The volunteer trail crews of the Santa Monica Mountains Task Force (SMMTF) and the Santa Monica Mountains Trails Council (SMMTC) teamed up for a public outreach at the San Fernando Valley CicLAvia event in December of 2024.
Over 500 people visited our information table to learn about what we do for the benefit of all visitors to the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. Some visitors signed up for our newsletters, while others joined our crews to help with trail maintenance in the subsequent weeks and months.
CicLAvia events involve closing off 5-10 mile stretches of roadway for human-powered movement, helping to catalyze vibrant public spaces, encourage active transportation, and promote good health among the participants. The concept started 50 years ago in Bogota, Columbia. The first Los Angeles-based event was in 2010, and has grown to eight sites a year.
Participants range from runners to walkers, wheelchairs to skateboards, bicycles to unicycles, and so much more. You can feel the joyous energy as you move to the rhythms of others who celebrate being out and about simply for the sake of pleasure.
Our volunteers’ activities included ensuring participants paused when motorized traffic was allowed to cross the route, and to staff our outreach tables.
The organizers and affiliated organizations were thrilled with our efforts, and are excited to see us return in the future.
