New section of coastal trail finished in Bodega Bay

Sonoma County officials on Thursday dedicated a new half-mile trail in Bodega Bay, part of a long-term project intended to extend access to the scenic coastline and bayside village that eliminates the need for cyclists and pedestrians to risk travel on narrow Highway 1.

The newly completed Coastal Prairie Trail connects the Bodega Bay Community Center and the access road to the Bodega Bay Dunes State Park campground farther north. It also provides improved access to the Children’s Bell Tower memorial built in honor of 7-year-old Nicholas Green, a local boy killed by masked gunmen while on a family vacation in Italy in 1994.

The 0.47-mile stretch of trail was built at a cost of $425,000, funded by Sonoma County Regional Parks, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, the Sonoma County Transportation Authority and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

It is part of a planned 3½-mile trail between Doran Beach and Salmon Creek Beach. It is being built in phases as funding becomes available and design and permit issues can be addressed.

Planners hope next to tackle a 0.63-mile segment north from the dunes campground to Keefe Avenue and the South Salmon Creek Beach neighborhood.

You can reach Staff Writer Mary Callahan at 521-5249 or mary.callahan@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @MaryCallahanB.