Morgan Hill residents will have numerous chances in the coming weeks to gain more details, offer input and ask questions about the city’s plan to establish a trail to the top of El Toro Mountain.
The series of meetings—which starts Nov. 15 with the Parks and Recreation Commission—will be conducted by the City of Morgan Hill in coordination with the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority. Key points to be discussed during the meeting are:
• Update on the development of a southern trailhead/access point at the base of the odd-shaped hill that overlooks the valley from west Morgan Hill;
• Opportunities presented by the OSA to acquire land at the west end of West Main Avenue;
• Potential updates to the city’s approved access strategy and the trail planning process.
The PRC meeting will take place 7 p.m. Nov. 15 at Morgan Hill City Council chambers, 17555 Peak Ave.
On Nov. 30, starting at 6 p.m., the OSA and city staff will co-host an El Toro Trail planning open house, also at council chambers. This will be a more informal meeting where attendees will have a chance to have individual discussions with city and OSA staff.
Then the City Council will discuss the latest input and updates at its 7 p.m. Dec. 7 meeting at council chambers.
City officials, residents and open space advocates have discussed the possibility of creating a permanent trail, open year-round to the public, to the top of El Toro Mountain, which is known to long-time locals as Murphy’s Peak.
Although a path to the top can be seen from the valley floor, that access is located on private property, prohibiting public access. Trespassing on the property has been reported and enforced numerous times over the years.
The last time the council discussed a possible El Toro trail was in February 2015, when the five-member body voted to move ahead on plans to use a property near the intersection of DeWitt and Spring avenues as the primary trailhead for any future public trail.
Planners have not yet determined how hikers would get from the proposed trailhead to the start of an existing trail on the side of the mountain, which is owned by the OSA.
Residents in neighborhoods west of Morgan Hill, at the base of El Toro Mountain, have long complained about the trespassing hikers who park their vehicles on the streets and leave behind trash and destroy property. These residents have pleaded with the council to ensure any trail plan they implement will address their concerns.
