New Trail in Marin

Friday and Saturday I climbed one of the highest peaks in Marin - the appropriately-named Loma Alta - twice.

This panorama is large, so I'm starting with the 12.5% image. Click the image to get a larger one, on up to 100% (more pix at bottom of page)

Most of the 360-degree view from Loma Alta

On Friday I hiked the "old" trail with one of my friends among the fellow unemployed - parking at the end of Freitas Parkway in Terra Linda and hiking about 3.5 miles, with net elevation gain of 1321 feet one way - a long hard climb including 1620' up and 350' down. I've biked all but the last long climb of this - it's a nice ride.

The first image below shows the elevation profile for the "old" hike to Loma Alta from the end of Freitas Parkway in Terra Linda. The second image is a map including both "old" and "new" hikes, and the elevation profile of the "new" hike from Lucas Valley Road.

On Saturday my wife and I hiked the new trail from Big Rock on Lucas Valley Rd. - a MUCH easier 3.1 miles with 928' net gain, including 1141 up and 213 down.

In exchange for the go-ahead to build another compound out on Lucas Valley Road, George Lucas is liberating some of the acreage out there, adding to the considerable lands designated as "open space" in Marin County. I'm not sure if this trail is part of that deal or not - the map I saw several months ago showed areas *north* of Lucas Valley Rd. at Big Rock, and this land is to the *south*, so it may be a simple straightforward Marin County Open Space District acquisition. (Look forward to the opening of those other trails too!)

I hiked this "new" trail at least once before, when it was private-property-no-trespassing. We used to hike up and down that side of the ridge a lot, back in the day... Kind of amazing, with the amounts of marijuana we used to smoke, that we ever got off the couch.

Anyway, Loma Alta has one of the highest 360-degree views in Marin County. From the top, we can see most of Marin County laid out below us, including Mount Tamalpais directly across the valley, San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, Richmond, and up to Vallejo on the Bay, and 40 miles distant, Mount Diablo. To the north and west, we get the entire Big Rock Ridge, Black Mountain, the unnamed 1310-ft peak due west of us, Inverness Ridge in Pt. Reyes, and perhaps the tiniest little snip of Tomales Bay or the Pacific Ocean - hard to tell. The hills are just about at their greenest right now, though we may get a bit more rainfall before summer. It's the "yellow month" - mustard, daffodils, the first few poppies, and other yellow and white flowers are blooming en masse.

Stunning. Both of these hikes kicked my butt, with the difference that I could not have done the first one two days in a row without serious pain and/or injury.

We also watched a red-tail hawk and a kite hover-hunting, the kite occasionally messing with the hawk. The double-chocolate stout never tastes so good as atop these big hills on a clear sunny day. Bring lots of water, sunblock, and perhaps a picnic lunch.

To get to this trail, take 101 south or north to Lucas Valley Road. Follow Lucas Valley Rd. west about five miles to the top of a long twisty climb. A big rock covered with graffiti, and a large construction project, will be on the right. Park somewhere near there. On the south side of the road, go through the cattle gates and head up the fire road. You'll know it when you reach the top.

If you happen to bike this trail Friday, there's a good chance you'll pass a 40-something guy on a Giant bike, sucking air desperately. Be polite. :-)

The usual Topo stuff is here - I'll have some pictures up there in a week or so.

Okay, more in a table. Click a pic to get it bigger.