Enjoy the Coast

Improving the ability of all Californians to access and enjoy the coast is central to the Coastal Conservancy’s mission.  We work with partners to develop and fund projects that:

• provide equitable and barrier-free coastal access;
• enhance inclusive public visitation;
• protect sensitive ecological areas;
• account for coastal hazards, including future sea level rise;
• incorporate sustainable design;
• encourage non-motorized transportation;
• foster appreciation and stewardship of the coast’s natural and cultural resources; and
• link communities to the coast.

Programs within the Enjoy the Coast Goal are:

Explore the Coast

This program funds coastal experiences for people and communities who face challenges to accessing or enjoying the coast. The ability to experience the coast without fear of financial cost, physical barriers or feelings of not belonging, is crucial to how people cultivate their own lifelong connections with the coast.

Explore the Coast Overnight

The Explore the Coast Overnight program was created to address the scarcity of affordable overnight accommodations at the California coast.  The program funds planning, design, permitting, and/or construction of lower-cost coastal accommodation projects.

Coastal Stories

The Coastal Stories Grant Program intends to make the outdoors more inclusive and welcoming for all Californians by fostering representation of Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) and other historically excluded groups in outdoor spaces – through storytelling.  It funds projects that plan, develop, and implement storytelling installations or materials (such as murals, signage, monuments, or guides) that represent communities and voices that have been historically excluded in the storytelling of California’s coast and publicly accessible lands.

Expand Accessibility

The Conservancy supports accessibility projects that reduce barriers to coastal access for people with disabilities. Projects include planning and construction of accessible staging areas, parking lots, trails, restrooms, signage, and other recreational amenities, as well as funding beach mats, beach wheelchairs, and other accessibility devices to maximize barrier-free access to the coast. Accessibility projects also include increasing access to information about the accessibility of recreational facilities and amenities.  These projects are funded on an ongoing basis through our rolling grant solicitation.  More information on Accessibility can be found here.

Recreation Facilities & Amenities

The Conservancy will support enhancement of facilities, such as picnic areas, parking lots, restrooms, and other amenities to enhance coastal recreational opportunities. The Conservancy will support educational and interpretive facilities and signage, including multi-lingual signage that enable people to enjoy natural, cultural, and historical resources. The Conservancy will support development of camping and other affordable overnight accommodations that support regional trails. These projects may also include pilot programs to support shuttles or other programs that increase transportation options to access the coast.

Piers and Waterfronts

The Conservancy recognizes the value of piers and waterfronts for tourism, recreation, and fishing. The Conservancy will support multi-benefit, coastal resilience
projects that revitalize waterfronts. Examples of these projects could include renovation of piers, removal of derelict infrastructure, improvements to waterfront
parks, fishing docks or facilities to adapt to sea level rise or improve the resilience of fishing communities, and projects that demonstrate innovation in sensitively integrating hard infrastructure into the natural coastal environment, like living sea walls.

Trails

The Conservancy will support projects to plan and build trails that increase access to and along the Coast, for both recreation and active transportation purposes. This
objective includes projects to help complete five flagship trails. The California Coastal Trail will be a continuous trail along the coast from the Oregon border to the Mexican Border. The Great Redwood Trail will be a trail stretching from San Francisco Bay to Humboldt Bay along a former railroad right of way. The Santa Ana River Trail will be a multi-use trail from the crest of the San Bernardino Mountains to the Pacific Ocean near Huntington Beach. The San Francisco Bay Trail will be a continuous walking and biking trail around the San Francisco Bay and across its major bridges. The Bay Area Ridge Trail will be a 550-mile long trail connecting along the ridgeline above San Francisco Bay.

In addition to these trails, the Conservancy will also support other regional trails that connect communities and expand access to and along the coast. The Conservancy will work with collaboratives and find new multi-benefit opportunities such as integrating trails with wildfire fuel breaks or other wildfire resilience work. Many trails may also be designed to help adapt shorelines to future sea level rise

  • California Coastal Trail:

    The California Coastal Trail (CCT) is being developed to create a continuous, interconnected public trail system spanning over 1200 miles from Oregon to Mexico The CCT takes a variety of forms designed to fit the surrounding environment, level of use, and available land rights. Whenever possible, the trail is designed to accommodate hiking, biking and equestrian use and be fully accessible.

Explore the River

When funding is available, the Santa Ana River Conservancy program’s Explore the River grant program seeks to provide experiences for people and communities who face challenges or barriers to accessing or enjoying the Santa Ana River.  The ETR grant program focuses on the River and its tributaries excluding the coastal areas.