Thursday, July 24, 2014

Tomales Bay State Park "Final Exam" Hike (July 29) Preview

It's the end of the first half of "summer school" this coming week when we return to Tomales Bay State Park for our hike.

Here's Wendy's description of the outing: "Bishop pine forest, beach, and a favorite scenic picnic spot over-looking Tomales Bay. Bring something to share for our gourmet potluck lunch, and utensils, plate, and cup."

(Click here to view photos from past hikes in Tomales Bay State Park).

Directions to the trailhead: Take Sir Francis Drake Boulevard. Turn right at Olema and make an immediate left onto Bear Valley Road. (Stop at the Bear Valley Visitor Center to use the restrooms as there are none at the trailhead).

Continue until you pick up Sir Francis Drake Boulevard. Go through Inverness and over the ridge. At the "Y" where the road veers left to Drake's Beach and the Lighthouse go straight. This puts you on Pierce Point Road.

Just BEFORE the right turn that takes you down to Heart's Desire Beach there is a dirt parking lot on the right. If you don't know it you may need to go to the road to Heart's Desire and then turn around. We'll take the Jepson/Johnson loop.

Click here for a MapQuest map that shows the parking lot for the trailhead. Click on #1 to get driving times and directions from your location.

Driving time one hour from College of Marin. Restrooms before lunch.

Carpool leaves St. Rita at 9:00 am.

Weather forecast: As of Thursday, July 24, the National Weather Service forecast for the hike was mostly sunny with a high near 67. (Click here for an updated forecast).

More on this hike: "G14 Johnstone - Jepson Trails" in the Martins' book, Hiking Marin, shows the area in which we'll be hiking. The trails are also shown on page 4 of the Tomales Bay State Park brochure. The Google Earth image below shows this part of the state park. (Click on the image to open a larger version in your Web browser).

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