load into compatible GPS devices OR view their travel blog.
Download GPXBLOG
Morgan (Mo) and Joce (Jo) are embarking on an expedition from Oregon to Mexico on the California Coastal Trail in the summer of 2016. As we walk, we will tell the story of our journey, and hear from the coastal voices that we meet along the way. The goal is to reawaken awareness about the California Coastal Trail and jumpstart a movement to get it completed. It is a legacy in the making, connecting trails and communities all along the California coastline: a profound vision that we can only achieve together.
Jo has moved to Sonoma County to work at CCTA HQ to plan her upcoming journey. Thank’s to former CCTA/Coastwalk Board Chair, Gregory Fearon, Jo is staying in this awesome 19′ Bambi Airstream trailer while she is planning she and Mo’s hike. Coastwalk volunteer’s extraordinaire Jim Wilson and Jill Butler are hosting Jo and the Airstream on their property near the CCTA’s Sebastopol, CA headquarters.
Old experienced Coastwalk through hikers are lending a hand with Mo & Jo’s hike. Richard Nichols, retired Coastwalk Executive Director and coauthor of Hiking the California Coastal Trail, is pictured above with Jo reviewing Mo and Jo’s itinerary. Also pictured are past through hikers Linda Hanes and John Breyfogle. Their advice and past hike records have been invaluable to planning our 2016 Expedition.
CALIFORNIA COASTAL TRAIL
Imagine a ribbon of coastal protection stretching 1,200 miles down California’s magnificent coastline from Oregon to Mexico. This is the California Coastal Trail (CCT). At present the trail is approximately halfway complete. If you have been to the beaches of California, you have probably visited an existing segment of the CCT, which includes paths ranging from the Lost Coast Trail to the Venice Beach Boardwalk. The dream is to connect these fragmented segments into a braided network of public walking and biking paths spanning the entire coast.
Thanks to a grant from the State Coastal Conservancy, Mo (Morgan) and Jo (Joce), will be serving as ambassadors for the California Coastal Trail Association during the summer of 2016. They will be meeting CCTA members who are coastal leaders including Mayors, County Supervisors, Park’s representatives, coastal advocates and folks who love the coast. The will be sharing pictures and information about the people they meet and the places they visit as they make their way down the coastline. They will also be collecting information for an upcoming Explore the Coast smart phone “app” that the CCTA has helping the State Coastal Conservancy to develop. Follow their progress and learn about our coast as they progress southward.
The California Coastal Trail will provide a continuous public right-of-way along the California coastline, improving people’s ability to access the coast and enjoy the unique beauty, tranquil vibes, and opportunities for grand adventure that it provides. The CCT is and official Trail of the State of California, and will inspire both coastal use and stewardship, so that our scenic and natural resources are celebrated, appreciated, and conserved for generations to come. Along the CCT we can build a connected community of coastal stewards, and work together to care for the coast we love.
The CCT goes through over one hundred coastal jurisdictions – counties, cities, port districts, parks and more. The CCTA works to facilitate collaboration between all these entities so we can complete, promote and steward this wonderful public resource.
Former Executive Director, Una Glass
Over several months Mo and Jo took us along with them as the journeyed down California’s spectacular Coastal Trail. They shared insights from the people they meet and views from the sights they saw.
Coastwalk/CCTA supports the Trail in the areas Mo and Jo visited and works to complete the California Coastal Trail.
In the photo above, Jo is shown addressing the Coastal Conservancy Board on March 24, 2016, and describing the plans for her 2016 Expedition. Shortly after this photo was taken the Conservancy approved a $50,000 grant that is helping to fund the Great 2016 Expedition. The California Coastal Trail is critical to the Coastal Conservancy’s strategic plan and the cornerstone of the State’s coastal public access policies. Coastal Conservancy funding has contributed mightily to implementing the CCT along much of our coastline. The Great 2016 Expedition will be celebrating the Conservancy’s 40th Anniversary and spreading the word about the Conservancy’s work. Thank you Conservancy Board and Staff for the visionary work and leadership that you provide for the California Coastal Trail!