Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Z Ranch and Sky Trail Loop


Trees near the intersection of Sky and Z Ranch trails

When most people think of Point Reyes, they think of only a few places. They will think of the Lighthouse, Chimney Rock and maybe even Bear Valley. Not many people think about the Sky trailhead though. This hike starts up in the "Sky" and climbs up even further into the sky, staying close to the crest of Inverness Ridge. You will get a chance to be in the shade but also get those sweeping beautiful views down the Point Reyes peninsula. Lets just hope the fog is not too strong that day. Also, you could do this hike if you are staying in Sky Camp. If you are looking for a hardcore hike, I would recommend checking out additional options at the bottom of the post. The first part of the hike can be steep but it levels out not too long after you leave Sky trail. The weekends may bring more people to the trail, especially around Sky Camp but when you leave Sky trail, expect to only see a few people or possibly no one. Without further ado, here is the information on the hike:

Terrain: First and last parts are Douglas Fir forest. The middle part is a mix of Douglas Fir and grassland.
Difficulty: First and last parts are steep while the middle part has some steep sections
Best Times: Good year round hike but it can be foggy in the summer
Length: 4.2 miles
Shade level: First and last parts are heavily shaded while sun and trees trade often during the middle part.

Directions: take Sir Francis Drake Blvd. far out into West Marin until you hit Route 1. Go right and you will see Bear Valley Rd. appear on your left quickly. Take Bear Valley Rd. until you see a sign for Limatour Rd. on your left. Take Limatour Rd. up into Inverness Ridge. Once the climb up the ridge has flattened out, you should start looking to your left because you will be very close to the Sky trailhead. It is a parking area on the left and you should not miss it.

The hike:
After you park your car, you should see the Sky trail (which actually looks more like a fire road) going up past the gate. Once you start taking it, you will immediately notice the incline. Walking up Sky trail is definitely steep but it is even harder when you are backpacking and carrying all the camping gear on your back(which I unfortunately did once but it was a great hike and Sky trail is not too far anyway.) Also be careful for bikers because Sky trail up to Sky camp is open to them. At this point, you should see a large amount of understory in this Douglas Fir forest. At about 0.4 miles, there is a small open area along Sky trail with a short respite. If you are feeling tired already and want to rest, this is a nice place to do it. Even if you are not too happy about the steepness, you will probably be happy with the great scenery. Once you pass the open area, Sky trail will go onto the north slope of Inverness Ridge. Periodically, there will be a crack in the trees so you can see north or more of Inverness Ridge. Once Sky trail goes back to the crest of Inverness Ridge, you should expect to see Fire Lane trail to your right. This trail goes down to the coast and you can hike a 9 mile loop back to Sky camp. Fire Lane trail was built after the Mt. Vision Fire of 1995 which wrecked the Bishop Pine forest north of Limatour Rd. and was not too far from Sky camp. Although the fire was 15 years ago, there is still strong evidence of it. About 0.7 miles into the hike and a minute later, you should see the Horse trail going up the ridge. We will now leave Sky trail and go on the Horse trail.


View out to nearby ridge

Once you are on the Horse trail, you will continue the hike in the Douglas Fir forest. The Horse trail will go up towards Mt. Wittenburg 1407 ft. high, the highest point in Point Reyes. It may still be possible to catch a glimpse of hills across Tomales Bay. In 0.4 miles when you intersect with the Z Ranch trail, you will definitely receive better views. You should be able to look north along Inverness Ridge. Take a right onto the Z Ranch trail as you walk below the crest of Inverness Ridge. The further you walk, the better the views will get and you can now get a clearer picture of the hills to the north. The trail continues to alternate between grassland and trees. In about 0.7 miles, Mt. Wittenburg trail should intersect with Z Ranch trail. Mt. Wittenburg trail descends 2 miles down to Bear Valley. Also on your left is the short trail that goes through dense forest to the top of Mt. Wittenburg. Nearby is a nice meadow where you should have views that extend out past Limatour Beach and go to headlands there. At about this point, the trail starts to slowly descend as it makes its way to Sky trail.


