Loma
Alta Open Space Preserve,
Marin County Open Space District,
Marin County
In brief:
4.5 mile partial loop departing from edge of Fairfax neighborhood, climbing to
just below the summit of Loma Alta. Hosts a Bay Area Ridge Trail segment.
Getting there:
From US 101 in Marin County, exit Sir Francis Drake/San Anselmo. Drive west on
Sir Francis Drake through Fairfax, and just before the road climbs out of town
(about 6.5 miles from 101), turn right onto Glen Drive (look for the White Hill
School sign). Proceed about 0.4 mile to the open space gate at the end of
the road.
Trailhead details:
There is substantial side-of-the-road parking at the edge of a residential neighborhood.
No entrance or parking fees. No maps, drinking water, or toilet facilities
are available. No designated handicapped parking, and trails are not well-suited
to wheelchairs. Golden Gate Transit's #23 and 65 buses travel along Sir Francis
Drake, and you can walk into the preserve from the road: visit the Transit
Info website for more details. A second entry point is a preserve gate on
Sir Francis Drake a little more than a mile west of Glen Drive. Look for the gate
on the right just before the crest of the hill.
Gas, food, and lodging:
Gas, stores, restaurants, and pay phones back in Fairfax. No camping.
Distance, category, and difficulty:
There are a few short steep stretches, but this is a moderately easy 4.5 mile
loop hike, with about 900 feet in elevation change. Trailhead elevation
is about 250 feet. The preserve's highest point is about 1450 feet. The featured
hike climbs to 1150 feet, then descends back to the trailhead.
Rules:
Trails are multi-use. Dogs are permitted on leash on trails; off leash under voice
command on fire roads. Dog owners must have a leash for each dog.
The Official Story:
MCOSD's
Loma Alta page.
MCOSD field office 415-499-6405
Map Choices:
• Use AAA's San Francisco Bay Region map to get there.
• Download the pdf
map from the MCOSD website.
• Trails of Northeast Marin County (map) is my favorite map (available
from Pease Press).
• Barry Spitz's Open Spaces has a simple map and preserve description
(order
this book from Amazon.com).
• Don and Kay Martin's Hiking Marin has a decent map and preserve
description (order
this book from Amazon.com).
View
photos from this hike.
Loma Alta is a spectacular preserve, 
but
it's no secret. Popular with mountain bikers and local residents out for a stroll
with their kids and/or dogs, Loma Alta lures visitors with fabulous views and
some challenging climbs that provide great exercise for man and beast. Once
you climb out of the canyon to the ridge though, the traffic thins out and it's
pretty quiet.
A network of fire roads winds through the preserve's
grassland and California bay woods on Loma Alta's south slope. Surrounding lands
to the north are still privately held, although in 2002 the Skywalker
Easement opened, extending the Bay Area Ridge Trail out of Loma Alta, all
the way to Lucas Valley Road. There's one loop, and an option to add on an out-and-back
climb to the preserve's highest point. If you visit in winter or early spring,
you may see early wildflowers and a surprising waterfall, but prepare yourself
for muddy conditions.
Start at the Open Space gate and begin climbing on
Glen Fire Road. The broad multi-use trail ascends out of grassland through
a mixture of 
white
and coast live oaks, California bay, poison oak, and coyote brush. Glen Fire Road
crests, then takes a short dip, marked by an old buckeye on the right. Here, at
0.15 mile, you'll reach an unsigned two-part junction. The first path doubles
back toward the trailhead, and the second, more obvious trail, heads left into
the canyon. Continue straight on Glen Fire Road.
Within steps the views open up and encourage more
climbing. Ignore any spur paths and just keep hiking uphill on Glen Fire Road,
a wide trail that reminds you that you're climbing, but never really rubs your
face in it. Coast live oak are common, and you may also see willow, toyon,
and sagebrush. When I was here once in September the golden light on the grassy
hills made me think of Tuscany. To the east the Richmond/San Rafael Bridge
and San Pedro Mountain may be visible if it's not too hazy. Across the valley
to the south is lovely Pam's Blue Ridge, White Hill, and the dramatic profile
of Mount Tamalpais. If it's really clear you may be able to see the San Francisco
skyline. 
