Traducción al español:
La ciudad de San Luis Obispo abrió cuatro caminos nuevos para caminatas este martes. El área se usará principalmente para caminatas y montar en bicicleta gratuitamente, pero también para la observación de aves, entre otras cosas. Este camino está localizado en Righetti Hill, entre las calles Hillside y Twin Creek, en el sureste del pueblo. Los caminos de Righetti Hill abarcan de 0.4 a 0.6 millas. El espacio se usará en parte del programa protectivo “Greenbelt” para preservar el ambiente natural.
The City of San Luis Obispo opened four new hiking and biking trails at Righetti Hill on Tuesday, offering a variety of outdoor experiences in the 51-acre open space.
The area features a hiking-only trail, a hiking and biking multi-use trail, a concrete bike path and a beginner-friendly downhill mountain bike trail. Free to the public, the trailhead is located at Hillside Drive and Twin Creek Road in south-east San Luis Obispo.
San Luis Obispo Ranger Niels Grether helped design the new multi-use trails, which have been in development since 2021. He said the trail system is designed for diverse experiences, from bird watching to mountain biking.
“I just want people to come out here and have fun and connect with nature,” Grether said. “That’s what kind of drives me to do this work.”
The Righetti Hill trails range from a 0.4 mile beginner bike trail to a moderately challenging 0.6 mile hiking trail ending with panoramic views at the summit.
Rilee Morrison, Cal Poly Hiking and Backpacking Club co-president and a nutrition junior, appreciates the views of San Luis Obispo from Righetti Hill.
“We’re lucky to be surrounded by so much natural beauty, and having more chances to explore it is always a plus,” Morrison wrote in an email to Mustang News.
The open space is part of the greenbelt protection program, the city’s initative to preserve the natural environment.
“This is part of what makes San Luis Obispo so special,” Mayor Erica A. Stewart said in her speech during the ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday.
More than 4,000 acres of open space are protected in San Luis Obispo, but the greenbelt extends beyond city limits, said Bob Hill, the city’s sustainability and natural resources official. Throughout the past 30 years, the city has acquired open space lands valued at more than $30 million, according to Hill.
Righetti Hill is surrounded by neighborhoods that are connected by a bike path, Hill said, which is part of the city’s goal to make open spaces accessible to everyone.
“One of our goals is to have a trailhead within walking distance of every neighborhood in town,” Hill said. “It turns out we’re not far away from that.”
Gianna Merkel lives close to the trailhead and attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Merkel said she likes the variety of trails and the picnic area on the side of the hill.
“We can walk to it from our house,” Merkel said. “I think it’s so cool. You feel so lucky to have open spaces like this.”
