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.

Abbots Lagoon

If you like bird watching, beaches, headlands, great photo opportunities, a hike for the kids and do not mind the drive, this is the hike for you. This hike gives you a closer look at all those rolling hills you drive through to get here. It is also another one of those many "desolate" Point Reyes hikes I talk about that people are coming to more and more. The people themselves are mostly friendly locals like myself. This hike combines the beach habitat with a healthy lagoon and headlands habitat. Even the cows you see grazing whenever you look out the window do not march all over the trail. Oh, did I mention that in the spring, wildflowers are everywhere?

Difficulty: Easy
Terrain: mix of coastal scrub and grass at begining, sand dunes at the end
Crowds: usually high in wildflower season, medium for the rest of the year
Best times: Great year round but it can be foggy in the summer
Length: 3.0 miles round trip from beach

Directions: From 101, go on Sir Francis Drake into West Marin until you reach Route 1Go up it until Sir Francis Drake Blvd picks up again. After Inverness, Pierce Point Rd branches off to the right. Take it and soon, you will see the Abbots Lagoon parking lot to your left.

The hike: Begin by walking onto a flat trail surrounding by coastal scrub and grassland. This is the Point Reyes headlands and the terrain stays the same until the hike nears its end. Expect to see some cows grazing nearby. Along the way, there are observation signs describing the cultural and ecological history of the area. You should be happily snapping away pictures of the headlands with the camera at this point. You will know the hike is ending soon once you hit the lagoon and the bridge. Immediately, you will enter an almost pristine dune habitat as the trail's terrain changes from dirt to sand. Remember to walk on the designated trail because this habitat could easily fall apart with human disturbance. Just follow the footprints which follow the creek, go through some large dunes.
Then the trail opens up to the beach. The views from it are wonderful and you can see both up and down the coast. This is a fantastic place to watch seabirds because they are so numerous and are not the kind that steal your food. Do not feed them or they will become dependent on humans. Also, snowy plover nest here and they are an endangered species so let's hope their nests expand. Remember not to enter the roped off areas. When you are here, you will say, "So this is California 200 years ago." You can continue walking along the beach for more views and more relaxation. This is an out and back hike so you can turn around anytime you like. A word of caution: check the tide tables if you plan to take a long walk on the beach. Also, DO NOT turn your back on the ocean because people have vanished along this wild coastline with large rip currents.

Additional options: You could walk up to Kehoe Beach, to the road and then south along the road back to the Abbots Lagoon trailhead. It is more than 8 miles long and people tend to drive fast on Pierce Point Rd.

Overall, the hike's highlights are the wildflowers, the views, the birds and the not so crowded beach.

Sculptured Beach

Did you say you want a nice secluded beach with tide pools that hardly anyone visits (at least since I posted this?) Then you have found the right beach. This hike is entirely on the beach and it starts at Limatour Beach. Something that is odd is how Limatour Beach is almost as wide as Stinson, does not have dangerous surf but many people visit Stinson Beach but only a few visit Limatour. It must be that some people want a more developed beach but for me, I love it when it is desolate. Recently, Limatour Beach and the surrounding area are becoming more popular as people spill over from Stinson Beach. Still, Sculptured Beach should have a few people only on the heaviest beachgoing days.

Difficulty: Easy
Terrain: Flat and sandy. No shade
Crowds: Small but in the summer, Limatour Beach will have a fair crowd.
Best times: Good anytime, best at low tide near the full moon.
Length: 3 to 5 miles round trip, depending how far you walk along the beach.

Directions: The drive out to Limantour Beach is about an hour long from San Anselmo and from Mill Valley, it is closer to 70 minutes. From San Anselmo, take Sir Francis Drake up to Bear Valley Rd, turn left on Bear Valley Rd until you hit Limatour Rd. From Mill Valley, take Shoreline Highway until you reach Bear Valley Rd in Olema. The road up to Limantour Beach appears to resemble Fairfax Bolinas Rd but Limatour Rd is actually not a roller coaster. The drive combines views of the ocean that make Point Reyes famous and Douglas Firs that put you into a deep forest. you hit the beach parking lot, there is a short walk there, keeping the beach more natural. Take the nearest trail out to Limantour Beach. If you wanted to look at other habitats besides the beach, the trail passes over a bridge through a salt marsh so the walk brings together two habitats of California's coast. I would suggest in parking in the parking lot to the left because it is about 0.2 miles closer to Sculptured Beach than the first parking lot. Sculptured Beach is about a 2 mile walk one way from Limatour Beach.

The hike: Once you leave the parking lot, turn to the left. The walk to Sculptured Beach begins with the dunes. Gradually, the dunes begin to rise and they change to little cliffs and then large cliffs. There are no tidepools yet but you should see a few seagulls and the gentle surf. Chimney Rock should be visible to the right and the views to the south extend to Millerton Point which is about 6 miles from Bolinas. There should be few people to begin with on the hike but the further you walk away, the less people there are. These people are mostly locals. This may change soon because Limantour Beach is becoming a hot spot and people may venture further and further away from the beach near the parking lot. 1.4 miles into the hike, you should pass a creek emptying into the sand. A path follows the creek which leads to Coast Camp. During the winter, you may have to get your feet wet by passing the creek but it is not too difficult to cross. It's the beach so you should expect to get wet anyway. About ten minutes later, you should reach Sculptured Beach. Rocks make this landscape rock by creating all the tide pools. Remember not to disturb the wildlife in the tide pools because this is a sensitive wildlife area. However, you should snap away with the camera. The terrain of the rocks is not all the same. Some rocks are jagged and tall, some are short but the ones closest to the water are tall and flat. Be careful if you have to walk on these rocks, they are slippery.

The rocks at Sculptured Beach start with a big group of them which have fantastic photo opportunities. Many of these rocks have mussels and barnacles. In the tidepools, I saw some hermit crabs, sea anenomaes and even a few starfish. Expect to see seagulls congregating here. Do not feed them because they will become dependent on humans if you do. Then there is a short stretch without any rocks. Then the rocks return. Earlier, the rocks close to the coast were easy to walk in but now, it is more dangerous to go right next to the coast. The rocks now extend to the cliffs. Once you climb those rocks, there is a small flat area and a drop of about 7 ft into a short tunnel. Water covers the sand unless it is a minus tide from this point out so plan around the tides. There are even more grander rock formations, tide pools and some caves.

Overall, this is the perfect beach for escaping crowds, photos, a reward after a nice walk on the beach and observing tide pools.

A few quick reminders:
Check the tides before you visit Sculptured Beach because during high tide, the tide pools will not be visible. Also, low tide at Point Reyes hits about 40 minutes earlier than Golden Gate tides. The descriptions of Sculptured Beach are all in the low tide. During high or even medium tide, most of the rocks except the ones close to the coast are shrouded by water.

I mentioned this already but remember to leave this beach better than you found it which basically means do not leave litter and pick up litter you see. This beach needs to remain beautiful.