Buck Gulch Falls Creek Restoration and Trail Improvement Project

The Buck Gulch Falls Creek Restoration and Trail Improvement Project aims to restore Arroyo de San Jose Creek and its connected ephemeral streams while enhancing safe, sustainable, and inclusive trail access for all users along Spyglass Trail and Buck Gulch Falls Trail to Buck Gulch waterfall within the Ignacio Valley Open Space Preserve. Key improvements include installing two bridges to redirect visitor traffic away from the creek, adding a puncheon and boardwalk across unnamed streams, upgrading nearly 2,240 feet of existing trail, and realigning 850 feet of trail to move it away from eroding streambanks. The Buck Gulch Falls Trail will transition from hiker/equestrian use to hiker-only, and four fill slope walls will be constructed near the waterfall viewing area to stabilize the trail. Additional enhancements involve installing new fencing and signage, decommissioning and restoring 850 feet of degraded trail, and rehabilitating nearly 19,500 square feet of eroding streambank and riparian habitat. These efforts are designed to reduce environmental degradation, protect water quality, and preserve habitats for listed aquatic species by minimizing sedimentation and erosion. The project will employ erosion control measures such as straw wattles at trail transitions, aggregate base rock surfacing at bridge approaches, and seed and mulch applications on disturbed soils to support revegetation. All work aligns with the Regional Trail Management Plan policies, best management practices, Marin County Open Space District trail design standards, and its Inclusive Access Plan to ensure accessibility and sustainability. The initiative is led by the Marin County Open Space District with primary coordination handled by Senior Natural Resources Planner Jason Hoorn and Principal Environmental Planner Carrie Lukacic. The project was posted in June 2026 and is located in Novato, California, with the goal of creating a resilient, low-impact trail system that balances public access with ecological preservation in a sensitive riparian environment.