Devil's Slide, once hellish, opens Thursday as heavenly trail

Video: Devil's Slide Trail to open

Until its retirement about a year ago, the treacherous stretch of Highway 1 known as Devil's Slide was a white-knuckle ride, a dizzying drive where motorists nervously kept their eyes on the road, resisting the temptation to glance at the Pacific Ocean hundreds of feet below.

But since the twin-bore Devil's Slide Tunnel opened last March, the old bluff-top highway has been transformed into a place to relax, slow down and enjoy the spectacular view.

On Thursday, the Devil's Slide Trail, a 1.3-mile path for hikers, cyclists and horseback riders, opens to the public. It's the latest addition to the San Mateo County Parks system. The trail, built atop what was the state highway, has been repaved, a pair of parking lots and restrooms have been added, and there are three overlooks, 12 benches and an array of interpretive panels detailing the area's history, geology, flora and fauna. Coming soon are observation scopes for visitors who left their binoculars behind.

Rugged, serene spectacle

But mostly, it features stunning views of the rocky San Mateo County coast and rugged San Pedro Mountain above.

The 1.3-mile Devil's Slide Trail, which opens to the public Thursday, features three overlooks, 12 benches and an array of interpretive panels. The 1.3-mile Devil's Slide Trail, which opens to the public Thursday, features three overlooks, 12 benches and an array of interpretive panels. Photo: Michael Short, The Chronicle Photo: Michael Short, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 37 Caption Close Devil's Slide, once hellish, opens Thursday as heavenly trail 1 / 37 Back to Gallery

San Mateo County Parks Director Marlene Finley said coastal residents who have driven the highway for years told her they always wondered what it would be like to enjoy the view from Devil's Slide, which was too narrow and precariously perched to allow for scenic turnouts.

"Now is the opportunity to really spend some time looking at the ocean, looking at the wildlife, looking at the fishing boats going by, feeling the salt air," she said Tuesday on a tour of the trail. "Visitors can expect to have a leisurely walk atop the Pacific."

As rain yielded to sunshine then back to windy showers that swept in off the ocean, construction crews were hard at work installing signs, railings and other finishing touches. Parts of the former highway - particularly the roller coaster-like stretch where rock slides repeatedly ripped apart the highway, causing closures that sometimes lasted for months - look the same. But along much of it, it's hard to believe the narrow, winding stretch was a major highway carrying traffic in both directions between Pacifica and Montara.

"This is a dream come true - the work of so many people," said Deidra Kennedy of the Pacifica Historical Society.

'So close to being buried'

Kennedy credited activists who fought Caltrans plans to build an inland bypass and instead persuaded county voters to pass an initiative calling for construction of a tunnel.

"This came so close to being buried by hundreds of tons of rock," Kennedy said as she trekked up the trail. "But now the remaining roadbed has been repurposed for people and their dogs, if they're on leash, and horses."

Transforming the trail cost $2 million. The money came from the Coastal Conservancy, the state Department of Natural Resources, Caltrans and San Mateo County. The county will foot the annual $695,000 bill for rangers and park aides, supplies and maintenance, which is sure to include a lot of rock removal.

Although the former highway is now a trail, it is still subject to the forces of nature that gave Devil's Slide its name. The half-mile-wide slide extends 900 feet from the ocean to the rocky ridgetop. Geologic forces cause the slide to pull toward the Pacific. Despite attempts to tame it, the slide tossed rocks atop Highway 1, ripped fissures in the roadway, and pulled chunks of it over the cliff. Since it opened in 1937, the highway was forced to close dozens of times, turning the San Mateo coast into what residents described as the world's longest cul-de-sac.

Appeal for locals, tourists

Finley said she's often asked what the county will do if Devil's Slide decides to claim a section of the new bikeway.

"What would happen if it slides? Would we rebuild it? It depends," she said. "If it costs too much, we'd just have two great overlooks."

For now, though, San Mateo County and the rest of the Bay Area have a spectacular new trail that's sure to be popular with locals as well as tourists. In addition to parks staff, the county has a troop of volunteer ambassadors who have been educated on the history, geology, plants and animals of the area.

Jim Sullivan, one of those ambassadors, said the new trail is an important part of a developing coastal trail network that allows people to escape automobiles and enjoy nature. That the Devil's Slide Trail was taken from cars and given to pedestrians, equestrians and bicyclists only makes it more special, he said.

"I'm so glad it happened in my lifetime," he said. "To be able to have a place this special, without motor vehicles, is remarkable."