China Camp State Park Hike (10/4) Preview

This week we hike on the eastern edge of Marin along San Francisco Bay, this time venturing into China Camp State Park. (Click here to read about our November 2008 hike or here for photos from past hikes in this area.)

Here's Wendy's description of the outing that we've usually done from this trailhead:

"Today you'll learn about wetland habitats and some of the endangered animals that live there.  This area is also of historical interest as the site of a once thriving Chinese shrimp-fishing village" (Click here to view and print out the park brochure and map).

Directions to trailhead: Take the San Pedro Road exit from Highway 101 and go east for three miles. PASS the sign that says China Camp State Park and go about 3/4 mile further on San Pedro Road to Miwok Meadows (sign on your right). Park along the road, not inside of the park entrance as Wendy's list of hikes directs.

Click here for a Google Maps map that shows the parking area along San Pedro Road. Click on the teardrop icon to get driving times and directions from your location. 

Time: 30 minutes from College of Marin.

Carpoolers coming from San Rafael or farther north can meet at 9:15 am at the Park & Ride lot on the east side of Highway 101 at Smith Ranch Road in the Terra Linda area north of the Marin Civic Center and downtown San Rafael. Click on the teardrop icon on the Google Maps map to get driving time and directions from your location to the parking lot.

Carpoolers coming from south of San Rafael can meet at Greenbrae Park & Ride lot at 9:15 a.m. (Click here for a Google Maps map showing the parking lot; click on the tear drop icon to get driving time and directions from your location.)

No restrooms at trailhead, but you can turn in at the China Camp State Park sign and go past the toll booth (you don't need to pay), past the day use parking area, and to the campground parking area. There are also restrooms at just off the road at Weber Point and Buckeye Point, between the main park entrance and Miwok Meadows.

Weather forecast: Dick Jordan is out of town this week, so click here for an updated forecast.

More on this hike: Hikes "D13 Miwork - Oak Ridge - Shoreline Trails" and “D14 Bay View Trail – Miwok Fire Trail" in the Martins' book, Hiking Marin show the general area where we will be hiking although our exact route may vary from the ones they describe.

Estero Trail Hike (9/27) Preview

This week we return to Point Reyes National Seashore for the last time on a College of Marin scheduled hike in 2015.

This is not a loop hike, but there are marvelous views!

(Click here for a brief recap of our July 13, 2010 hike. Here's the album of photos taken during our past hikes in this area.).

Directions to trailhead:

Turn right at Olema and make an immediate left onto Bear Valley Road. (Use the restrooms at the park's Visitor Center in Bear Valley if you do not want to wait until you reach those at the trailhead). Continue until you pick up Sir Francis Drake again.

Go through Inverness and head uphill.

When you reach the turn off to the right onto Pierce Point Road, bear to the left and continue on Sir France Drake toward Chimney Rock and the Lighthouse.  Pass Mt. Vision Road on your left, and then in one mile turn left onto the road to Estero Trail.

Take this road to the parking lot at the trailhead. Click here for a Google Maps map that shows the parking lot. Click on the teardrop icon to get driving time and directions from your location.

Time: 1 hour from College of Marin. Carpoolers can meet at St. Rita's at 8:55 am.  Outhouse at the trailhead. (Pull into the Bear Valley Visitors Center area if you need an earlier restroom stop.)

Weather forecast: As of Wednesday, September 21st, the weather forecast for the hike was

sunny, with a high near 64.  (Click here for an updated forecast.)

More on this hike: "Hike G11 Estero - Drakes Head Trails" in the Martins' book, Hiking Marin, shows where we'll be hiking, although not necessarily our exact route.

Two hikes ("Estero Trail to Sunset Beach" and "Estero Trail to Drakes Head" in Tracy Salcedo-Chourre's book, Exploring Point Reyes National Seashore and Golden Gate National Recreation Area also cover this area).

The trails are also shown on the park's North District Hiking Trails map.

This Google Earth image gives a bird's eye view of this part of the park with the route we'll follow and the trail length and profile information. (Click on the photo to open a larger image in your Web browser).

Mountain Home Inn to Muir Woods Hike (9/20) Preview

We continue the 2015 Fall 1 hiking series with a trip down into one of Marin's federal parks.

Here's Wendy's description of this week's hike:  "Today we’ll hike down to Muir Woods and learn how it became a National Monument. Lunch at Camp Eastwood where you’ll hear the fascinating life story of intrepid botanist Alice Eastwood."

(Click here for a recap of our September 2008 hike. There is an online album of photos from our past hikes here.)

Directions to trailhead: Take the Stinson Beach/Highway 1 exit off Highway 101. Go west through Tam Valley and up onto the ridge. Turn right onto Panoramic Highway and follow signs to Mt. Tamalpais. Drive about 4 miles.

When you reach Mountain Home Inn on your right, park in the parking lot across the road on your left.

45 minutes from College of Marin.

Carpoolers can meet at the Greenbrae Park & Ride lot at 9:00 am.

Click here for a Google Maps map showing the Mountain Home Inn. Click on the teardrop icon for directions and driving time from your location.

Outhouse at trailhead and restrooms in Muir Woods and at lunch.

Weather Forecast: As of Tuesday, September 13th, the National Weather Service forecast for the day of the hike was patchy fog, otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 72.. (Click here for an updated forecast).

More On This Hike: Hike "B6 – Muir Woods – TCC – Dipsea Trails" and hike "B7 – Panoramic – Lost – Sierra Trails" in the Martin's book, Hiking Marin, shows the area where we'll be hiking, but our route will not cover all of the trails taken on either of those hikes.

