The expansion of the Santa Maria River Levee trail will provide much needed access to outdoor recreation for residents in Northern Santa Barbara County.
For generations, there has been disproportionate investment in outdoor recreation between North and South County, with South County having much more access to recreation options.
For example, Santa Barbara has over 130 miles across 52 trails available for residents and visitors to run, bike, walk, and hike, while residents of the more populous Santa Maria have access to only 8 miles of trails across 2 trails. The proposed trail expansion would double the trail miles easily accessible to North County residents. There is still a long way to go when it comes to equitable access to outdoor recreation throughout the county, but this would be a great place to start.