A proposed bridge connecting several parks would boost access to the natural world.

When I, Pam Marino, lived in Santa Clara County, I’d sometimes look at maps to see just how possible it was to hike from my house over the Santa Cruz Mountains to the Pacific Ocean. It was totally doable, linking regional and state parks. I did it at least halfway with one of my sons, backpacking from the Saratoga Gap to where Big Basin State Park meets Highway 1.

I love it when open spaces and parks connect to give the public nearly unlimited access to explore nature, which is why I’m happy to see that the Carmel Area Bridge to Everywhere is progressing toward reality.

My colleague David Schmalz wrote last year about plans by the Carmel Area Wastewater District to form a committee to oversee turning an old CAWD utility bridge over the Carmel River into a pedestrian bridge that will connect several regional parks and natural spaces.

That committee has been hard at work for the past year, putting together plans for the bridge that will one day connect Carmel River State Beach, Rio Park, Mission Trail Nature Preserve, State Parks’ Hatton Canyon area, the Carmel River FREE area and Palo Corona Regional Park.

In theory you could walk from Carmel, cross the river, head down to the beach and hike all the way to Point Lobos. Or walk along a trail that would take you up the river, under Highway 1 and all the way to Palo Corona to the east, or north to the Hatton Canyon area.

On Tuesday, Dec. 4, members of the committee, including former Carmel mayor Ken White, addressed the Carmel City Council, sharing details of the Bridge to Everywhere. 

They need the city’s support to make it happen, since a proposed trail to the bridge would go through city land currently used as a storage area. They also need support from the Diocese of Monterey because the trail hugs the back of the Carmel Mission, as well as from California State Parks, Monterey Regional Park District and the Big Sur Land Trust. Money to build the bridge and surrounding trails will come from grant funding.

You can learn more about the project at the committee’s website, bridge-to-everywhere.org. There are maps, videos and photos to help you understand where everything will be located. 

It’s an exciting project, one that I hope gets the support and funding it needs to become a reality.