Palomarin Hike (7/8) Preview

We resume our summer hikes this coming week with another trip to Point Reyes National Seashore, this time beginning at the far southern end of the park at the Palomarin trailhead near Bolinas.

Here's Wendy's description of this outing: "This hike is not a loop, but has incredible ocean views making it well worth the drive!

We should see Bee Plant, Seep-Spring Monkey Flower, Salmonberries and more. Lunch at Bass Lake or the pond with Indian pond lillies, frogs and dragonflies." (Click here for a recap of our July 2010 hike ).

Directions to the trailhead: Take Sir Francis Drake Boulevard west to Olema. Turn left (south) onto Route 1.

Pass Five Brooks and Dogtown, and take the unmarked right turn (onto Horseshoe Hill Road which merges with the Olema-Bolinas Road) towards the town of Bolinas.

(If you find yourself going along the shore of Bolinas Lagoon, you've driven too far south and missed the turn.)

Turn right on Mesa Road (which eventually becomes a dirt road) and follow it to the Palomarin trailhead parking lot.

(Click here for a MapQuest map that shows the trailhead. Click on #1 to get driving times and directions.)

Carpool leaves St. Rita at 8:40 a.m.

If you're coming from southern Marin you may prefer to take Route 1 north, turning left just past the end of the lagoon onto the unmarked road into the town of Bolinas, then right on to Mesa Road to get to the trailhead.

Toilets at the trailhead. If you can't wait, use the porta-potties at Five Brooks, a right turn off Highway 1 for those coming south from Olema, or for those heading north from southern Marin, turn left off the highway into Muir Beach or at the ocean overlook just to the north of it.

Weather forecast:  As of Wednesday, July 3rd, the National Weather Service forecast for the hike was sunny, with a high near 70. (Click here for an updated forecast).

More on this hike: The "F17 Coast Trail to Wildcat Camp" hike in the Martin's book, Hiking Marin, is 11 miles long, but shows the route that we'll take up to Bass Lake, 2.7 miles from the trailhead. (The 8.5 mile "Alamere Falls and Double Point Overlook" hike in Tracy Salcedo-Chourre's Exploring Point Reyes National Seashore and Golden Gate National Recreation Area says the distance to the north shore of the lake is 2.9 miles, while the park's South District Hiking Map pegs it at 2.8 miles).  We’ll retrace our steps back to the trailhead after lunch so our total hiking distance will be around 5.5-6.0 miles.