In brief:
2.4 mile balloon through redwoods in the heart of the park.
Highlights:
Easy hike, redwoods, creek.
Distance, category, and difficulty:
This 2.4 mile balloon hike is very easy, with about 520 feet
in elevation gain.
Exposure:
Some sunny spots, but mostly shaded.
Trail traffic:
Moderate.
Trail surfaces:
Dirt trail and fire road.
Hiking time:
1 1/2 hours.
Season:
Great any time; check trail conditions in winter.
Getting there:
From US 101 in Marin County, exit San Anselmo/Sir Francis Drake. Drive about
15 miles west on Sir Francis Drake to the park entrance on the left side
of the road. Once past the entrance kiosk, continue to the paved parking lots before the bridge crossing Papermill Creek.
GPS coordinates* for trailhead:
Latitude
38°01'07.5"N
Longitude 122°43'56.3"W
(* based on Google Earth
data, shown as degrees, minutes, seconds)
Gas, food, and lodging:
Gas, pay phones, restaurants, and stores about 5 miles northwest, in Point
Reyes Station, or about 10 miles southeast, in Fairfax. Several restaurants
and stores can be reached by driving a few miles in either direction on
Sir Francis Drake (Lagunitas to the southeast or Olema/Point Reyes Station to the northwest).
The park has good individual campsites.
Trailhead details:
Park in day use/picnic lots. Pay $8 entrance/parking
fee at entrance kiosk (self-register if unattended). Additional fees for
camping in the park. If the ranger station is open, you can pick up a map
there. Restrooms and drinking water available throughout the developed area
of the park. There are at least two designated handicapped parking spots
in the park, and while the trails are not technically all-access paths,
wheelchair users should be able to navigate more than a mile of Cross Marin
Trail, the first stretch of this hike. West Marin Stagecoach offers public transportation to this trailhead.
Rules:
About half the trails are multi-use. A few are designated hiking-only. Park hours are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. "Dogs must be on leash at all times and are allowed only in the following areas: day-use Picnic Areas; campsites (excluding the Hike & Bike campsite and the cabin area); on the Cross Marin Trail Bike Path. Dogs are not allowed in the following areas: trails (except the Cross Marin Trail Bike Path); Hike & Bike Campsite(s); Madrone Cabins; creeks; any other undeveloped areas or open spaces."
The Official Story:
CSP's Samuel P. Taylor page.
Park office 415-488-9897
Map Choices:
60 Hikes within 60 Miles: San Francisco, by Jane Huber (yup, that's me, the creator of this website) has a simple map and a featured hike at SPT. Order this book from Amazon.com.
• Download the park map pdf from CSP's website.
• Trail map from Redwood Hikes shows all SPT trails -- highly recommended.
• Point Reyes by Jessica Lage (order this book from Amazon.com) has a good map and descriptions of trails at Samuel P. Taylor.
• Trail Map of Point Reyes National Seashore, by Tom Harrison
(order from Amazon.com) also shows the trail network of Samuel P. Taylor.
• Don and Kay Martin's Hiking Marin has a useful map and trail descriptions (order this book from Amazon.com).
Go to Bay Area Hiker's Devil Gulch Trailhead page.
Go to Bay Area Hiker's Barnabe Mountain hike page.
Go to Bay Area Hiker Home page