In brief:
4.65 mile partial loop on the fringes of a residential Novato neighborhood.
Hosts a Bay Area Ridge Trail segment.
Distance, category, and difficulty:
This is an easy 4.65 mile partial loop hike. Trailhead elevation
is around 85 feet. The hike's highest point is around 525 feet. Total elevation
change is about 1000 feet. The first part of the hike, through Little Mountain,
is very easy. Verissimo Hills' main trail is a roller coaster, with some
steep stretches.
Exposure:
Mostly exposed.>
Trail traffic:
Light.
Trail surfaces:
Dirt fire roads and trails.
Hiking time:
2 hours.
Season:
Good anytime.
Getting there:
From US 101 in Marin County, exit San Marin Drive/Atherton Avenue. Drive
west on San Marin Drive about 3 miles, where it crosses Novato Boulevard
and becomes Sutro (stay in the left just before Novato Boulevard to continue
straight across the intersection). Begin looking for side of the street
parking; the trailhead (at O'Hair Park) is about 0.1 mile down Sutro on
the right.
GPS coordinates* for trailhead:
Latitude
38° 6'57.90"N
Longitude 122°36'37.43"W
(* based on Google Earth
data, shown as degrees, minutes, seconds)
Gas, food, and lodging:
Gas, pay phone, stores, and restaurants to the east on Novato Boulevard, San Marin Drive,
and around downtown Novato. No camping.
Trailhead details:
No parking or entrance fees. Substantial side of street parking in a residential
neighborhood. No restrooms, maps, or drinking water. No designated handicapped
parking, and although trail access is unobstructed, trails are ill suited
to wheelchairs. Golden Gate Transit bus #50 services Novato Boulevard, just
a half block away from this trailhead: visit the Transit
Info website for more details.
Rules:
Trails are open to hikers and equestrians. 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:
Marin County Open Space District/Marin County Parks Department (415)473-2816
MCSOD's
Little Mountain page
MCOSD's
Verissimo Hills page
Map Options:
• Trails of Northeast Marin County is my favorite map (available
from Pease Press).
• Download the pdf
map from the MCOSD website.
• Barry Spitz's Open Spaces has a useful map of these preserves,
plus trail descriptions (order
this book from Amazon.com).
• Don and Kay Martin's Hiking Marin has a useful map of these
preserves and the surrounding area (order
this book from Amazon.com).
Little Mountain and Verissimo Hills in a nutshell -- a printable, text-only guide to the featured hike.
Go to Bay Area Hiker Home page