Felton’s Quail Hollow Ranch Adds Six Miles of Trails Across 80 Acres: County Schedules October 26 Opening

FELTON, Santa Cruz County — October 26, 2026. Nearly 80 acres of previously inaccessible open space at Quail Hollow Ranch County Park are becoming more accessible to the public through a new trail system. Santa Cruz County Parks scheduled an opening ceremony for the Pace Family Wilderness Trails on Monday, October 26, at 1 p.m., at 800 Quail Hollow Road in Felton.

Six miles of new paths through a sensitive landscape

The county says the project establishes approximately six miles of hiking trails, connected to the park by a roughly half-mile segment from the existing Sunset Trail. Designers worked to avoid sensitive native vegetation and drainage features in the Santa Cruz Sandhills, a distinctive ecosystem with plants and insects found in few other places.

Four steel art installations called Sandhills Sentinels identify local species in bilingual displays, including the Ben Lomond spineflower, Ben Lomond wallflower, Mount Hermon June beetle and Zayante band-winged grasshopper. The trail project received a $200,000 matching grant from California’s Habitat Conservation Fund, according to the county.

What visitors should know

The ceremony was scheduled for today; this report does not claim firsthand attendance or independently confirm completion of the event. For today’s gate access, parking and trail hours, visitors should consult Santa Cruz County Parks. Because rare species occur here, visitors should remain on marked paths and observe park rules.

Primary source: Santa Cruz County Parks announcement, issued October 21. Follow Felton News for reporting on the San Lorenzo Valley.

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