Friday, November 3, 2017

Indian Tree Open Space Hike (11/7/2107) Preview

This week we head north and east to the Novato area to hike in the Indian Tree Open Space Preserve.
  
Here's Wendy's hike description:  "We hike a pretty loop trail with views and a grove of old redwoods that escaped logging. If there has been rain you may want boots for this hike, or be prepared to rock hop a few streams." We have lunch in a redwood grove.

(Click here to read the recap of our hike in this area on February 3, 2009. You can view photos from past hikes in this area by clicking here.)

Directions:  Take Highway 101 north. Exit at DeLong Ave, which becomes Diablo Ave for a short stretch. Go west on Novato Blvd. Turn left (south) on Wilson Ave, right (west) on Vineyard Ave. The trail starts where the paved road turns into a dirt road, shown on this Google Maps map. (Click on the teardrop icon to get directions and driving time from your location.

Time: 35 minutes from College of Marin. No restrooms at trailhead, but you could stop at Starbucks in the small shopping center at the intersection of San Marin Drive and San Andreas Drive, just before the Kaiser Permanente clinic.

Carpoolers 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.

Weather forecast: As of Friday, November 3rd, the National Weather Service forecast for Tuesday's hike was partly sunny, with a high near 59. (Click here for an updated forecast).

More on this hike: The Marin County Open Space District operates the preserve on a portion of this area (the North Marin Water District owns adjacent land) and its Web site provides a viewable/printable trail map.

Barry Spitz's book, Open Spaces (Marin County Open Space District, 2000) describes the area and contains a map similar to that found on the MCOSD Web site.

The "E9 Deer Camp - Big Trees Trails hike in the Martin's book, Hiking Marin, is much longer (7.2 miles) than the one we'll actually take, but shows the general area where we'll be hiking.

No comments: