From mule trail to railway to regional trail
By East By Regional Park District & Lafayette Historical Society
OAKLAND, Calif. — The East Bay Regional Park District will mark the 50th anniversary of the Lafayette-Moraga Regional Trail with an open house and preview of 11 new interpretive panels highlighting the trail’s history and its role in connecting Lafayette and Moraga. The new panels will be unveiled during a special presentation at 10 am on Saturday, October 10, 2026, and will remain on display throughout the open house. Installation along the 7.65-mile trail is planned for later this year.
The Park District developed the panels in partnership with the Town of Moraga, City of Lafayette, Lafayette Historical Society, Moraga Historical Society, Moraga Community Foundation, and Community Foundation of Lafayette. The Lafayette Moraga-Regional Trail is a land-use partnership with the East Bay Regional Park District, EBMUD, City of Lafayette, and Town of Moraga.
These trails were used by mule trains in the 1800s to carry freshly milled redwood lumber. In 1913, the mule train routes became an electric railway, and the trail joined the 183-mile Sacramento Northern electric interurban railway, one of the longest interurban train routes in North America.
Before it was a trail, it was the path of the Sacramento Northern Railway.
For decades, electric trains rumbled through Lafayette along the railroad corridor that first reached town in 1913. Passenger service ended in 1941, and the last freight trains ran in 1957. For years afterward, the old railroad right-of-way sat quietly, waiting for a new purpose.
Then two Lafayette women—Avon Wilson and Lynn Hiden, affectionately known as the “Bike Ladies”—saw something others had overlooked. They envisioned a safe place where children could ride their bicycles away from busy streets.
That simple idea grew into something much bigger. With the help of Don Goode, Jerry Kent, local leaders, and others, the abandoned railroad corridor was transformed into the Lafayette-Moraga Regional Trail-one of the nation’s early Rails-to-Trails projects.
Today, thousands of people walk, run, bicycle and ride horseback along the same route where trains once carried passengers and freight through Lafayette.
Come celebrate 50 Years Along the Lafayette-Moraga Regional Trail and learn more about the remarkable story behind this much-loved Lafayette landmark.
Learn more about the Lafayette-Moraga Regional Trail at ebparks.org/trails/lafayette-moraga.
To learn about the trail’s 50 years of history, visit the Lafayette-Moraga History Trail website: lmhistorytrail.org.
Central Contra Costa Regional Trails Map shows Lafayette Moraga Regional Trail. Source: EBRPD
What: 50th Anniversary of the Lafayette-Moraga Regional Trail Open House and Exhibit Preview
- Allison Brooks, Assistant General Manager, External Affairs
- Lynda Deschambault, EBRPD Board Member (Ward 2)
- Candace Andersen, Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors
- John McCormick, Lafayette Vice Mayor
- Kerry Hillis, Moraga Mayor
- Shane Reisman, Representative from Historical Societies
- Representatives from the Lafayette Historical Society, Moraga Historical Society, Moraga Community Foundation, and Community Foundation of Lafayette
When: Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026
Doors open: 9am
Program starts: 10am
Where: Lafayette Community Center, Jennifer Russell Building, 500 St. Mary’s Road, Lafayette (map)
The East Bay Regional Park District is the largest regional park system in the nation, comprising 73 parks, 55 miles of shoreline, and over 1,330 miles of trails for hiking, biking, horseback riding, and environmental education. The Park District receives an estimated 30 million visits annually throughout Alameda and Contra Costa counties in the San Francisco Bay Area. For more information visit East Bay Regional Park District.
Leave a Reply