Mt. Wittenburg slope as seen from Sky camp

In about 0.6 miles after the junction with the Mt. Wittenburg trail, Z Ranch trail should end at Sky trail as the Meadow trail intersects on the left. The Meadow trail also descends down into Bear Valley. Take the Sky trail as you begin to loop back towards the Sky trailhead. In about 15 minutes, you should pass Sky camp. There is a large Douglas Fir here which is easy to spot because not many trees surround it. To your left, you can walk just a bit to get a good view of the Point Reyes headlands. A path goes up through some Douglas Fir to more campsites. If you look back towards Mt. Wittenburg, you should see a hill that was formerly covered in grassland but is clearly losing the battle against young Douglas Firs. Once you walk back to Sky trail (which is now fire road length because bicycles can now use it once you passed Sky camp,) Sky trail will go between Mt. Wittenburg and the small hill where the rest of the campsites are. The trail descends a bit but levels out more once you pass the hill on your left. You should be able to get some views down to the ocean if you look hard through the trees. Below you are the headwaters of Santa Maria creek. Once the canyon ends, you should see the junction with Horse trail. You are only 0.8 miles from the trailhead now. You can retrace your steps from the junction with Horse trail.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Angel Island Perimeter Fire Road Loop


Seagulls at the cove

(On a side note, I will be doing less photo slideshows for hikes and I will put photos from the hikes on the blogposts instead.)

I will say that Angel Island is a well known landmark in the Bay Area. First, everyone sees the island and then they want to know the name. Many people who visit Angel Island though do not go further than Ayala Cove where the Ferry docks. Many people do but I know many people who have only visited Angel Island a few times or never ventured to certain parts. Angel Island has a large amount of variety with grassland, oak woodlands, history and of course great views of San Francisco and other parts of the Bay Area. There are a few good hikes on Angel Island including the loop up to Mt. Livermore and the loop around the island. I will soon write about the loop up to Mt. Livermore but this post will be devoted to the loop around the island (which can overlap with the route up to the mountain if you want though.) I last visited Angel Island in April and there were places that had people that I thought would not have many. Still, there are a few sections that really feel desolate and open...until you look to the left and see San Francisco. Anyway, Angel Island has some interesting stories to it too. Asian immigrants were held here at the "Ellis Island of the West," soldiers were stationed here during the Civil War and WWII and there is even a slight possibility criminals from Alcatraz swam here. Yes, you may now see where to hike to experience Angel Island...but first, I should tell you how to get there.

Terrain: Mix of oaks and grassland, some buildings
Length: 5.3 miles (excluding the Ferry)
Crowds: Mainly high. The southside is less crowded
Best Times: Good when it is not foggy, best in spring and fall
Difficulty: Mostly flat and easy. This is a good hike for kids who do not mind the length or you could shorten it for them.
Shade level: first part partly shady, middle part unshaded, last part partly shady.

Directions: From Route 101, get off at the Tiburon Exit. Continue on Tiburon Blvd. until you reach Downtown. Go to the marina area and look for the Angel Island Ferry. The Ferry will take you to Ayala Cove.

The hike:
After exiting the ferry, you will see a picnic area, bathrooms and a visitor center, you will see a fire road leading to Perimeter Road. The visitor center is informative and interesting and spending time there is great. Our route though is the road that goes up to the left and right. You can choose whichever way to go but I usually hike clockwise so that is the way this description will go. You will intersect with Perimeter Road with a nice picnic area to your right. Once you turn left, you will enter an oak woodland but the fire road will not get much shade because it is wide. Below you is a steep decline to the visitor center area. The terrain stays similar as the Northridge trail intersects with the fire road. Northridge trail descends to the visitor center on the left and goes up to Mt. Livermore on the right. The forest around the fire road clears a bit and it soon hits a curve to the right. Around this place, views to the East Bay open wide. As you turn right, you will see the old Immigration Station below you. As you pass it, you will see a fire road going down to the Immigration Station. When people immigrated to San Francisco, they went to the immigration station and many of them were kept there for a long time. There are some descriptions there about life there. People even wrote poems on the walls.

After passing the immigration station, the fire road goes through more mixed woodland. If you look down, you will see a small beach and there is a small trail descending to it. Then the fire road visits more old buildings but they are not related to immigration this time. They were barracks during WWII and there are also some buildings that date to the Civil War. This was part of Fort McDowell. You can go into the buildings but be careful. There is one interesting building with a stairway. The stairway is precarious and suddenly stops with its outline along the wall. There are a few more buildings down below too as well as above the building here. If you look down, you will even see an old baseball field. There are a few non native pine trees too. If you look up, you may see evidence from the fire in October of 2008. A few trees look blackened but it has been growing back quickly. After admiring that, you can follow the fire road which turns to the right. To your left, there is a fire road going down to a short off limits peninsula. The fire road rises on the grassland ridge and intersects with a trail leading uphill. The Nike Missile site is nearby. Then the fire road rounds the hill and starts to descend. You should see a small canyon with some dry redwoods. This area was hard hit by the fire and seems to be coming back more slowly than other parts of the island.


