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.
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