Bear Valley to Five Brooks (June 23) Hike Preview

We continue our "Summer at the Seashore" series of hikes this week by starting at the Bear Valley Visitor Center in Point Reyes National Seashore and hiking south to Five Brooks. (We last did this hike on May 28, 2008). Here's Wendy's description of the outing: "We’ll start by checking out birds and dragonflies around the pond at Five Brooks, then carpool to Bear Valley. Past years we’ve seen satyr commas, Acmon blues, field crescents, California tortoiseshells, pale swallowtails, Western tiger swallowtails, and dragonflies including cardinal meadowhawks, Western pondhawks, and eight spotted skimmers." (Click here to read about the flora and fauna we saw last year).

Directions to Trailhead: THIS IS A SHUTTLE HIKE (CALL OR E-MAIL WENDY IF YOU'RE COMING: Home: 415 457-3949; E-mail: bdreskin@comcast.net).

We'll meet at Five Brooks at 9:30 am. Take Sir Francis Drake to Olema, turn left onto Highway 1, and continue south until you see the right hand turn off the highway to Five Brooks. We'll leave some cars at Five Brooks, so we'll need some drivers not in a hurry to head home after the hike to drive those who left their cars at the trailhead back to Five Brooks.

Restrooms (porta-potties) at Five Brooks and (real-deal flush toilets) at Bear Valley. Carpool from St. Rita at 8:55 am.

Weather forecast: As of Friday evening, June 19th, the National Weather Service forecast for Tuesday, June 23rd for Olema was mostly sunny with a high near 72. (Click here for an updated forecast).

More on this hike: Hike "F8 Five Brooks Trailhead to Bear Valley" in the Martins' book, Hiking Marin, does this 4.4 mile hike in the reverse direction from our trek. Our route will roughly parallel the San Andreas Fault which splits the Olema Valley down its middle.

After about a mile and a half we'll begin to cross the 2,000 acre parcel owned by the Vedanta Society of Northern California. Later we'll skirt the the historic Stewart Ranch. This trail is popular with equestrians, and we're likely to encounter horses and cattle along the way.

The elevation change is only 350' over the length of the trail, and many sections are quite flat or downhill. (Click here to view the Rift Zone Trail on the park's South District Trail Map).

The Google Earth image below gives you a bird's eye view of the route will follow; the Bear Valley parking lot is at the far right, and "Mill Pond" at the far left is at Five Brooks. The yellow line marked "Shoreline Highway" is Highway 1. (Click on the image to enlarge it in your Web browser).