Headlands Trail Community Alert

Headlands Bluff Top Trail: What’s Happening and What We’re Doing About It

The Trail Is Currently Open

The Headlands Bluff Top Trail is open 7 days a week from 7:00 a.m. to sunset. A court order is in place requiring the trail to stay open at these hours while an ongoing legal case plays out.

Why Is This in the News?

You may have heard that the California Coastal Commission recently made a decision that could cut trail access down to just four days a week. The City disagrees with how that decision was made and here’s why it matters to you.

A Little Background

The Headlands is one of the last undeveloped coastal bluffs in Southern California. It’s a special place, not just for the incredible ocean views and whale watching, but because it’s home to the Pacific Pocket Mouse, one of the rarest mammals in the world. The Dana Point Headlands is one of only three places on Earth where this tiny mouse still lives in the wild.

For years, the City has worked to balance two important goals:

  • Keeping the trail open and accessible to the public
  • Protecting the sensitive habitat where the Pacific Pocket Mouse lives

What Happened

In 2020, the organization that manages the preserve, the Center for Natural Lands Management (CNLM), closed the trail without getting the required permits or approval from the City, the Coastal Commission, or wildlife agencies. The trail was closed without authorization for a total of 889 days.

The City took CNLM to court. A judge ruled that CNLM had to reopen the trail to its pre-closure hours (7 am – sunset) while the legal case continues.

Then, on March 12, 2026, the California Coastal Commission entered into an agreement with CNLM that would limit trail access to only four days a week. The City believes this agreement bypasses the judge’s order and skips the proper public process that should be followed before any trail hours are changed.

What the Science Actually Says

The City wants you to know what the research shows about the Pacific Pocket Mouse:

  • Mouse population numbers fluctuate from year to year and the population is dependent on numerous variables.
  • There is no scientific evidence that trail hours have caused population changes
  • Studies by the U.S. Geological Survey found that the biggest factor in the mouse’s recovery is habitat management, specifically, thinning overgrown shrubs so native plants and grasses can grow back
  • That habitat work has already led to better breeding success and an expanded territory for the mice
  • The trail is fenced with post-and-cable barriers and mature native plants that keep visitors on the path and out of sensitive habitat areas
  • The trail gates already lock automatically at sunset, protecting the mice during the nighttime hours when they are most active

Protecting the Pacific Pocket Mouse and keeping the trail open are not mutually exclusive. The science supports doing both.

Why the Process Matters

In California, any significant change to a coastal trail, like cutting access from seven days a week to four, is supposed to go through a Coastal Development Permit (CDP) process. That process exists for good reasons:

  • It gives residents like you a chance to weigh in
  • It allows environmental and wildlife agencies to review the science
  • It requires review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), which ensures environmental impacts are studied thoroughly
  • It creates a transparent, public record of how the decision was made

The City believes the Coastal Commission’s March 12 agreement with CNLM skipped this entire process and that’s not fair to you, to the wildlife agencies, or to the science.

What the City Is Doing

The Dana Point City Council voted unanimously to challenge the Coastal Commission’s decision. The City’s position is straightforward:

  • Any permanent change to trail hours must go through the proper CDP and CEQA process
  • Protecting the Pacific Pocket Mouse should be achieved through management of all the variables that effect the mouse, including habitat management the approach the science actually supports, prior to trail hours being reduced.

How You Can Stay Informed and Get Involved

This is your trail and your coastline. Here’s how to stay in the loop:

DOWNLOAD A SAMPLE LETTER(DOCX, 17KB)

Coastal viewpoint with a sandy area enclosed by green metal railings, featuring a concrete bench overlooking the ocean and surrounded by dry shrubs under a clear blue sky.
Sandy trail with green metal posts and wire fencing running along the edge of dry coastal shrubs, overlooking the ocean under a clear blue sky.
Coastal view with dry shrubs and sandy terrain in the foreground, overlooking the blue ocean with gentle waves and distant hills under a clear sky.
Coastal landscape with dry shrubs and sandy trails in the foreground, overlooking the ocean with blue water and distant hills under a clear sky.

Page last updated: April 2026

 

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