Tiburon
Uplands Nature Preserve,
County of Marin Parks and Open Space,
Marin County
In brief:
0.7 mile loop hike in a heavily wooded preserve.
Getting there:
From US 101 in Marin County, exit Tiburon Boulevard. Drive east on Tiburon Boulevard
through downtown Tiburon, where the road morphs into Paradise Drive. Continue
on Paradise Drive to a pullout on the right, just past the signed Tiburon Uplands
Nature Preserve, on the left (altogether it's about 6.5 miles from 101).
Trailhead details:
A few roadside spots on each side of the road. No parking or entrance fees. No
facilities or maps. No designated handicapped parking, and trail is not well-suited
to wheelchairs. There is no direct public transportation to the preserve.
Gas, food, and lodging:
Gas, pay phone, stores, and restaurants back in Tiburon, or 6 miles north in Corte
Madera on Paradise Drive. No camping.
Distance, category, and difficulty:
This 0.7 mile loop hike is very easy. The loop climbs from about
100 feet, then descends back to the trailhead.
Rules:
None posted, but standard Marin County parks and open space rules apply: no bikes,
dogs on leash only, and preserve is open from dawn to dusk.
The Official Story:
County of Marin Parks and Open Space 415-499-6387
County
of Marin Parks and Open Space (no specific info regarding the preserve is
listed)
Map Choices:
• Use AAA's San Francisco Bay Region map to get there.
• Download the Old St. Hilary's pdf
map from the MCOSD website.
• Don and Kay Martin's Hiking Marin has a useful map of the preserve
and the surrounding area (order
this book from Amazon.com).
• View photos from this hike.
Tiburon Uplands Nature Preserve is a
tiny parcel tucked into a canyon along a quiet stretch of Paradise Drive. One
short loop takes a hiker through dark forests of California bay and fern, exposed
stretches of chaparral, and small pockets of grassland. Although it's small, the
preserve is a great choice for a quick walk, or a leisurely wildflower hike. You
could combine a springtime visit to Tiburon Uplands with treks at nearby Old
St. Hilary's and Ring Mountain Open Space
Preserves, for a day of wildflower hunting on the Tiburon peninsula.
Start at either of the pullouts on Paradise Drive,
and carefully walk back along the side of the road about 0.1 mile to the signed
preserve entrance. Once up a short section of stairs you'll reach a dark forest
of California bay. A sign announces the loop trail; go right.
The narrow hiking-only trail climbs moderately through
woods with lots of California bay, coast live oak, and toyon. On a December hike
I saw hound's tongue leaves pushing through the dirt, as well as vetch and snakeroot.
Loop Trail winds uphill, crosses a seasonal creek and then emerges into grassland.
Tall
toyon shrubs (trees, really) line the trail and you might also see madrone and
coast live oak. Reaching the preserve border, the trail turns left and climbs
through a sloping grassy meadow. You'll squeeze through a pocket of coast live
oaks and reenter grassland, where a bench sits a few feet from another oak forest.
Be sure to look back over your shoulder, or sit on the bench and admire the long
views to the east bay. You might catch a glimpse of the Larkspur ferry en route.
Just past the bench the trails splits at an unsigned junction. The trail to the
right continues uphill, eventually entering Old St. Hilary's Open Space Preserve,
but the legality of the path is in question. Stay to the left.
The trail wanders up and down through the woods,
then levels out in a patch of grassy chaparral. Sagebrush, monkeyflower, and toyon
are common. More nice views from here. Then you'll head back into the woods, for
good this time, as the trail starts to descend in earnest, back to the trailhead.
California bays block nearly all the sunlight, leaving shade-loving lush ferns
and a few hazelnut shrubs to occupy the understory. The trail descends the steep
canyon with the assistance of switchbacks. At 0.70 mile, you'll reach the previously
encountered junction in front of the loop trail sign. Retrace your steps back
to the trailhead.
Total distance: 0.70 miles
Last hiked: Wednesday, December 12, 2001
Go to Bay Area Hiker Home page
tiny parcel tucked into a canyon along a quiet stretch of Paradise Drive. One
short loop takes a hiker through dark forests of California bay and fern, exposed
stretches of chaparral, and small pockets of grassland. Although it's small, the
preserve is a great choice for a quick walk, or a leisurely wildflower hike. You
could combine a springtime visit to Tiburon Uplands with treks at nearby Old
St. Hilary's and Ring Mountain Open Space
Preserves, for a day of wildflower hunting on the Tiburon peninsula.
Tall
toyon shrubs (trees, really) line the trail and you might also see madrone and
coast live oak. Reaching the preserve border, the trail turns left and climbs
through a sloping grassy meadow. You'll squeeze through a pocket of coast live
oaks and reenter grassland, where a bench sits a few feet from another oak forest.
Be sure to look back over your shoulder, or sit on the bench and admire the long
views to the east bay. You might catch a glimpse of the Larkspur ferry en route.
Just past the bench the trails splits at an unsigned junction. The trail to the
right continues uphill, eventually entering Old St. Hilary's Open Space Preserve,
but the legality of the path is in question. Stay to the left.