OuterSpatial
Bolinas Ridge to Samuel P. Taylor State Park
An unpaved road, mostly downhill, runs along the crest of Bolinas Ridge, and from its heights you have magnificent views of the sparkling ocean, Tomales Bay, Point Reyes Peninsula, tree-covered ridges, deep canyons, oak-dotted hills, and distant peaks. On Bolinas Ridge, you travel through damp forests on soft and springy leaf duff; wind through tall chaparral on bare, rocky sandstone; and cross open, cattle-grazed grasslands. After descending to Lagunitas Creek, the shaded Cross Marin Trail is paved from Platform Bridge southeast through Samuel P. Taylor State Park. Weather and temperature vary: On Bolinas Ridge, long, exposed stretches of trail can be windy, hot, or foggy. For bikers, the Bolinas Ridge Trail can be bumpy and rutted.
• From: Bolinas-Fairfax Road in Bolinas
• To: State Park Entrance in Lagunitas
• Length: 12.5 miles one-way to Samuel P. Taylor State Park; 12.2 miles one way to parking at Platform Bridge, Tocaloma; 11.1 miles one way to alternative trailhead at Olema Hill on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard; car shuttle possible.
• Elevation Gain/Loss: 490 feet/1,800 feet one-way
• Accessibility: Hikers, equestrians, and mountain bikers. Wheelchair users can access the 3-mile Cross Marin Trail.
(This trail description is excerpted from the 2019 Guidebook. For details on all trails, trailheads, and more, buy the book from Wilderness Press. For more resources to plan your trip, visit our Trail Tools page.)