Great trail with smaller off shoots. Go when it's not hot,…read moreas this area can be warm with little shade. Go after rains to see the waterfall gushing! But really, go anytime as the area is beautiful, and it's a peaceful, serene area. Lots of newts, frogs, raptors, birds, and other wildlife. Dog friendly trails are marked as such. We've come twice now and each time it looked gorgeous, and different due to various water levels. Leave no trace =)

Indian Valley Open Soace is a quaint local park. Seems to be a great locals spot with a variety of…read moresingle track and wider fire roads. The terrains is varied between interesting woodland and open hillsides. It's all about the journey with no sweep vistas but a nice variety of wildflowers, mushrooms and a small waterfall (seasonal.) There's a large lot at the college in Novato, with an $8 parking fee. From the lot, you walk behind the ball fields and will get to the trail entrance..There's a park map and well signed trail. I opted to go left on Paheco Pond trail which eventually connects to the waterfall trail.. That wound up some gentle switchbacks through quiet woodland. The waterfall itself wasn't much to see after a dry January but the forest was still a pretty hike. From there, I took the Susan Alexander and Wixel trail down to the Indian Valley Fire road to complete the look. While there's a few short steep climbs, most of the loop was pretty mild and I really enjoyed exploring here. Seems like a great local park and if I lived nearby, I'd be a regular. Beautiful park.

I did the weekend-long silent meditation retreat here after wanting to do one for several years and…read morethe time finally came. They certainly delivered and exceeded expectations. The facilitators, Nira and Elizabeth were both so soothing and comforting with their voices and instruction. They gave informative and entertaining anecdotes, riveting and practical lectures and lessons along with hatha yoga and different forms of breathing. The nature walks were amazing too and this center is situated in a stunning location with nature and views all around to see. The food is incredibly delicious. Like a fellow retreat goer had mentioned, I could certainly come back for the food alone and the overall experience was life changing. I feel even more serenity and at peace than I did when I first arrived at the center and I am continuing to feel the deep effects of silence, stillness and being in deep thought. This experience has truly allowed me to notice every small, subtle detail in the environment around me and I feel life has become more vivid and vibrant than before. Overall, the experience felt like a warm bowl of soup; deeply comforting for the soul and subconscious.

Just had the most beautiful retreat here. Everything about the people, the food, the hospitality,…read morethe grounds was superb. I was given so much on all levels, it was truly the most beautiful, full experience. Thank you 100 million fold!!!!

What's kinda funny about this trail is how it starts on Lucas Valley Road. There's no parking lot…read more(no restrooms either), so you just park on the shoulder near a big rock. As it turns out, that big rock is the Big Rock, so the hiking-averse among us will likely take a pic and drive away. Talk about premature climax. But you should keep going as the uphill climb wasn't that strenuous, mostly a gradual incline, and it affords nice views along the way. One view you'll have is of Skywalker Ranch, George Lucas's production facility although from a distance, it looked more like an upscale private resort. You might presume Lucas Valley was named after George, especially since he donated the land that led to the formation of the back-and-forth trail. However, it's named after a 19th-century Irish immigrant unrelated to George. The meandering, gravelly trail was mostly exposed so bring water and a hat. If you make it to the radio towers, you can pat yourself on the back for reaching the second highest summit in Marin next to Mt. Tam. You also might be lonely up there as I ran into exactly one bicyclist and two hikers on my entire journey. Instead, put in your AirPods and play a song like Peter Gabriel's "Big Time". Just replace 'Time' with 'Rock'. The lyrics still work: "I'm on my way, I'm making it / I've got to make it show, yeah... Big, Big, Big, Big, Big, Big, Big, Big ROCK!" RELATED - Up for a hike? Here's a collection of trails I've walked and reviewed: https://bit.ly/2OrC8nU

This is the perfect hike. I started at 4 p.m. on an August afternoon, and finished with plenty of…read moretime to spare. The grade is perfect for some uphill cardio, without going overboard. The downhill is not slippery and dangerous. at the top, adjacent to the radio tower oh, there's even a porta potty. The view from the top is fantastic. Look toward San Pablo Bay. You'll see the Carquinez Bridge off in the distance toward the northwest. look toward the Southwest and you'll see the finger fog pushing through the San Francisco Bay toward the Richmond and Albany Hills. There's a small place for parking right off of Lucas Valley Road.

Only traveled on the floor level but it is beautiful, historic and calming park. Next to hwy 101,…read morethe freeway really doesn't affect the park settings that much. Plenty of trees for shade, picnic tables, a large fountain (unfortunately not operating) Some buildings & farm houses. Also easy access to restrooms. Will definitely go on the upper paths and hopefully see a view. Take a hike !!!

