MARCH 22ND - NO HIKE

Just a reminder that there is no hike on Tuesday, March 22nd.

The next hike, and the first of the Spring College of Marin session, will be on March 29th when we hike along West Ridgecrest in Mount Tamalpais State Park.

Water Over The Dam

If you're thinking March is shaping up to look a lot like January (rain, more rain, more rain yet) you'd be right.

Fortunately for us, the rain held off for our "Final Exam" potluck luncheon at the Lake Lagunitas picnic area on Tuesday.

But as we discovered while enjoying that repast, water is flowing in a torrent over the spillway of the dam on that lake.



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And when we "circumnavigated" adjacent Bon Tempe Lake, we saw a steady flow over the dam and down into Alpine Lake.

Guidebooks To Day Hikes Outside of Marin

Looking to hike outside of our homebase in Marin?

Robert Stone, one of Dick Jordan's travel writing colleagues who is a member of the non-profit professional association, Bay Area Travel Writers, has just authored Day Hikes Around Sonoma County: 125 Great Hikes.

The guidebook is available in both paperback and Kindle e-book versions. 

It is just one of several such hiking guidebooks that Stone has written. Others cover day hikes in locations such as Southern California, the Central California Coast, Montana and Wyoming.

All are available from Amazon.com (which will pay Dick Jordan an itsy-bitsy commission if you purchase them, or anything else under the sun that Amazon sells, through the links on this page). You can also purchase them from independent bookstores, such as Book Passage.

Bon Tempe/Lagunitas Lakes "Final Exam" Hike (3/8) Preview

This is a lovely, level lakeside loop! We could see Ring-necked Ducks, Common Mergansers, American Widgeons, Ruddy Ducks, Buffleheads, and more. This could also be the week for our first Acmon Blue butterfly!

(Click here for a recap of our 2010 hike. There's also an album of photos taken on past hikes.)

Remember to bring your contribution to our gourmet feast, a plate, cup, and utensils.  (We'll have lunch at Wendy's home in San Anselmo if rain makes it impossible to use the group picnic area at Lake Lagunitas.)

Directions to trailhead: Take Sir Francis Drake Boulevard into Fairfax. Jog left and make an immediate right in front of the movie theater.

The first left puts you on Bolinas Avenue. Follow this until you see the sign on your left for Lake Bon Tempe and Lake Lagunitas.

(Click here for the MMWD map and directions. Or click here for a MapQuest map showing the trailhead location; click on the number "1" to get driving directions and estimated travel time from your location). 

Unless you have an MMWD pass, continue past the old toll booth, pull over at the parking area on the right and pay the day use fee, and then continue driving until you reach the end of the road.
 
The day use fee is $8.  You can use a credit card, $1, $5, or $10 bills (but not coins or $20 bills) at the automated pay station.

Annual watershed area parking passes for Marin residents are $60 ($30 for those 62 and older). You can buy them online or at the MMWD main office in Corte Madera.

Time: 30 minutes from College of Marin. Outhouse in parking lot; portables en route

Carpoolers can meet at St. Rita's Church at 9:20 a.m. (Click here for a MapQuest map showing St. Rita's and directions and estimated driving time to the trailhead.)

We’ll have lunch at the picnic area at Lake Lagunitas so you don’t need to carry the food for the potluck.

Weather forecast:  As of Tuesday, March 1st the National Weather Service forecast for the hike was a chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 60. Breezy. (Click here for an updated forecast).

More on this hike: Hike "C13 Bon Tempe Lake Trail" in the Martins' book, Hiking Marin, shows the general area where we will be hiking. However, we'll start and end at trail junction #2 on their map, rather than at Bon Tempe dam. (Click here for an MMWD map that shows this area).

This hike is a little shorter than average at about 3.7 miles, without a great deal of elevation change.

The Google Earth image below shows both lakes in a view looking back towards Fairfax. (Click on the photo to open a larger image in your Web browser).