ALERT-REVISED HIKE-Bear Valley to Five Brooks Shuttle Hike 8/14/18 with Natalie

This week's hike with Natalie starts at Five Brooks in Point Reyes National Seashore.  (Here's the recap from the June, 2009 trek.) 

Here's Wendy's description of the outing: "We’ll start by checking out dragonflies and birds on the pond at Five Brooks, then carpool to Bear Valley. In past years we've seen Satyr Commas, Acmon Blues, Field Crescents, California Tortoise Shells, Pale Swallowtails, Western Tiger Swallowtails, and dragonflies including Cardinal Meadowhawks, Western Pondhawks, and Eight Spotted Skimmers.

This level hike takes us through Vedanta Retreat and Stewart Ranch back to Five Brooks."  

THIS IS A SHUTTLE HIKE (CALL OR E-MAIL NATALIE IF YOU'RE COMING: Cell: 415 686-1681 or email her at: gnatsimi@comcast.net.

Directions to trailhead:  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.

Click here for a Google Maps map that shows Five Brooks. Rigth click on the teardrop icon on the map or click on "Directions" to the left of the map to get driving time and directions from your location.

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's at 8:55 am.

Weather forecast: As of Friday, August 10th, the weather forecast is patchy fog before 11 a.m., then mostly sunny with a high near 74. click here for an updated National Weather Service 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 Hiking 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).