One Step Closer to Dragoon Gulch Trail Expansion

Sonora, CA — Hikers could soon walk a bit farther on the Dragoon Gulch Trail. At its meeting this Monday, the Sonora City Council will decide whether to hire Development Impact Inc. of Elk Grove to do environmental impact studies for the trail’s expansion. The study will take about 15 weeks, but City Development Director Rachelle Kellogg says during that time they will be working on applying for grant funding to be able to start the actual development project.

Kellogg says, “We are really going to look at phasing, so that we can do some of the easier stuff more quickly and people can start seeing some changes out there. We will hold off on the development so people can actually start using new parts of the trail sooner than later.”

Kellogg says the plan also include new restrooms and a parking lot, which will come later. The trail will expand from 32 to 102 acres. The 2.5 mile Dragoon Gulch Trail is just off of North Forest Road.

The city has received a $50,000 grant from the Tuolumne County Health Department from money it got thanks to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The city council meeting begins at 4 pm on Monday.

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