Trail Project: Peter Douglas Trail at Shady Dell

The Peter Douglas trail is located in an area called “Shady Dell.” Shady Dell is located just north of Usal and is the gateway to the extremely rugged area known as the Lost Coast. The 1,000-acre Shady Dell property is owned by Save the Redwoods League. The Mendocino Land Trust took on the task of constructing 2.3 miles of trail through this area with old-growth redwoods, including a special grove of “Candelabra Trees.” MLT was able to contract with AmeriCorps NCCC and the California Conservation Corps. These organizations employ young people to work for a year or more on outdoor projects with a different focus each quarter of the year. At Shady Dell, each crew had about a dozen workers who set up camp for weeks at a time and worked long days cutting trail during spring and summer of 2015.

The Peter Douglas Trail, which opened in 2016, is named in memory of the Executive Director of the California Coastal Commission for more than 25 years. This trail is a prime example of how MLT works with many partners to make things happen. This project was a success thanks to the support of the California Coastal Conservancy, Coastal Commission, Save the Redwoods League, the California Conservation Corps, NCCC AmeriCorps, Redwood Forest Foundation, Coastwalk and many other organizations and individuals.

Get details on hiking this trail here.