The Mallard Slough Trail is a public trail, but is not officially part of the Bay Trail. It is less used, and access is more restricted than the Alviso Slough Trail. The northern part of the Mallard Slough Trail Loop is closed during the winter to normal trail users in order to allow waterfowl hunting. The area around Mallard Slough itself is closed from March 1 to August 31 to protect nesting herons. In 1999, the northern parts of the trail were unusable due to the rough trail surface.
The Mallard Slough Trail runs next to the San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge Environmental Education Center (EEC), run by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. The center is primarily used for school field trips during the week. During the weekends, it is open to the public from 10 am to 5 pm. The center has a large parking lot. The gate closes at 5, so be careful not to get locked in. The center is a large multi-story wooden building sitting at the edge of New Chicago Marsh. The marsh was named after a failed housing development scheme that was supposed to be built on the lands covered by the marsh. The EEC has classrooms, maps, educational displays, and an enclosed observation tower on the top floor. Rangers are there to answer questions. There are picnic tables, benches, and an observation deck outside. Next to the center is a butterfly garden. Below the center is a 1200-foot long boardwalk that runs through New Chicago Marsh. Just east of the center is reed-lined Mallard Slough.
Alviso may seem like a ghost town in some places, but nearby is a real ghost town, the former town of Drawbridge. It is located on small Station Island in the South Bay, about 3 miles north of Alviso, between the Coyote River and Mud Slough. Starting in the late 1870's, people started coming here for fishing and hunting. They built houses here on stilts near the railroad tracks. It eventually developed into a community of 400. The community declined as sewage and pollution from the developing South Bay cities ruined the habitat. Eventually, the town was abandoned. Now it is a ghost town. It is closed to the public except for docent-guided tours. For information on tours, contact the San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge in Fremont at (510) 792-0222. The buildings of Drawbridge can be seen above the marshlands from the Alviso trails along the Coyote River. The northwest corner of the north Mallard Slough Trail provides the closest view.
The other way to access the trail, and the easiest for walkers, is from the EEC. See the directions for getting to the Alviso Slough Trail. The EEC is located at the end of Grand Blvd. in Alviso. From the west, get to Gold Street, then turn right on Taylor Street. Take Taylor to Grand, then turn left on Grand. Grand crosses Spreckels and Los Esteros. Straight ahead is a gate. If the gate is open, continue on the road to the EEC. Be sure to leave before closing hours to avoid getting locked inside. From the East Bay, the EEC can be reached by taking Hwy 237 to Zanker Road. Where Zanker Road meets Grand Blvd., make a sharp right turn into the EEC entrance road. See this map. The Mallard Slough Trail runs on the levee just north of the EEC.
The Mallard Slough Trail runs around a large salt pond, which is actually 2 ponds with a connecting channel in the middle. A narrow finger of marsh extends in from the west side and divides the pond in two, separating it into a northern and southern portion. The descriptions below describe the trail conditions in September of 1999, when the trail around the northern part of the pond was very rough and virtually impassable in the section along Mallard Slough. The Cargill Salt Company maintains the levee trails. Mud dredged from the Bay or salt ponds is heaped on top of the levees to maintain them. It takes several years for the mud to dry. As it dries, it becomes cracked and uneven. When it is dry enough, the surface needs to be graded and smoothed to allow for easy travel on it. By September 1999, this had not been done to the northern half of the trail. The southern section of the trail is smoother and more heavily traveled immediately adjacent to the Environmental Education Center. Before venturing out here, check with the EEC on the condition and accessibility of the trails.
This trail begins across the railroad tracks from the Alviso Slough Trail Loop. The main reason to take this trail segment is to reach the Environmental Education Center from the Alviso Slough Trail. It also reaches Mallard Slough and the Alviso Heronry.
Turn right after the railroad tracks. The mileage readings start here.
The trail is on the levee separating the salt pond to the east from the
marsh and railroad tracks to the west. The trail surface is softer and
bumpier than on the Alviso Slough Loop, but it is firm enough to be used
even by road bikes. At 0.3 miles, a gate lets water flow in from the salt
pond to the west. At 0.5 miles is a small wooden pier on the salt pond
to the east.
At 1.0 miles, the trail makes a 90 degree turn to the left. The levee divides
the salt pond from New Chicago Marsh.
Small islands in the salt pond, which were put there by the San Francisco
Bay Bird Observatory, provide a safe haven for waterfowl. One such island
is near the trail at 1.3 miles.
