Bolinas Ridge-Randall Trail Shuttle Hike (6/3) Preview

This week we move south and east of Point Reyes National Seashore to take one of our hikes in the GGNRA. 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).

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.

Weather forecast: As of Thursday, May 29th, the National Weather Service forecast for the hike was mostly sunny, with a high near 65. (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).

MAY-JULY 2014 TUESDAY HIKE DETAILS NOW ONLINE!

In case you didn't receive or have mislaid Wendy's e-mail with the details on all of the May through July 2014 hikes, you can view and download a copy here.

You can also find a link to the list on the Upcoming Hikes page of the Meandering blog.

Wendy will e-mail information on August hikes at a later date.

Marin Headlands Tunnel To Be Closed Temporarily in June

The Marine Mammal Center advises that the Baker-Barry Tunnel and Bunker Road to McCullough Road in the Marin Headlands section of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area will be closed for surveys and studies in support of the upcoming tunnel preservation project scheduled for construction in 2015.

All motor vehicles and bicycles must use Conzelman Road to enter and exit the Headlands during the closure on the following dates and times:

• 9:00 am on Monday, June 2nd through 3:30 pm on Friday, June 6th
• 9:00 am on Monday, June 9nd through 3:30 pm pn Friday, June 13th

The tunnel will be open on the weekend between 3:30 pm, Friday, June 6th, until 9: 00 am, Monday, June 9th.

For more information, visit the GGNRA Website at http://www.nps.gov/goga/index.htm

Angel Island Hike (5/27) Preview

Angel Island State Park is the destination for our next summer hike.  Here's Wendy's description of the outing: "Late wildflowers, great views, and a fascinating history!"

We'll meet at the ferry dock is at 21 Main Street at 9:50 a.m..

Allow time to park and don't miss the boat! (Although it's only 10-minute trip, the next ferry doesn't run until 11:00 a.m.).

Parking gets more expensive the closer you get to the ferry. There is sometimes on-street free parking if you make a left on Mar West, the corner the library is on. (See map at left). Allow ten minutes to walk (click here to view and print Mapquest walking directions) from there to the ferry.

Directions to the ferry dock: We'll take the 10 a.m. ferry from Tiburon to the island. Bring cash or check (or use a major credit cards including Visa, Mastercard, or Discover, but not American Express) to pay for the ferry ($13.50 round trip, pay as you board, includes the $3.00 park entrance fee). (Bring $17 in cash or check for Wendy, too!)

Here is a map of parking lots (cash only, no credit or debit cards, accepted) and the ferry dock provided by the Angel Island Association and the ferry operator:

Restrooms at ferry in Tiburon and on Angel Island. Carpool from Greenbrae Park and Ride at 9:15 a.m.

We'll take the last ferry of the day back at 3:30 p.m.

Weather forecast: As Friday, May 23rd, the National Weather Service forecast for Angel Island on Tuesday was sunny, with a high near 63. (Click here for an updated forecast).

More information on this hike: The Martin's book, Hiking Marin, sets out two hikes on the island: "A12 North Ridge Trail to Mt. Livermore" and "A13 Angel Island Perimeter Trail."

Click here to go to the Angel Island State Park page on the California State Park's Web site. Click here for on-line information provided by the Angel Island Conservancy.

You'll find a map of the island on page 4 of the state park brochure.

Click here to listen to a podcast about Angel Island. (It may take a while for the audio player to display in your Web browser.)

If you have a smartphone, you can get one of free CalParks mobile apps, available for Apple and Android mobile devices.

Here's a Google Earth bird's eye view of the island: