Beautiful open space preserve. I had no clue this place existed (new to the area) and discovered it…read morebecause our photographer recommended it for photos. I'm so glad she did! There's street parking nearby, beautiful easy hikes, and lots of nature. My son loved the open space too. It's not crowded, clean, and I look forward to checking out / exploring more.

I visited this Open Space Preserve by accessing the area near the Bay Club Rolling Hills in Novato…read more On this day, I was on my mountain bike and had only hiked here one time prior as I'm new to the area. I would say this park is better for hiking than mountain biking unless you live nearby. But there are better destination mountain biking choices in the area. For that reason I only give it 4 stars. That said, its a lovely regional park for wildlife viewing, stunning vistas of the bay and just being in a well preserved swath of oak lined rolling hills of Northern California. I really had a nice time exploring the paths on my bike and may have missed one of the better single track sections to the southeast side of the park. Next time!

This scenic drive is pretty neat. You can see the whole city from the top of this hill. The walk…read moreisn't long but the view is worth the hike. The drive is short, not much to see but trees. It's the hike that counts.

What a great find. I was driving along the Robert Dollar scenic drive enjoying the beautiful view…read moreand saw a fire road so I decided to explore. This hike is only about 25-40 minutes down and back so it's great if you don't have a lot of time but incline levels are good so you'll definitely still get a workout. What amazed me was the numerous views. It was so beautiful, you saw Mt Tam, the bay, San Rafael, Dominican Hills, Sleepy Hollow hills, the city, even the Transamerica Pyramid at the top of the hike. I would come for the view and glute workout. I didn't see too many people either but there were a couple of benches here and there where you could enjoy the view and chill out.

This trail technically goes from Mill Valley to Kent Woodlands but this review is for the trail…read moreloop featured on All Trails which is 2.7 miles and a little over an hour. This leg of the trail runs parallel to the Southern Main Fire Road which is a good alternative if you are going to also go to Dawn Falls but wanted more trail and not a fire road. It's also much less trafficked and has more shade. This loop is better in winter and spring. The winter especially after the rains there are small waterfalls along the trail (they dry up by late March) and it's very green. Spring brings some wildflowers like Irises. The summer can get hot with dead brush so not as great but at least it's mostly shaded. Can see Bay, Richmond Bridge, and Mount Diablo in the distance.

What a gorgeous hike! The drive to get to the base of the hike is an easy one hour drive from SF…read more The first 15 minutes of the hike is mostly covered in tree canopy with a gorgeous stream. It's a little chilly but then it opened up to an uphill climb for a mile. The expansive views of the mill valley are beautiful. Very dog friendly but also lots of mountain bikers so just keep your pup close. Lovely hike and I cannot wait to do it again.

Secret Trail! This…read moreis one of my favorite areas for mountain biking. All of the lakes are are incredibly beautiful. You should know, however, that the parking is a real problem at Greene Park.. Even if you get there at 7 a.m. there are only a few spots left. Today, when I arrived promptly at 7 am, there were only two spots left. They were gone in a few minutes. The Coffin families have a great history in this area. If you get a chance you can research. It's a very interesting story. I recently discovered something unique about the Watershed. There is a secret way from this Watershed into the Cascade waterfall! Here's the secret way--please don't tell anyone else. Up above Concrete Pipe path, you can access Pine Mountain Tunnel Road. From there, there's a secret path--completely legal, to go to the Cascade Falls. There's one hitch however. You can't take your bike through Carey Camp Trail. You have to leave it there and hike in to go see the waterfall. Plan on an hour round-trip.

Great place to come on a bright sunny day. The parking lot is small but it didn't take long to find…read morea spot. Most of the hike is pretty exposed so if you are looking for a more shaded hike this is not the one. Still it's a great beginners hike made even more enjoyable by the lake which you can follow the trails around. The views are beautiful but as Janell mentioned, not so many high elevation views.

Carson Falls are epic! Carson Falls drops about 80 feet…read more along Carson Creek. In the winter after storms: totally amazing! The creek swells and the falls roar. You don't just see it, you feel it in your mind and heart! I love the power of water falls! In the summer, the water falls are quiet, delicate, still stunning. Your peaceful serenity moment with zero crowds makes your heart melt with smiles. Bring your lunch. Or a book. Or just simply enjoy the magic of living! It's about 3 miles round trip. 2 hours. Steady but happy climb, totally doable! The kind of "easy enough for any day of the week, rewarding enough to brag about hike. Chase this one right after a huge storm must be spectacular! Trust me. You'll see why Marin locals try to keep it quiet. Who's adding this to their hiking list?

This is a case where the journey is more important than the destination…read more Carson Falls is located in a remote part of Marin County. When I was into mountain biking, I read a book about the biking trails in Marin. On a scale of 1 to 5, 5 being the toughest, the Pine Mountain area is a 6! Pine Mountain Road is not only remote, it's rocky. If you get in trouble out here, you're REALLY in trouble. I'll stick to hiking, thankyouverymush. First stop: Carson Falls. I went in March, there had already been a few showers that year, so I wasn't worried about the lack of water. I was spectacularly underwhelmed. I think the falls are around 25 feet tall, and it wouldn't take much for the creek to run out of water. The rock where you can gaze at the falls while eating lunch is nice, and the immediate area is home to an endangered yellow-legged frog. Oh well, so much for this destination. The journey - the acreage surrounding the falls - truly is spectacular. Especially in Spring, when the grass is still green. Forests alternating with low manzanita. The last quarter mile before Carson Falls is deep redwoods. Views of canyons, ridgelines, the Meadow Club Golf Course, both Alpine and Kent Lakes, and Marin suburbia in the distance. You can even see Mt. Diablo and Mt. Tam in the same shot. I made it up to Pine Mountain, which requires bushwhacking to get to the actual summit, and found two mysterious rockwalls hidden among the manzanita. If camping was allowed here, there are plenty of nice backpacking spots, but this is an area for storage of Marin drinking water so camping is out. The Carson Falls and Pine Mountain area is really nice if you're looking for a different outdoors jaunt. It's not undiscovered by any means, but it does offer an experience that's different from most in Marin County - or the entire Bay Area, for that matter.

Hidden gem sandwiched right between Fairfax and San Anselmo! The trail has a good amount of…read moreclimbing into the hills. You can also reach the cemetery on an off-shoot trail. Great place for bringing your pup on a leash. There's a variety of shady / open parts of the trail. Watch out for the poison oak! Parking is a breeze as there is a small dirt lot, but if it's full, street parking is nearby as well. Right the beginning of the park, there's a very small and short shaded trail along the creek with a couple picnic tables and benches. Lovely place for lunch on a hot day. Watch out for the poison oak! The trail is sometimes wide enough to walk side-by-side someone, but at other times, I'd recommend single file due to the healthy poison oak.

Such a peaceful vibe hiking here. It was a pretty easy hike…read moretoo although I didn't make it all the way up since I locked eyes with the .

620 ft elevation, 360 panoramic views of the entire Bay Area. One of the most marvelous and…read moreromantic places in the entire Bay Area. Stunning for all ranges of hikers, easy to aggressive. Greatest place in the Bay Area for a picnic. Mountain Biking too. It's a glorious place. See you there. https://www.google.com/maps/place/Pavlov's+Peak,+California+94920/@37.8849386,-122.4499976,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x808584831bc2aa31:0xa3f329ceff7b2e58

Pavlov ' s peak is the most perfect, peaceful spot in the bay area. I run or walk to the peak a…read morefew days a week and when you reach the top with sprawling views, you will feel a little bit closer to heaven. Plan to stay a while and picnic or nap. Dog friendly!

Spring and late winter is time to come when everything is nice and green. By May the grass dries up…read moreand looks like straw. The marsh looks out to Mount Burdell and Sonoma County. This is a great place for birdwatching with lots of ducks, geese, swans, herons and others swimming in the marsh. At about a mile and a half in you can turn around and go back the way you came or take a loop taking you along Atherton Boulevard where parts of the path are adorned with irises, oleander, and lavender. Both of these are around 3 miles. For something longer you can add the Bahia loop which is another 4.5 miles. I usually prefer a loop to an out and back hike, however here I rather do out and back since I prefer be closer to the water than a street with cars going by.

A great mountain bike ride (or hike) that's not too strenuous but plenty of small terrain elevation…read moreto make it fun. Years ago we started at the trailhead alongside Highway 101, now we drive down Atherton and turn on Bugeia Lane (which turns into Bahia Drive). Park at the trail head and take the Bahia Loop trail. There are trails all over the preserve but our favorite is a 6-mile out and back. The first part you drive through the hills fronting the Petaluma River Wetlands. There is some up and down but not extreme, but watch for hikers and horses (we always stop for horses and ask to pass). It's a single track that's fun to ride, beware of poison oak that creeps over the trail in Spring and summer. The 2nd part of the ride is on a fire road - you make your way up and overview the marshlands. We take the fire road and turn around at the wooden bridge. It's very common to see flocks of ducks, egrets and even pelicans here. A fun ride (or hike) out in nature.