An all-volunteer effort is underway to expand hiking and biking access in the hills above the Lompoc Valley, building out a new network of public trails near the existing Bodger Trail.
Volunteers have already cut in several miles of preliminary trail using hand tools and heavy equipment. The new routes are designed to be longer and less steep than the current trail, opening up access to more people in the community.
The project is led by Dave Baker, chairmanof the Lompoc Trails Hike & Bike Committee, who said the work has been years in the making.
“This is six years in the making to get approved,” Baker said. “And so now, the easy part is actually constructing the trails.”
Baker said the idea to expand trails above Lompoc began in 2019, when volunteers started looking for ways to bring more free outdoor recreation to the area. One of the group’s first steps, he said, was meeting with nearby residents after concerns were raised about how increased trail use could affect surrounding neighborhoods.
“One of the first things I wanted to do was meet up with the local homeowners association and see what their concerns were and their biggest concern was the parking,” Baker said. “So we didn’t have it in our original plans, but yeah, we’re cutting in a parking lot for about 24 vehicles.”
He said the goal was to provide access to the trails while keeping cars off neighborhood streets.
Access to the land itself grew out of an earlier community project. Baker said volunteers partnered with the City of Lompoc in 2015 to build the River Bend Bike Park through a public-private partnership that relied on community fundraising.
During that project, Baker said the group worked with the Rotary Club of Lompoc and the Santa Barbara Foundation on a dedication honoring local resident Al Walker. Baker said Walker’s family owned property surrounding the Bodger Trail and he wanted to see more recreational use of the land.
“They wanted to see more recreation on this property, so they gifted it to our foundation,” Baker said.
Construction on the trail expansion has been funded entirely through donations and volunteer support. Baker said about $150,000 has been raised so far, but additional funding is still needed.
“That’s cash in our hand,” Baker said. “If you do the math on that, we need probably another $30,000, and then that’ll help take us to the finish line.”
Volunteers have already cut between four and five miles of preliminary trail, much of it by hand, before heavier equipment was brought in.
“We’ve cut in our preliminary line using hand tools and chainsaws,” Baker said. “And now we’re coming through with a little heavier equipment.”
For hikers already using the Bodger Trail, the expansion represents a significant change.
“I’m so excited that the trails are being developed,” said Indra Purmale, a Lompoc resident who was hiking the trail with her children. “Even when I come without the stroller, the uphill is intense. It’s so nice to have the offshoots now.”
Another hiker, Stephanie Casique, said the trail offers more than just physical exercise.
“It relieves all the stress,” Casique said. “It’s my peace and my stress relief.”
Baker said the project is meant to address a broader need in the community.
“The community of Lompoc is screaming for things to do,” he said. “We’re trying really hard to bring good, fun, free activities.”
Whether the trails open fully by this summer will depend on continued donations, equipment support and volunteer availability, but Baker said construction is already underway, and community involvement remains key.
“We really hope to get even more of the community engaged and active,” Baker said.
