Stanford Perimeter Trail finished

The Stanford Perimeter Trail, now open for public use, is part of a system of regional hiking and bicycling trails connecting San Francisco Bay to the foothills. (Image credit: Stanford Land, Buildings & Real Estate )

The university has put the finishing touches on the new Stanford Perimeter Trail and is inviting the campus and local communities to give the 3.4-mile trek a try.

The trail, which stretches from Junipero Serra Boulevard to Quarry Road, is part of a set of regional biking and hiking trails designed to connect recreational areas in the foothills to those in the Palo Alto Baylands. Work on the trail began in spring 2015. Among the upgraded features of the Stanford Perimeter Trail are improved intersection crossings and enhanced shoulders.

“We’d like to thank everyone involved in the construction of this trail, especially the community members who provided design feedback, as well as the city of Palo Alto and Santa Clara County,” said Jean McCown, associate vice president for government and community relations. “This is a great addition to our community, and we hope our neighbors and members of the campus community enjoy using it.”

The Stanford Perimeter Trail is a multi-use path that runs along El Camino Real between Quarry Road and Stanford Avenue; Stanford Avenue between El Camino Real and Junipero Serra Boulevard; and along Junipero Serra Boulevard between Stanford Avenue and Page Mill Road. At that point, the trail links to the Matadero Creek Trail, which runs along Page Mill Road and offers extraordinary views of San Francisco Bay and the Santa Cruz Mountains.

The Stanford Perimeter Trail is especially a boon to parents of students attending Nixon and Escondido schools. The trail features green bicycle lanes along Stanford Avenue and provides safer biking and walking for students and their parents going to and from the local elementary schools.

Stanford Avenue has also been made safer through a reconfiguration of the circulation and parking arrangements near Junipero Serra Boulevard. The new trail and the traffic and parking improvements have enabled a safer and better pedestrian passage along Stanford Avenue. The trail also includes new bike corral parking at the intersection with Stanford Avenue.

Along El Camino Real, the Stanford Perimeter Trail also provides a safer route for students traveling to and from Palo Alto High School.

“It was both a pleasure and a privilege for us to work on this trail,” said Jim Inglis, director of design and construction in real estate operations. “Knowing who would benefit from the trail, it was a labor of love for us, and we’re very happy to see people using it.”

The Stanford Perimeter trail was initially designed by the university and the Stanford Campus Residential Leaseholders (SCRL) as part of a joint Palo Alto and Stanford funding application to Santa Clara County for recreational facilities. Stanford and Palo Alto both won awards. Palo Alto’s winning projects are working their way through city and county processes. Stanford did not use the award funding from the county but chose to pay for the entire design and construction with Stanford University funds.

“It is a wonderful example of Stanford University leadership and homeowners working together to create something valuable to all of Stanford and surrounding communities,” said Jim Sweeney, president of the SCRL board and director of the Precourt Energy Efficiency Center.