White
Hill Open Space Preserve,
Marin County Open Space District,
Marin County
Getting there:
From US 101 in Marin County, exit Sir Francis Drake/San Anselmo. Drive northwest
on Sir Francis Drake about 6 miles, to Fairfax. Continue on Sir Francis Drake,
and from the last Fairfax traffic light (at Oak Manor Drive), proceed about 1.2
miles. Just past the road to Bothin Camp on the left, look for roadside parking.
(It's safer to park on the southbound side than it is to park on the northbound
side and cross the road on foot.) There's a sizable turnout on the right, and
if traffic is light, you may be able to carefully make a U-turn. If not, continue
on Sir Francis Drake about 0.8 mile to San Geronimo Road and turn around there.
Trailhead details:
A few side-of-the-road spots on busy Sir Francis Drake. No parking or entrance
fees. No restrooms, water, or maps. No designated handicapped parking, and there
is no trail access for wheelchairs. There is no direct public transportation to
this preserve. Golden Gate Transit buses stop at Glen Drive, but it is not a safe
walk along the road to the preserve.
Gas, food, and lodging:
Stores, gas, restaurants, and pay phones in Fairfax. No camping.
Distance, category, and difficulty:
This 2.3 mile out and back hike includes about 500 feet of elevation
gain, on the first leg of the trip. It's easy.
Rules:
Dogs are permitted on leash. Trails are multi-use.
The Official Story:
MCOSD's White
Hill page
MCOSD 415-499-6387
Map Choices:
• Use AAA's San Francisco Bay Region map to get there.
• Download the Cascade Canyon map from MCOSD.
• Trails of Northeast Marin County (map) is a great guide to White
Hill (available from Pease
Press).
• Open Spaces: Lands of the Marin County Open Space District,
by Barry Spitz (order
this book from Amazon.com) has a simple map and good trail descriptions.
• Hiking Marin by Don and Kay Martin (order
this book from Amazon.com) has a good map of the southern section and a suggested
hike.
White
Hill in a nutshell -- a printable, text-only guide to the featured
hike.
View
photos from this hike.
White Hill Open Space Preserve, roughly shaped like the
letter 
C,
arches from Sir Francis Drake south to Cascade Canyon Open Space Preserve. Gary
Giacomini Open Space Preserve abuts the preserve about half way through the parcel,
on the west side. Unfortunately there is no (legal) route from the north to the
south or western sections of the property, a shame since it's a break in what
could be a continuous open space trail network, reaching from Big Rock Ridge all
the way to the Marin Headlands. As it is, trails through the southern part of
White Hill are a nice adjunct to Cascade Canyon and Giacomini
Open Space Preserve hikes, and the northern trails offer a short but pleasant
climb to a grassy ridge with expansive views.
The entire preserve suffers with some of the worst
trailhead parking in the whole bay area. The only access in the southern parcel
is through Cascade Canyon's Fairfax neighborhoods, with virtually no parking at
the end of the narrow residential streets. In the northern area, parking is downright
hazardous; a slight roadside pullout necessitates a
dash along Sir Francis Drake to achieve trail access. There is a large parking
pullout a bit further uphill, but it has been out of commission since the bridge
construction commenced -- when the area is cleared out this will be the most logical
access point, since you can enter the preserve through a slight footpath which
climbs to meet the fire road.
Begin on the southbound side of Sir Francis Drake.
Cautiously walk downhill (toward Fairfax) about 175 feet, then turn
right onto the paved road heading to Bothin Youth Group Camp. After about
500 feet, bear right and enter the preserve at the open space gate. Coast
live oak, poison oak, and coyote brush line the level multi-use trail. This stretch
was part of the access route to a railroad tunnel (now sealed) that was built
in the early 1900's. At 0.17 mile, just before the property boundary, White Hill
Fire Road departs on the right. This and every other junction in this part of
the preserve was unsigned on my visit. Turn 
right.
The broad multi-use fire road ascends at a moderate grade.
You might notice poison oak, California bay, coast live oak, toyon, sagebrush,
and madrone along the trail. Spring and summer wildflowers include buckwheat,
mule ear sunflowers, and sticky monkeyflower. The rocky trail bends left and keeps
climbing, with the grade pushing the limit of a moderate classification. Traffic
noise from Sir Francis Drake begins to fade a bit. There are views south to the
hills of the Tamarancho Scout Camp property. Two paths break off to the right
some yards apart; one of them presumably is the route back down to Sir Francis
Drake. Some redwoods come into view on the right, sheltered by a small canyon.
As the trail continues to ascend, you'll pass through young groves of redwood,
with hazelnut and creambush an understory accompaniment to poison oak. A few young
Douglas fir are also present. At 0.73 mile 
an
unsigned fire road begins on the right. Continue straight.
After a few steps, White Hill Fire Road emerges from the
woods and levels out along a grassy ridge. There are lovely views south to Mount
Tam, and if you walk to the property boundary, at 0.85 mile, you should be able
to make out the fire lookout on the top of Barnabe Peak, to the west. Although
a well-worn path runs along the fenceline on the left, this is officially the
end of White Hill Fire Road, and trails heading south are off-limits. Retrace
your steps back to the previous junction, then turn left onto Sherwood
Forest Fire Road.
The dead-end trail, open to hikers, equestrians, and cyclists,
drifts gently downhill through a corridor of coyote brush. There are head-on views
of Loma Alta. As Sherwood Forest Fire Road curves right the vegetation shifts
to grassland. Traffic noise can be plainly heard, but vehicles traveling Sir Francis
Drake are not visible. At 1.22 miles, the fire road crests and ends in a tangle
of broom. View east extend to the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge. Retrace your
steps back to White Hill Fire Road, then turn left and return to the trailhead.
Total distance: 2.18 miles
Last hiked: Monday, November 4, 2002
Go to Bay Area Hiker Home page
C,
arches from Sir Francis Drake south to Cascade Canyon Open Space Preserve. Gary
Giacomini Open Space Preserve abuts the preserve about half way through the parcel,
on the west side. Unfortunately there is no (legal) route from the north to the
south or western sections of the property, a shame since it's a break in what
could be a continuous open space trail network, reaching from Big Rock Ridge all
the way to the Marin Headlands. As it is, trails through the southern part of
White Hill are a nice adjunct to Cascade Canyon and Giacomini
Open Space Preserve hikes, and the northern trails offer a short but pleasant
climb to a grassy ridge with expansive views. 
dash along Sir Francis Drake to achieve trail access. There is a large parking
pullout a bit further uphill, but it has been out of commission since the bridge
construction commenced -- when the area is cleared out this will be the most logical
access point, since you can enter the preserve through a slight footpath which
climbs to meet the fire road.
right.
an
unsigned fire road begins on the right. Continue straight.