Phoenix Lake was once known as an escape that you can easily access. It is within walking distance of Downtown Ross and the Lake itself is beautiful with hiking and biking opportunities falling off trees. Now, Phoenix Lake has changed because it is now the Muir Woods of Central Marin. No, there are not gigantic old growth trees right at Phoenix Lake (I will tell you where the Redwoods are in a minute.) Phoenix Lake is very crowded with people realizing how convenient it is. On weekends, the crowds fill up the parking lot so quickly that by 10:00 on a nice day, you will have to drive down Lagunitas Rd. and start walking to Phoneix Lake. While at the lake though, you will have to deal with the crowds that keep growing and the innumerable bikers. There is one place though that many people do not visit. The Bill Williams Trail in a canyon south of Phoneix Lake is quiet and the hub bub has not discovered it yet. Not only is it beautiful and filled with Redwoods, it is an easy hike too except for one or two steep sections so forget about scrambling up trails and using your hands to help your balance. Also, this is a good hike for the hot summer although there are better hikes for summer days because parts of the hike outside the canyon such as the parts along Phoenix Lake can get hot in the summer. Without further ado, here is the hike's information:
Terrain: First and last parts are mixes of grassland and hardwood forest, the middle is redwoods.
Difficulty: Mostly gradual except for one steep section after leaving Bill Williams Canyon.
Crowds: Mainly high for first and last parts.
Best Times: Good year round hike but parts can be hot in the summer.
Length: 3.1 or 3.9 miles
Shade level: First and last parts are mostly lightly shaded while middle part is heavily shaded
Directions: From 101 at Sir Francis Drake Blvd, exit and go west. Keep going until you reach Lagunitas Rd. Make a left on Lagunitas and follow it until it ends. When it ends, you will find yourself at the parking lot for Phoenix Lake. (part of Lagunitas Rd. is closed for bridge repair so the alternate route is leaving Sir Francis Drake Blvd. from College Ave. and driving until you reach Kent Ave. Take a right at Kent Ave. and drive as the road turns into Ross Commons and intersects with Lagunitas Rd. Make a left on Lagunitas and you will be at the Phoenix Lake parking lot.)
The hike:
Most of the time, Phoenix Lake is crowded with all the spots in the main parking lot taken. Therefore, my description of the hike will start from the beginning of the Ross Trail which starts at the intersection of Lagunitas and Glenwood. Sometimes (absolutely no promises,) there are some spots open along the road but STAY AWAY from the Lagunitas Country Club spots unless you are a member. The Ross Trail starts along the left side of Lagunitas under the redwoods. After staying with the road for about .1 miles, it then slopes upward into a forest filled with tanbark. Along the trail, there is one fallen tree with its branches sprawled right across the trail. You can go through it though, the trunk itself does not cover the trail. About 0.3 miles into the hike, you can start seeing downhill to the Phoenix Lake parking lot and the picnic area. A short trail heads over to the parking lot and further along the trail, an extremely steep one I would not recommend does too. The trail stays mostly level now and about .6 miles into the hike, it reaches Phoenix Lake. Most people do not use the Ross Trail unless it is really crowded but once you reach Phoenix Lake, you will start seeing people. The view at the intersection is nice. You can see almost all of Phoenix Lake from here as well as Pilot Knob (the mountain in front of you) and Pumpkin Ridge (just to the right of Pilot Knob.) Bald Hill is directly to the right of you.
Turn to the left and go through the dry woodland with a mix of grassland. Expect to see only a few bikers here because bicyclists have no through access. Instead, you will see bikers on the other side of Phoenix Lake and on Worn Springs Rd that goes up Bald Hill. As the fire road goes along the lake, there are some tiny canyons it passes by where the vegetation is a tad more riparian but it still is the dry hardwood woodland. There are a few paths that head down to the lake as you walk along the fire road. The last path to the lake intersects when the fire road passes a redwood grove. Then in about 0.4 miles from the intersection with Ross Trail, the fire road begins to dip towards the beginning of Bill Williams Creek. Harry Allen trail goes off to the left (that hike will be part of the loop back) and instead of the lake on the right, there is a small marshy area. The fire road passes what is now a creek bed and starts to slowly ascend. The Gertrude Ord trail branches off to the right and follows the bank of Phoenix Lake. Your route though is not the Gertrude Ord trail, it is the fire road in front of you. Redwoods immediately begin to take over the surroundings. Although they are second growth redwoods, they still stand out and are spectacular. Quickly, the fire road ends and the Bill Williams trail begins. It stays on the right side of the canyon as the canyon keeps narrowing. The forest feels like it will never end but if you look up to your right and left, you may notice how the redwood forest gives way to hardwood forest pretty quickly on the slope.
About 0.4 miles from the beginning of Gertrude Ord trail, Bill Williams trail starts going closer to the creek and in 0.1 miles, it crosses it. At this point, you will see a large stone wall with a pipe going through it at the bottom. This is part of the old Bill Williams Gulch Dam and was a water source until Phoenix Lake Dam was built in 1905. The trail is on the left side of the creek but quickly returns to the right. This crossing may not be fordable after heavy rains. Bill Williams Trail again goes above the creek and after one steep climb up, it quickly descends. At this point, the creek has three forks and the trail crosses all of them. A bridge is here this time. As the trail crosses the bridge, it crosses the last fork and climbs up the ridge. This is that one steep section I mentioned in the introduction. Stairs help the way though as the trail quickly intersects with the Tucker trail. By now, the terrain is a mix of bay and other hardwood trees. To the right, Tucker trail climbs 1 mile to Eldridge Grade. To the left, Tucker trail goes 0.7 miles to Harry Allen trail and that is the route we will take. Quickly, a trail branches up to the right. That is the Tucker Cutoff trail and goes to Crown Rd. Instead, we will go to the left. Tucker trail remains mostly level as it passes by tiny creeks. If you look down, you can see Bill Williams Canyon where you just hiked.
Once you intersect with the Harry Allen trail, you should follow it down to the left. The trail goes downhill through the dry woodland. In about 0.3 miles from the Tucker trail, it has one little steep area and the hike ends at the intersection with Phoenix Lake Fire Road. It is about 1.1 miles back to your car so you can retrace your steeps from the hike's beginning to the Harry Allen trail intersection.
