| Photos from a December
Hike on Mount Tamalpais/Rock Spring Trailhead (click on any image for a larger view) |
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 Parking lot at Rock Spring |
 Start of the trail |
 Junction; bear right |
 Junction; bear left |
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 Through the woods on Simmons Trail |
 Stay to the left at the far end of the bridge |
 Simmons Trail emerges into chaparral, dominated by chamise and ceanothus |
 Trail resembles a rain runoff channel carved into the rock |
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 Simmons Trail passes through serpentine rock |
 Vegetation shifts to manzanita |
 Manzanita |
 View north |
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 Short stretch of woods |
 Toyon |
 Transition |
 Approaching junction near Barth's Retreat |
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 The road out of Barth's Retreat is wide and lined with toyon and oaks |
 Junction with Laurel Dell Fire Road |
 Fire Road reveals great views north, sometimes all the way to Mt. St. Helena |
 Junction with path to Potrero Meadows; continue straight |
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 Junction with Benstein Trail |
 Benstein Trail |
 Trail is rocky and hard to follow in places |
 Benstein Trail |
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 Tanoak |
 Chinquapins |
 Dark woods; with little light, there's hardly any undergrowth |
 Junction with Rock Spring-Lagunitas Fire Road |
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 Benstein and Rock Spring-Lagunitas Fire Road run together briefly |
 Benstein departs on the right |
 California bay about to bloom |
 Benstein Trail |
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 Switchback |
 Bridge erected by TCC |
 Junction |
 Canyon live oak |
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 Pretty madrone |
 Small mammal bones on the side of the trail |
 Very rocky though here |
 End of the trail |
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Go to Bay Area Hiker Rock Spring page Go to Bay Area Hiker Home page |
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