Post Grids

Max Lenail died in 2021 when trying to cross the river in Mission Trails Park. His parents Ben and Laurie hope the Bridge for Max project will prevent hiking accidents for generations to come. CBS News 8 story by Katy Stegall, Dorian Hargrove, Alex Lai To read the full story go here.

Dear Friends: I had several productive meetings in San Diego yesterday, to advance the Max Lenail Memorial Bridge to the next step. It is a critical time for the project. I am both excited and tense.  I met Kevin Legge in-person for the first time. I hired Kevin to help me manage the project in the year ahead. This […]

On July 18, Ben spent the day at Mission Trails Regional Park in San Diego. He first took a trip to the San Diego River Crossing where Max died on January 29, 2021; and where the Max Lenail Memorial Bridge will be built. Senior Ranger Julie Aielts accompanied him, and they paid their respects together. The […]

Dear Friends We recently marked the three-year anniversary of Max’s tragic death at the San Diego River Crossing at Mission Trails Regional Park. It is fortuitous that the project to build the Max Lenail Memorial Bridge is making good progress. We’re aiming for construction in 2025, early 2026 at the latest. We (Ben and Laurie), in partnership […]

In 2021, Max LeNail drowned while trail running in a San Diego park. His parents demanded a bridge. Two years later, they’re still fighting. Max LeNail was five minutes away from the end of his run when the hail storm started. He had already summited the South Fortuna peak in San Diego, California’s Mission Trails […]

Dear Friends, I spent the past two days in San Diego to get the Max Lenail Memorial Bridge back on track. I made good progress. Laurie and I always knew that we would face government bureaucracy, and that we would have to stay very involved in the project. It is a private project on public […]

Max Lenail died in 2021 when trying to cross the river in Mission Trails Park. His parents Ben and Laurie hope the Bridge for Max project will prevent hiking accidents for generations to come. CBS News 8 story by Katy Stegall, Dorian Hargrove, Alex Lai To read the full story go here.

Dear Friends: I had several productive meetings in San Diego yesterday, to advance the Max Lenail Memorial Bridge to the next step. It is a critical time for the project. I am both excited and tense.  I met Kevin Legge in-person for the first time. I hired Kevin to help me manage the project in the year ahead. This […]

On July 18, Ben spent the day at Mission Trails Regional Park in San Diego. He first took a trip to the San Diego River Crossing where Max died on January 29, 2021; and where the Max Lenail Memorial Bridge will be built. Senior Ranger Julie Aielts accompanied him, and they paid their respects together. The […]

Dear Friends We recently marked the three-year anniversary of Max’s tragic death at the San Diego River Crossing at Mission Trails Regional Park. It is fortuitous that the project to build the Max Lenail Memorial Bridge is making good progress. We’re aiming for construction in 2025, early 2026 at the latest. We (Ben and Laurie), in partnership […]

In 2021, Max LeNail drowned while trail running in a San Diego park. His parents demanded a bridge. Two years later, they’re still fighting. Max LeNail was five minutes away from the end of his run when the hail storm started. He had already summited the South Fortuna peak in San Diego, California’s Mission Trails […]

Dear Friends, I spent the past two days in San Diego to get the Max Lenail Memorial Bridge back on track. I made good progress. Laurie and I always knew that we would face government bureaucracy, and that we would have to stay very involved in the project. It is a private project on public […]

Dear Friends: The Max Lenail Memorial Bridge project is very much alive, and our goal continues to have the inauguration by January 29, 2024, the third anniversary of Max’s death. All year, our prime contractor KPFF has been working hard to complete physical and environmental surveys and obtain all necessary permits. We have a precise […]

Laurie and I are immensely grateful for the many messages, letters, and gifts we received from you to mark the One-Year Anniversary of Max’s tragic death. On Saturday, we went to Mission Trails Regional Park for a time of remembrance, community, and celebration of the progress with the Max LeNail Memorial Bridge. We gathered at the […]

Progress on BridgeForMax continues. Here are some key updates We have selected a prime contractor for the Bridge for Max project: KPFF Consulting Engineers. We evaluated other compelling proposals, and KPFF won on the merits. Their architectural partner is Safdie Rabines, and their environmental consultant is UltraSystems. The project is now starting in earnest.  We are expecting a major gift into the Max […]