Point Reyes: Then and Now

We spend so much time meandering in Point Reyes National Seashore each year that we tend to take its existence in our "backyard" for granted.

But this story in last month's Marin Magazine reminds us that turning the land around Point Reyes into a national seashore wasn't without controversy, and challenges over preserving and maintaining the park continue to the present day and probably will well into the future.

What A Difference A Year Makes!

As this video shows, last year's hike to the Pioneer Tree in Samuel P. Taylor State Park involved getting over an almost bootcamp-like "obstacle course" barrier: A large redwood tree that had fallen across the trail.


  (Click here if the YouTube player does not display)
But thankfully during the last twelve months the park removed so much of the tree, including the part blocking the trail, that we weren't positive that we even saw the remaining chunk as we hiked past it.

Tomales Point Hike (9/13) Preview

We return to Point Reyes National Seashore this coming week. Wendy says that "on this hike we'll look for the tule elk, once at the brink of extinction and now making a heartening comeback. This Point is also special for its views."  

(Click here for a recap of our September 2008 hike; here is an album of photos taken on past hikes in this area.)

Directions to trailhead: Take Sir Francis Drake Boulevard west from Fairfax. Turn right at Olema and make an immediate left onto Bear Valley Road.

Continue until you pick up Sir Francis Drake again. Go through Inverness.

Where the road veers left to Drake's Beach and the lighthouse, bear right. This puts you on Pierce Point Road. Follow it to the parking lot at the end of the road.

Click here for a Google Maps map showing the trailhead. Click on the teardrop icon to get driving directions and times from your location.

Restrooms:  Stop at the Bear Valley Visitor Center to use the flush toilets, or pull off Pierce Point Road at the parking lots for the trails to Abbott’s Lagoon or Kehoe Beach to use the porta-potties.

When you reach the parking lot for the Tomales Point Trail you can drive downhill toward McClure's Beach to use the pit toilet there before returning to the trailhead parking lot to meet the group.

Click here to view and print a map of the Seashore showing these roads and locations.

Time: 1 hour 20 minutes from College of Marin.  Carpoolers can meet at St. Rita’s at 8:35 a.m.

Weather forecast: As of Thursday, September 8th, the National Weather Service forecast for the hike was patchy fog, otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 60. (Click here for an updated forecast).

More on this hike: Hike "G18 – Tomales Point Trail" in the Martins' book, Hiking Marin, is 9.4 mile roundtrip hike to Tomales Point and back.  We’ll only do about half of that route, stopping well short of the Point.

This Google Earth image created by Theresa Fisher shows the path we'll follow out and back.

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Dick Jordan's New MarinTV "Short" Airs

Dick Jordan's latest short film, "Painting" Maine, airs on MarinTV (cmcm.tv) this month.

Here's the schedule; all shows will be carried on Comcast Channel 26 in Central/Southern Marin.

• Thu      9/8/2016      5:00:00 pm
• Sun      9/18/2016    7:00:00 pm
• Thu      9/29/2016    7:30:00 pm 

If you're not a Comcast subscriber or won't be able to see it live or record it, you can watch it on Dick's Tales Told From The Road YouTube Channel.

"Lassoing the Sun: A Year in America's National Parks"

How would you like to have someone give you enough cash to spend a year visiting a different national park each month?

Sounds pretty neat!

And that's exactly what Mark Woods did after winning a writing fellowship. He then recounted his year-long travels in his recently released book, Lassoing the Sun: A Year in America's National Parks.

If you're like Dick Jordan, reading Wood's memoir will evoke memories of your own national parks visits. (Click here to read Dick's review of the book.)

S.P. Taylor Speed Hiking

If you've been loafing your way through summer as a couch potato, you may not be up for tomorrow's Fall 1 hike in Samuel P. Taylor State Park where we'll be racing the clock to do the pre-lunch hike.

Samuel P. Taylor State Park Hike (9/6) Preview

We kick off the 2016 Fall 1 College of Marin Hiking series by heading halfway between East Marin for a couple of short hikes in Samuel P. Taylor State Park.

Here's Wendy's description of this hike: "Today we explore the redwood habitat, visit the Pioneer Tree which is over 500 years old, and learn some history of the area at the mill site. We’ll also see one of Marin’s few 'ghost trees,' a white redwood. We’re doing two separate loops, so you can leave your lunch in the car. We'll have a civilized lunch today with picnic tables and restrooms!"
 
(Click here for a recap of the hike we did on September 2, 2008 Here's an album of photos from past hikes).

Directions to trailhead: Take Sir Francis Drake Boulevard to the main entrance of Samuel P. Taylor State Park.

Click here for a Google Map showing the park entrance. Click on teardrop icon to get driving time and directions from your location.

Parking fee: $8 unless you have a State Park Pass (or a day pass from the California State Parks Foundation).

35 minutes from College of Marin. Carpoolers can meet at St. Rita’s at 9:20 a.m.

Restrooms at trailhead and at lunch.

Weather forecast: As of Friday, September 2nd, the National Weather Service forecast for Tuesday's hike was partly sunny, with a high near 78, although it could be somewhat cooler in places that are under the shade of the redwood trees. (Click here for an updated weather forecast.)

More on this hike:  Hikes "D7 Creek – Ox Trails History Loop" and D8 "Pioneer Tree – Barnabe Creek Trails" in the Martins’ book, Hiking Marin, show the area where we will be hiking.

Here's the route we'll follow and the hike profile.

(Click here to view and download the brochure for Samuel P. Taylor State Park; the trails are shown on page 4).