The Environmental Education Center soon comes into view. At 1.8 miles is
the end of the boardwalk that leads over New Chicago Marsh.
At 1.9 miles is a gravel road that leads from the trail to the paved road leading to the EEC's parking lot. (This can be used as an exit from the trail. The paved road leads to Grand Blvd. Surface streets can be used to return to the Alviso Marina, a total distance of 4.3 miles.)
Continuing on the Mallard Slough Trail, the trail turns towards the north as it follows Mallard Slough. Mallard Slough is used for freshwater discharge from the huge San Jose/Santa Clara Water Pollution Control Plant. The freshwater has affected the environment, turning former salt marshes into brackish and freshwater marshes. This has benefited some species, but hurt others, like the endangered clapper rail and salt marsh harvest mouse. Water recycling efforts are taking place to reduce the amount of freshwater discharge. The pond across the slough is off-limits. The smell of chlorine wafts through the area from the water treatment process. The water treatment plant's facilities and drying ponds occupy a large area to the east of Alviso.
At 1.0 miles is a boat dock on the slough.
At 1.2 miles is a sign indicating that the area is closed from March 1
to August 31 to protect nesting herons and egrets. The marsh that begins
here is known as the Alviso Heronry. The trail begins to curve away from
Mallard Slough, and a bulrush-covered marsh begins to widen out. The trail
takes a curving path around this marsh.
At 2.1 miles, the trail reaches the narrow channel joining the two salt
ponds. The trail on the west side can be easily seen across the channel.
In past years, the salt company had a wooden bridge over the channel. This
was not there in 1999. The trail from this point north was rough and virtually
impassable.
This trail segment provides the closest views available, without being on a guided tour, of the ghost town of Drawbridge. This section is recommended for foot travel or mountain bikes only. The surface is too soft for road bikes. This segment of the trail begins at the railroad crossing from the Alviso Slough Loop Trail as above. Turn left after reaching the salt pond levee. A sign here indicates that the trail is closed from October to January to allow duck hunting. The mileage readings begin here.
The levee is wide, but the surface is somewhat soft. It heads southeast
along the right side of a narrow finger of marsh.
To the left of the marsh is the large southern salt pond. The trail runs
straight along the edge of the pond.
At 0.5 miles, it reaches the end of the marsh. Here is a narrow channel
that joins the two salt ponds. The east side of the Mallard Slough Loop
Trail is across the channel.
The trail and makes a U-turn around the edge of the narrow marsh
and heads back in the opposite direction. The marsh is now on the left,
and the northern salt pond is on the right. The trail here is much softer
and lesser-used.
At 1.0 miles, the trail turns to the north, paralleling the railroad tracks,
which are in the middle of a narrow marsh. A short wooden boardwalk leads
out to the railroad tracks. The trail here is even softer and bumpier than
before. Bicycling becomes more difficult.
Finally, after 1.4 miles, the trail reaches the banks of the Coyote River.
The railroad crosses the creek on a bridge. On the other side of the Coyote
River is Station Island. Unauthorized access to the island is prohibited
and can result in a fine.
Across the creek, several old, decaying wooden buildings can be seen, barely
rising above the marsh. These are the remnants of the ghost
town of Drawbridge.
From here, the trail turns right and heads up the Coyote River. It eventually
reaches the mouth of Mallard Slough, where it drains into the Coyote River.
It then heads south down along the banks of Mallard Slough to the channel
joining the two salt ponds. However, the trail from here on becomes increasingly
rough, eventually becoming unrideable by bicycle and hazardous for foot
travel. Further travel along this route is not recommended until the trail
conditions improve.
The Environmental Education Center and New Chicago
Marsh:
The road to the EEC passes by the side of New
Chicago Marsh,. The town of Alviso can be seen along the west edge
of the marsh.
The striking wooden building housing the EEC can be seen at the northeast
corner of the marsh. The EEC is located on an upland area above the marsh.
Picnic tables and benches are provided around the outside of the center.
Inside the EEC are a number of displays. Here are some on the Chumash Indians,
who used to live in the area, and the birds that can be found here.
Next to the EEC is an upland garden with native plants. Flowers in the
garden attract hummingbirds.
The view from the observation tower in the EEC provides panoramic views
of the area. Here is a view of the boardwalk across New Chicago Marsh.
The boardwalk starts at back of the EEC and runs over the marsh.
The boardwalk crosses a slough on a bridge and ends at a salt pond levee,
along which runs the Mallard Slough Loop Trail.
For more on the Alviso Area, see the "Alviso:
Town and Slough" page.