Tomales Point Hike (9/9) 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 MapQuest map showing the trailhead. Click on the number "1" 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 Wednesday, September 3rd, the National Weather Service forecast for the hike was patchy fog before 11am. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 62. (Click here for an updated forecast).

More on this hike: Hike "G18 – Tomales Point Trai"l 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.

Half A Hike Is Better Than None At All!

Unfortunately, Theresa Fisher wasn't on today's hike in Samuel P. Taylor State Park and Dick Jordan only hiked the first loop (to the Pioneer Tree) and only took a single photo (this panoramic shot at the Pioneer Tree).

If we could really hike as fast as this video (rendered at 12 x normal speed using the Hyperlapse for iPhone app) shows us doing, we could cover 60 miles in four hours, instead of a measly 5!



(Click here if the video player doesn't appear)
But then we'd have to rename the COM class and the blog "Scampering in Marin"!

Samuel P. Taylor State Park Hike (9/2) Preview

Here's how we'll kick off the Fall 1 2014 "Meandering" hikes: "Today we explore the redwood habitat, visit the Pioneer Tree (if the trail is open) 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).

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

Click here for a map showing the park entrance and for driving times 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, August 29th, the National Weather Service forecast for Tuesday's hike was patchy fog before 11am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 77, 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.  (Click here to view and download the brochure for Samuel P. Taylor State Park; the trails are shown on page 4).

Bolinas Ridge-Randall Trail Shuttle Hike (8/26) Preview

This week we move south and east of Point Reyes National Seashore to take one of our hikes in the GGNRA and finish up our Summer 2014 meaneders. Slightly longer than usual at 6.8 miles, but lots of downhill.  (Click here for a recap of our hike in August of 2008).

CALL WENDY AT 457-3949 OR EMAIL bdreskin@comcast.net if you are coming!

Directions to trailhead: We’ll meet at 9:30 am on Route One at the bottom of Randall Trail which is about 3 miles north of Dogtown and about 3 miles south of Five Brooks. (The Point Reyes National Seashore says to allow 15 minutes for the drive from the Bear Valley Visitor Center, and that it is just under 6 miles from the intersection of Highway 1 and Sir Francis Drake at Olema south to the Randall trailhead.)

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

Park in one of the large dirt pullouts on either side of the road. The Park Service notes that the sign for the Randall Trail is aligned parallel to Highway 1 on the east side of the road and can easily be missed).

From the Randall trailhead we’ll carpool up the Bolinas-Fairfax Road to Ridgecrest Boulevard and hike along Bolinas Ridge Fire Road and then down the Randall Trail to Highway 1.

No restrooms at either the Randall Trail or Bolinas Ridge trailheads.  Stop at the Bear Valley Visitor Center or at Five Brooks if you need to “use the facilities.”

Carpool leaves St. Rita's at 8:35 a.m. 

Weather forecast: As of Thursday, August 21st, the National Weather Service forecast for the hike was mostly sunny, with a high near 75. (Click here for an updated forecast).

More on this hike:  None of Dick Jordan's hiking books describe this hike, but you can find the Fairfax-Bolinas Road, Bolinas Ridge Fire Road, and the Randall Trail in the bottom right-hand section of the Point Reyes National Seashore park map shown below.



Click here to view and print a copy of the map. Use the plus-sign button under the drop-down arrow button to enlarge the map for easier reading If you have Adobe Acrobat Reader on your computer you can print the document. Once you see the document on the "Google Docs" Web site, click on the "Actions" down arrow and then on "Download" to download the document to your computer).