McKeon to Seek Federal Funds to Improve Pacific Crest Trail

Rep. Howard “Buck” McKeon said Thursday he will lead efforts to obtain $5 million in federal funding to improve the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail, including $2.5 million for a three-mile section in Agua Dulce.

In a letter to the California congressional delegation signed by all 12 of the state’s representatives whose districts include portions of the trail, McKeon (R-Santa Clarita) said he will ask the House Appropriations Committee to designate money from the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund to pay for trail improvements.

Half of the money would be earmarked for Agua Dulce, where a three-mile stretch of the trail runs along the side of Agua Dulce Road, a winding, heavily traveled two-lane thoroughfare. The money would be used to purchase nearby land that would allow hikers to walk through the area more safely, McKeon said.

Although a dedication ceremony was held for the trail in 1993, work on the path has never been completed, McKeon said.

“The Pacific Crest Trail is visited by thousands of people each year,” McKeon said. “But we need additional monies to complete the trail and make it safe.”

Stretching from Canada to Mexico, the 2,638-mile Pacific Crest Trail covers some of the most rugged and beautiful back-country in Washington, Oregon and California.

McKeon spokesman David Foy said the congressman was seeking the funds at the request of the Pacific Crest Trail Assn., a nonprofit organization that supports the trail and provides hiking information to the public.