The
trail snakes uphill at a stiff pace that's still manageable. You'll reach two
large water tanks and an unmarked two-part junction at 0.45 mile; Glen Fire Road
ends here, so stay to the left onto Smith Fire Road (a second dead-end
road veers right just after; stay to the left there).
The view north sweeps past the houses of Sleepy
Hollow to the hills of Lucas Valley. Smith Fire Road, open to equestrians, hikers,
and cyclists, continues the climb, skirting the back side of the tanks. You'll
cross through (or over) a gate/stile, and run along the preserve boundary to the
right, marked by a fenceline. At 0.77 mile a spur trail heads out to the right
from an unmarked junction. This faint path climbs northwest to the preserve's
high point and border (the high point, Loma Alta, is on private property),
but it's steep going. Continue on Smith Fire Road.
The terrain is mostly grassland, and you'll
likely spot vultures sweeping the hillsides looking for a meal. Deer must
spend a lot of time on this trail, considering the amount of droppings they've
left behind. 
There's
very little shade here, but it's often deliciously breezy. In spring, look
for annual wildflowers such as checkerbloom, California poppy, and lupine. A massive
and beautiful coast live oak sits on the left side of the trail. You'll climb
at a steady pace, and with every step more stellar broad views unfold. Although
grass cloaks most of the hillside, buckeye and California bay thrive along seasonal
creeks, where you might hear water cascading downhill in wet months. The trees
hides some small waterfalls, but the soothing sound of water is nice, and drowns
out noises from civilization. Smith Fire Road continues to climb, reaching an
unmarked junction with Gunshot Fire Road at 1.74 miles. From here you have
the option to continue straight to the preserve's northwest boundary
and then return to this junction (a Bay Area Ridge Trail segment), or turn
left and descend.
Your knees may not be happy with this
rocky and steep trail. Descending, you'll have the opportunity to take in
views that weren't visible from the ridge. To the east and downhill, you'll
get a glimpse of Old Railroad Grade. One of the water tanks back on Glen Fire
Road peeks through a notch in the hill back to the left. Sir Francis Drake sweeps
uphill past the preserve gate to the west, and traffic noise washes uphill. Toyon
and coast live oak line the trail in places, but grassland still dominates. The
fire road takes a sharp turn right and continues downhill. During late winter
you may see hound's tongue in a shaded stretch At 2.50 miles, Gunshot Fire Road
ends at a gate. Turn left onto Old Railroad Grade.
The broad multi-use fire road is nearly level. Invasive
broom is mixed through toyon, monkeyflower, California bay, buckeye, and coast
live oak. At 2.63, a trail veers right at an unmarked junction. Continue straight
on Old Railroad Grade. On an early January 
2002
hike I was surprised to find a sprinkling of white milkmaids on the sides of the
trail, the first wildflowers of the year. At 2.86 miles, a fire road joins Old
Railroad Grade from the right. Continue straight on Old Railroad Grade.
The trail takes a sudden dip. If it's winter or spring you may hear a seasonal
waterfall before you see it. Look to the left for this very pretty series of cascades,
with a few charming buckeyes at the base of the falls. A small rough bench is
provided, and this is a great place for a lunch break when the falls are running.
The trail is once again nearly level, but only about half as wide. Broom, coyote
brush, toyon, and coast live oak are common. At 3.22 miles, a path breaks off
to the right, heading into private property almost immediately. Houses are visible
through the trees in places. Continue straight on Old Railroad Grade. Abruptly
the trail takes a sharp dive down into a dark California bay canyon and creekbed,
then immediately climbs steeply back out. Look for ferns, hazelnut, and madrone
in the shade. Once again on level ground, the trail wanders through a stretch
very prone to mud and standing water in winter. At 3.34 miles, you'll reach an
unmarked T junction. Turn left to continue on Old Railroad Grade.
