West Ridgecrest, Mt. Tam Hike (5/11) Preview

On this hike (not a loop) we’ll explore a section of the Coastal Trail with views of Stinson Beach and Bolinas Lagoon. When Ridgecrest Boulevard opened as a toll road in the 1920s it was proclaimed California’s “Most Scenic Drive.” It’s even better hiking!

Directions to trailhead:  THERE ARE TWO WAYS TO REACH THE TRAILHEAD:

1. Take the Fairfax Bolinas Road from Fairfax to Ridgecrest Boulevard (about 50 minutes driving time from the College of Marin; car poolers can meet at St. Rita’s around 9:00-9:15 am); OR
   
2. 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.
Turn left at Rock Springs onto Ridgecrest Boulevard.  (Driving time from College of Marin about 1 hour)

Park on left at junction with the Fairfax-Bolinas Road. No restrooms at trailhead.

Weather forecast:  As of Thursday, May 6, the National Weather Service forecast for the time of the hike was mostly sunny,with a high near 60. (Click here for an updated forecast).

More on this hike:  This hike isn’t mentioned in any of Dick Jordan’s trail guides, but we’ll be hiking south on the Coastal Trail which parallels Ridgecrest Boulevard until we reach the junction with the McKennan Gulch Trail (which heads downhill to Bolinas Lagoon) and then we will retrace our steps back north.
 
(Click here and go to page 6 of the Mt. Tam State Park brochure for the park map; click on the percentage magnification box at the top of the page and increase to about 125%-150% to get a good view of the trail which runs just west of the road).

“One Stop Shopping” For Outdoor Recreation

While we were having lunch below Hill 88 in the GGNRA today, Dick Jordan checked his e-mail (nothing like having an iPhone and a strong signal on the trail) during lunch and learned the following from the California State Parks Department:
 
“No matter where you are.  No matter what kind of outdoor recreation area you are looking for, you can find it on this site within a few clicks and a few minutes, period.  No one has ever provided this much in a one-stop shopping package, not ever.
  
“California State Parks and the GreenInfo Network are announcing a web portal that makes it dramatically easier for the public to search for any kind of open-space and recreational lands in the Golden State.  No matter where you happen to be and no matter what other part of the state you want to search, this new web site shows you everything from federal wilderness areas to neighborhood tot lots.”

(Dick will be attending a presentation on this new Website on Friday and will post further details on the Meandering In Marin on Tuesdays blog).

Zen And The Art Of Hiking (Green Gulch 4/27)

Wet.  Again.
The last (hopefully) of this Winter’s storms was blowing through the Bay Area as we drove to the trailhead at Muir Beach for this week’s hike around and above Green Gulch Farm.  But despite the foreboding weather forecast most of us gathered for our weekly pre-hike confab in the mud of the parking lot.

We began by crossing a bridge over Redwood Creek and turning east away from the beach and toward the entry to Green Gulch.  On the way to the farm we passed horses grazing in the drizzly rain and Vetch and Thimbleberry growing along the Middle Green Gulch Trail.

Green Gulch Hike Photos Now On-Line!

Photos taken by Walt Drucker and Dick Jordan during our Green Gulch hike this past week are now on-line.
 
Click here to view the on-line Picasa Web album or go to the blog and view them in the mini-slideshow window.