Dear Friends, Laurie and I continue to be fully committed to build the Max LeNail Memorial Bridge in San Diego’s Mission Trails Regional Park. We are making steady and substantial progress towards our goal.  After recent rains, the San Diego River Crossing where Max drowned on January 29 is now under three feet of water. The City Attorney has installed […]

City Councilman Raul Campillo on Thursday announced $1.5 million in state funding for the “Bridge for Max” initiative to construct a pedestrian and bicycle bridge at the San Diego River Trail Crossing in the park where a 21-year-old man drowned in January. [Read more at KPBS]

A family’s push to bring a bridge to the Mission Trails river crossing where their son died in January just got a major boost from the state. District 7 Councilmember Raul Campillo joined Max LeNail’s family Thursday to announce a $1.5 million grant from the state will help fund the project at Mission Trails Regional […]

Laurie Yoler and Ben Lenail will be in San Diego on July 22nd to participate in a press conference with the Mayor, the President of the California State Senate, and Councilmember Raul A. Campillo to announce major public funding for the Maximilian Lenail Memorial Bridge. This public funding, added to the $750K that has already raised from family, friends […]

Max LeNail was on a run in Mission Trails, which encompasses 8,000 acres and more than 60 miles of trails, when he went missing in January. City Councilmember Raul Campillo, chair of the Mission Trails Regional Park Task Force, said Wednesday he supports constructing a pedestrian and bicycle bridge at the San Diego River Crossing […]

Councilman Raul Campillo, chair of the Mission Trails Regional Park Task Force, Wednesday expressed support for constructing a pedestrian and bicycle bridge at the San Diego River Crossing in Mission Trails Regional Park to honor the memory of a 21-year-old student who drowned at the crossing in January. “I will vote to advance this proposal […]

San Diego Councilmember Raul Campillo announced his support Wednesday for a bridge in Mission Trails Regional Park to honor a 21-year-old who drowned at a trail crossing this year. Campillo, who is chair of the Mission Trails Regional Park Task Force, held a press conference to announce his support and call for the construction of […]

San Diego City Councilmember Raul Campillo, District 7, will host a press conference on Wednesday May 19th, 2021 to announce support for a pedestrian and bicycle crossing bridge at the San Diego River Crossing in Mission Trails Regional Park. See the press release from Councilmember Raul Campillo. The event will be held at the  Mission […]

Citizens’ Advisory Committee recommendation to initiate creation of a pedestrian bridge will move on the Task Force Meeting on May 20th SAN DIEGO – May 6, 2021 – The Bridge For Max campaign, an effort to fundraise and advocate for the creation of a pedestrian bridge at the San Diego River Crossing Trail at Mission […]

A footbridge on this San Diego Trail would prevent more hikers from befalling a similar fate, and honor their son. by Zoe Gates [Read more from Zoe Gates writing for Backpacker]

Whether hiking, climbing or running, Max LeNail loved nature and being in the mountains. A serious athlete, the 21-year-old set out for a run at Mission Trails on January 29 to train for an upcoming ultra-marathon. Later that evening, he planned to leave for a climbing trip to Joshua Tree with friends. [Read more at […]

The parents of Max Lenail are continuing their push to build a bridge at a treacherous stretch of Mission Trails.. [View more at San Diego KGTV]

Ben and Laurie Lenail joined Morning Extra on what would have been Max’s 22nd birthday to talk about the fund that will raise money for a memorial bridge [View more at CBS San Diego]

On the last day of his life, Max Lenail jogged towards the San Diego River in Mission Trails Regional Park. The Jan. 29 run was part of the 21-year-old’s training for an ultra-marathon with his brother, according to family members, and he had plans with friends to leave for a climbing trip in Joshua Tree […]

The Lenail/Yoler family will launch a fund with the San Diego Foundation to build a pedestrian bridge at the San Diego River crossing in Mission Trails Regional Park to commemorate the death of their son, Max Lenail… [Read more from NBC7]

Ben and Laurie are now raising money through the San Diego Foundation, to build a bridge that fits with the landscape… [View more from CBS San Diego]

Ben and Laurie commissioned this design and engineering report from KPFF Consulting Engineers which was presented at the meeting of the Park Task Force on March 18, 2021.

The San Diego River Crossing Trail intersects the Visitor Center Loop Trail just to the northwest of Mission Trails Regional Park’s Visitor Center. It’s your typical fire road with a moderately steep grade. [Read more at San Diego Reader]

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A new approach Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem […]

A new approach Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem […]

A new approach Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem […]