Franklin Trail Matching Grant

In April, 1913 the Carpinteria Valley News ran a headline that has a strange feeling of “déjà vu”: “Need $115 to Finish Work. Trail Down to Santa Ynez to be a Good One—Drop in to Hickeys’ and Help the Work Along With a Contribution.”

The original trail was an eight-mile trek up to the highest ridge and down to Alder Creek. The Friends of Franklin Trail have set their sights on rebuilding and reopening the five-mile stretch of trail that will run from Carpinteria High School up to Los Padres Forest. Today, they are racing toward a December 16 matching grant deadline where every dollar raised from the community will be matched 1:1 by La Centra-Sumerlin Foundation.

The Carpinteria Valley Association supports the Friends’ efforts to reopen this historic trail. The opportunity for hikers, mountain bike enthusiasts and equestrians will be a wonderful asset for Carpinteria. Words from a guidebook published in Santa Barbara in 1913, the year the original trail was completed by the Forest Service, still echo: “This is a trail that will appeal strongly to every resident of Santa Barbara County. From the summit one may turn and look toward the Pacific Ocean and the islands, and the Eden of Santa Barbara County, the lovely valley of Carpinteria, at your feet.”

Please support this critical work.