Fire Damage

If you look out to the west, you should have good views of the Marin Headlands and Golden Gate Bridge but the best views are yet to come. The fire road curves to the left as it crosses the canyon. To your left, you should see a precarious path leading to the left of the fire road. Although the path heads right back to the fire road, I would not recommend it. The fire road stays on the south shore with occasional views of San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge. Finally, the trail reaches a large right hand turn. Here, there is a small viewing place. In my opinion, these are the best views of the hike. On crowded days, there may be a small crowd here but you should be able to get great pictures of San Francisco if you want. Also, there is a small steep trail nearby that descends to Battery Ledyard. The Battery has some stairways and areas to explore but be careful there. Also, there is a large concrete area which I once lay down with a group of friends and looked at the clouds. Anyway, whether you decide to make the short trip or not, the fire road continues into a pine/eucalyptus forest. A small trail goes up to the right which eventually hits the fire road higher up on Angel Island.


View of the city from Perimeter Fire Road

You should see a fire road descending to your left. It has a quick descent to Fort McDowell, a fort dating to the Civil War. The buildings are all organized around a patch of grass. Although the buildings are boarded up, you can look around them and they are still interesting. After looking around at the beauty and history of the place, you can retrace your steps back to the fire road. In a few minutes, you should reach a large boarded up building to your left. When you reach this spot, you are about one mile from Ayala Cove. Right after the building, you will see a small path to your left. It leads to restrooms, a campground for kayakers and descends through a small oak woodland to a small beach. It is a nice quiet beach and you may see some kayakers landing there. When you decide to continue on the fire road, you should see views open up to your left. You can see Tiburon and Mt. Tamalpais. Unfortunately, the views go away soon as you round a bend and enter the oak woodland again. A short trail goes off to your left, descending quickly through the trees to Ayala Cove. If you decide to stay on the fire road, you will notice a slight descent. While I was walking through here, I once saw some caterpillars spinning cocoons which was interesting to watch. Once you reach the intersection with the Sunset trail on your right, you will know the hike is almost over. The fire road that goes to Ayala Cove should be on your left. By now, you can follow the fire road back to Ayala Cove and the visitor center. On a side note, you should check the ferry schedule to make sure you do not wait long on the island.

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Ben Johnson Trail Loop



Looking for a way to get out of the Muir Woods crowd but still enjoy the redwoods? Try the Ben Johnson trail loop and you will get exactly what you want. This hike explores the ridges and upper reaches of Muir Woods without the crowds. Sometimes on those crowded summer days though, the crowd comes up here but the redwoods will give you the wilderness experience you want. You will not get to the redwoods without hard work though because both the uphills and downhills on the hike are steep. Only the last part of the hike in Muir Woods is not steep. Besides the redwoods, the hike shows you all of the terrains on Mt. Tam's Southside with the redwoods of course but also grassland and riparian woodland.

Terrian: Uphill mostly grassland, downhill redwood forest
Difficulty: moderately steep. Not the best hike for children who do not like short steep uphills.
Crowds: heavy in the last mile, heavier in the summer
Best times: Best in the spring or less crowded days
Length: 3.9 miles
Shade level: First half mostly unshaded, last part completely shaded

Directions:
Take Highway 101 to the Route 1 exit. Exit on Route 1 and follow Shoreline Highway until you are in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and hit Panoramic Highway. Turn right on Panoramic Highway and continue until a four way intersection. Take Muir Woods Rd. on the far left and go down until you see Muir Woods parking lot. Park in the overflow because the first parking lot is always full (although on the less crowded days, it would not hurt to look.)

The hike:
After parking in the overflow parking lot, go onto the trail heading towards Redwood creek. You can choose to make a right turn because the hike loops back but I prefer the left. Once you turn left, you will enter a riparian woodland with a few Douglas Firs but no redwoods. Up ahead, there is a redwood creek crossing on some planks acting as the bridge. If the creek is high, the planks will be underwater. If this is the case, you should return to the road and walk toward Muir Beach. Soon, you will see Deer Park Fire Road to your right. Hike up that and you can continue the loop. This adds about 0.8 miles extra to the hike. Assuming you can cross the creek, the Dipsea trail almost immediately begins a steep climb through the ferns and Douglas Firs. Bear with it because you will get a reward later. 0.4 miles and many switchbacks later, the Dispea trail will cross with Deer Park Fire Road for the first time. They intersect with each other several more times. At this point, I usually choose Deer Park Fire Road although Dipsea is a great option too.



