photo credit: Courtesy of Great Redwood Trail Agency
Map of existing, planned, and proposed sections of the Great Redwood Trail between 
Sonoma and Humboldt counties.

When completed, the planned long-distance hiking and biking trail called the Great Redwood Trail will stretch from the San Francisco Bay to Humboldt Bay. 

The Great Redwood Trail will follow active and dormant rail lines, from Larkspur in the south, to Blue Lake in the north; and connecting different pathways like the Humboldt Bay Trail and SMART train path, into a human-powered highway 307 miles long.

While some sections are already complete, Great Redwood Trail Agency head Elaine Hogan said at a recent webinar, "I hate to disappoint, but we don't have a final date yet."

"We are still in the master planning process," Hogan said.

State Senator Mike McGuire, on Tuesday night, hosted an annual virtual update on the Great Redwood Trail's progress.

McGuire has been leading the charge on the project, and has helped fend off an attempt by a coal company to seize control of derelict rail lines between Sonoma and Humboldt counties to transport coal from out of state.

Those right-of-ways are now in the trail agency's hands, and McGuire said the economic benefits that'll come from trail goers could be transformative.

"The National Association Realtors have found that having your home...that is [in] close proximity to a trail increases your property value by about 5 to 15%," McGuire said. "According to the Rails to Trails Conservancy, every dollar invested in constructing a trail generates about three bucks in economic benefits."

Construction of the Great Redwood Trail will also include extensive restoration along the many rail-banked miles, like in the Eel River Canyon, which are blighted with waste from long abandoned freight rail and industrial activity.

Campgrounds are expected around every eight miles through the trail's back country stretches.

Officials say they're formalizing agreements with fire agencies to guard against wildfire along the trail, and Hogan noted that tribal consultation has been a big part of the planning process.

"This fiscal year our board passed our agency budget that included paid contracting opportunities for tribes to partner with us on things like ecological restoration, cultural resource monitoring, and land stewardship," Hogan said.

The Great Redwood Trail Agency has courted some controversy though.

According to SFGATE, the agency dropped its partnership with private security firm Lear Asset Management, which was patrolling large stretches of the trail for homeless encampments.

That's after Lear came under scrutiny after an incident during which Lear agents removed a woman from a local Republican party town hall meeting in Idaho.