Rock Spring (Mt. Tam) "Final Exam" Hike (May 12) Preview

As we did last year, we'll wrap up the Spring College of Marin hiking series with this Mount Tamalpais State Park hike. (Click here for a recap of last year's May 13th walk). Here's Wendy's outline for the hike: "Last year we saw eight species of butterflies including a brown elfin, Western tiger swallowtail, and lots of Propertius duskywings! We should see coral roots, meadow rue, and golden banners on this mostly shady loop hike. Bring a plate and utensils, and food to share for the Gourmet Final!"

Directions to trailhead: Go south on Highway 101 to the Stinson Beach/Highway 1 exit. Go west on Highway 1 and wind around a lot. At the top of the ridge, turn right onto Panoramic Highway and continue to the 4-way "crossroads." Take the middle road to Mt. Tamalpais. Continue along this road for 5-6 miles. At the Pantoll Ranger Station the road divides. Take the upper road for about 1 mile. The road divides again. This is Rock Spring. Park here. Driving time from College of Marin 55 minutes. Outhouse at trailhead and mid-way. (Carpoolers can meet at the Greenbrae Park & Ride lot around 9:10-9:15 am).

Weather forecast: As of Wednesday, May 6th, the National Weather Service forecast for the area around Rock Spring on Mt. Tam was mostly sunny with a high near 63. (Click here for an updated forecast).

More on this hike: The "B17 Simmons - Potrero - Arturo Trails" hike in the Martins' book, Hiking Marin, shows the trails that we'll be hiking in, although we'll probably follow a different route (Simmons to Benstein to Potrero Meadows to Laurel Dell and back up the Cataract Trail to Rock Spring). Page 6 of the state park brochure has a trail map that shows the area. The Google Earth image below shows were we'll be on the mountain. (Click on the photo to open a larger image in your Web browser).