Broom and coyote brush backed by coast live oak
keep the views to a minimum, but soon the trail pops out into grassland, and an
unsigned junction at 3.71 miles. The fire road to the right descends to White
School. Continue straight (left) on Old Railroad Grade. The trail
drops down into coast live oak and California bay woods for a short distance,
then emerges again in grassland. The trailhead is visible downhill to the right,
but the trail heads back into the woods where bluejays may sound their intruder
alarms. At 4.13 miles you'll reach an easy-to-miss junction at the end of
a short fenceline. Both trails return to Glen Fire Road; take a sharp right to
wander easily through the canyon floor, or continue straight for a more adventurous
route. The tiny path skips across a creek, then climbs very sharply up a hillside.
At 4.18 miles, the path ends at Glen Fire Road. Turn right. You'll descend
past a previously encountered junction with the other trail (from the fence junction)
at 4.32 miles. Continue straight, and retrace your steps to the trailhead.
Total distance: 4.49 miles
Last hiked: Friday, January 4,
2002
Go to Bay Area Hiker Home page
but
it's no secret. Popular with mountain bikers and local residents out for a stroll
with their kids and/or dogs, Loma Alta lures visitors with fabulous views and
some challenging climbs that provide great exercise for man and beast. Once
you climb out of the canyon to the ridge though, the traffic thins out and it's
pretty quiet. 
white
and coast live oaks, California bay, poison oak, and coyote brush. Glen Fire Road
crests, then takes a short dip, marked by an old buckeye on the right. Here, at
0.15 mile, you'll reach an unsigned two-part junction. The first path doubles
back toward the trailhead, and the second, more obvious trail, heads left into
the canyon. Continue straight on Glen Fire Road. 
The
trail snakes uphill at a stiff pace that's still manageable. You'll reach two
large water tanks and an unmarked two-part junction at 0.45 mile; Glen Fire Road
ends here, so stay to the left onto Smith Fire Road (a second dead-end
road veers right just after; stay to the left there). 
There's
very little shade here, but it's often deliciously breezy. In spring, look
for annual wildflowers such as checkerbloom, California poppy, and lupine. A massive
and beautiful coast live oak sits on the left side of the trail. You'll climb
at a steady pace, and with every step more stellar broad views unfold. Although
grass cloaks most of the hillside, buckeye and California bay thrive along seasonal
creeks, where you might hear water cascading downhill in wet months. The trees
hides some small waterfalls, but the soothing sound of water is nice, and drowns
out noises from civilization. Smith Fire Road continues to climb, reaching an
unmarked junction with Gunshot Fire Road at 1.74 miles. From here you have
the option to continue straight to the preserve's northwest boundary
and then return to this junction (a Bay Area Ridge Trail segment), or turn
left and descend. 
2002
hike I was surprised to find a sprinkling of white milkmaids on the sides of the
trail, the first wildflowers of the year. At 2.86 miles, a fire road joins Old
Railroad Grade from the right. Continue straight on Old Railroad Grade.
The trail takes a sudden dip. If it's winter or spring you may hear a seasonal
waterfall before you see it. Look to the left for this very pretty series of cascades,
with a few charming buckeyes at the base of the falls. A small rough bench is
provided, and this is a great place for a lunch break when the falls are running.
The trail is once again nearly level, but only about half as wide. Broom, coyote
brush, toyon, and coast live oak are common. At 3.22 miles, a path breaks off
to the right, heading into private property almost immediately. Houses are visible
through the trees in places. Continue straight on Old Railroad Grade. Abruptly
the trail takes a sharp dive down into a dark California bay canyon and creekbed,
then immediately climbs steeply back out. Look for ferns, hazelnut, and madrone
in the shade. Once again on level ground, the trail wanders through a stretch
very prone to mud and standing water in winter. At 3.34 miles, you'll reach an
unmarked T junction. Turn left to continue on Old Railroad Grade.