Deer Park Ridge

Right after the first intersection, Deer Park Fire Road rounds a bend with great views of the ocean. Then it taunts you by going near to but not into the forest on the slope going down into Muir Woods. Then you finally cross through a stretch of trees only to discover it was very short. Yet the views on the grassland are nice except that trees are blocking views of the ocean now. Then there is a big open field of grassland with trees at the end. Dipsea intersects with Deer Park Fire Road for the last time on this hike and Deer Park Fire Road enters the redwood forest. I always think there will be no more grassland but I am wrong. The grassland comes back but then Deer Park Fire Road enters the woods again. This time, Deer Park Fire Road stays in the redwoods. If you look at the bark, you will see evidence of a fire that burned here. Also, a tree fell down nearby creating a large opening in the forest floor. You can continue examining the redwoods if you want because they are so wonderful. This is the reward you got for all that work earlier on Deer Park Fire Road.

All too soon, the Muir Woods boundary sign arrives and so does the intersection with Ben Johnson trail. To the left, there is a nice area to sit down with people and more than once I have seen groups sitting there. Turn right and go down the switchbacks through the redwoods. After about 5 minutes, the switchbacks end as the Staplevelt trail goes off to the left. It goes up 1 mile to Pantoll. This is the last trail intersection for about 1 mile. There is a bench here if you want to sit and enjoy the magnificant redwoods here. As you turn right, the trail begins to descend again. It is steep in places so watch your step. Also, there are some roots in the middle of the trail so be careful tripping over them. Also, stepping on the roots creates stress for the redwood trees so make sure to hop over the roots. Along the way down, you will notice holes that fires burnt in the bottom of the trees. There should be a couple you can go in but remember to careful and do not hurt the trees. Take some time to just look at the beauty of this forest that not many people know about. On the crowded days, people do come up here but while you are here, just look at the giants shooting up into the sky with the dead crunchy leaves on the ground near you. Okay, this is a bit off topic because this is a hiking guide and not a guide on how to look at a redwood. So 1 mile after intersecting with the Staplevelt trail and many great redwoods later, you will see the Hillside trail branch off to your right. Stick with the Ben Johnson Trail because one minute later, you will land at the intersection with the Muir Woods main trail after crossing Bridge 4.



Forest on Ben Johnson Trail

To your left is the Bootjack trail which follows the oh so flat and easy canyon until it becomes a long uphill climb which ends 3 miles later at the Mountain Theater. To your right though is the Muir Woods trail that follows the canyon and the redwoods until hitting Muir Woods parking lot. Turn right and you will follow the redwoods. Pretty quickly, you will be able to see the creek easily and salmon breed here often. Once I saw salmon fighting here over mates. Continue walking as you pass Camp Eastwood Road on the left. It goes up to Alice Eastwood Camp and Panoramic Highway. Fern Canyon trail goes up to the left after Camp Eastwood Road. Fern Canyon Trail follows the lovely canyon until going up the ridge to Alice Eastwood Camp. On the fence at this intersection, there is sometimes a ladybug colony but I have not seen them recently. The Muir Woods trail has many landmarks but I will mention most of them on another post. Keep walking on the trail and you will pass through Cathedral Grove and the quiet zones. After Cathedral Grove, you will see Bridge 3. Going either way is great but I prefer going over the bridge to see Bohemian Grove and a large tree with a burl. After exploring the redwoods, walk to Bridge 1 and past that is the main parking lot. If you parked in overflow, follow the path on the right as it takes you through the riparian woodland. Soon, you will be back at the overflow parking lot.

Additional options: You can add about 2 miles to your hike with this option. When you are at the Staplevelt intersection, you can take a left and walk 0.5 miles to the TCC trail (for more information on the TCC trail, look at my post on it.) You can walk 1.5 miles to your right and then take the Bootjack trail down to Muir Woods. This adds about 2.3 miles to the hike and although the TCC trail is really nice, I prefer the Ben Johnson trail to the Bootjack trail.