Hello everyone! Well this state park has quite a bit of history to be honest but unfortunately, it…read moreis really very rundown. This property at one point was owned by a family that actually played a key role in developing this area of California and they ran cattle amongst other agricultural initiatives on the property. The Grateful Dead actually lived here for a bit in the 60's and held a number of rock rule festivals in the property as well but none of that is evident at this point. The original mansion suffered fire damage and is pretty much condemned. An original Adobe house belonging to a prior Mexican owner is pretty much a ruin at this point but it is protected. There is also a re-creation of an Indian village in the property which is not much to see but it's there. Something that was pretty cool was checking out some of the fountains and remnants of non native flowers and trees that are still on the property in the garden related areas. A shame that the State of California has not properly maintained this park. Not saying you should not check it out. Plan for a cool day so you don't have any issues hiking the trails, which are not bad. Hydrate as well whenever possible and don't leave anything behind except your footprints. Hope you all enjoy your visit!

A great option for beginners who want to experience what it's like to drive a go-kart. I highly…read morerecommend it!

Bought tickets online, showed up at noon and found out we couldn't race until 5 pm. Seems like they…read moreneed a better system. So

2023/123 Everytime I…read morevisit Novato , this is my to go to park for a walk with my granddaughters and their parents. This park is located nearby an elementary school. It is about 1/2 mile walk through a very serene neighborhood. It's clean and fresh atmosphere with play equipments , climbing rock sculptures, a stone bear in a sandbox and picnic tables. The creek offers a burbling sound while traveling along the beds over rocks and tree roots. A lot of trees surrounding the park give the park a feeling of a rain forest. A Tepee jungle gym and a canoe offer a make believe Indian scene plus a full size sculptured bear lurking steadily on a sandbox. Stand up Hoops that serve as water sprinkler with a push button during the hot summer months for fun.

This park is located in a nice neighborhood in Novato CA. The parking situation is not good. You…read moreeither have to park at the end of a court, or next to the baseball fields, which is kind of far from the playground. There are portable bathrooms at this park but they were very gross and dirty when I was there. The creek is a nice part of the park. However, there was no water in it. There is a splash pad, which wasn't working. The playground is small and I could see kids getting bored with it quickly. There are wood chips underneath the playground. There are swings at this park. The grassy area is somewhat small and is not well maintained. The baseball fields appear to be in good condition. This park was underwhelming and I won't return. Have fun out there. -Dadzone

We had an amazing experience at Skydive Golden Gate! The staff was friendly, professional, and made…read moreus feel comfortable from the moment we arrived. One thing we really appreciated was that they don't charge you before your jump like some other places do. Many companies require full payment in advance with no refunds, but here the process felt much more fair and customer-friendly. The instructors were great, everything was well organized, and the jump was unforgettable. Highly recommend!

Can finally check off skydiving from my bucket list!…read more My friends and I came here twice but were only able to skydive once. The first time we came was when there was a fire incident (not their fault), causing the airport to be shutdown. Thankfully, we were able to jump the second time we came. Upon arriving, you are required to fill out a waiver and watch a video about safety and onboarding. If you are over 200 lbs, be prepared to pay $1 per lb. The first time we came, the person helping us said that we could decide to purchase the photos/videos after recording them, since we were unsure whether we wanted them. The second time we came, they didn't allow us to do that and made us pay upfront. When we came to skydive, they were quite behind schedule. Our reservation was at 12 pm, but we didn't start until 1 pm. They can only bring up 2 people at a time due to the size of the plane, so if you're coming with a large group, expect to go in pairs. Each pair took around 30-45 minutes; we finished all our jumps around 2:45 pm. The skydiving experience itself was AMAZING! My instructor was Gus, who was super chill and explained to me all the instructions. I loved his enthusiasm and he made me feel so calm yet excited to jump. Greg is the other instructor, and he is also very detailed in his explanations. The plane ride up was smooth, although it's a bit tight and there are no seats. You get a nice view of the city and north bay once you're up in the air. You climb up to around 9000 in altitude, before the first person goes in their tandem skydive. At the end of your skydive, you get a certificate. If you want to get a skydiving license, you have to dive 25 times, and this counts as one of the dives. If this is your first time skydiving, I'd encourage you to get the video/photos to look back on. The whole thing goes by so fast. The video was a bit cringe to film and watch back, but I don't have any regrets getting it. It is $100 if you want either video or photos or $140 for both. The photos are just stills from the video, so it's bit pricey to pay an extra $40 on top for both. Overall, I had a fun time skydiving with Skydive Golden Gate. The instructors and staff were great, and the whole experience was thrilling and certainly gave me an adrenaline rush. The main downsides were the delays in schedule and the pricing for photos/videos. That being said though, I would still come back here and jump again!

it was fun and exciting and very informative! Jacob and…read moreSebastian were great! Felt safe the whole time and had a blast! Definitely would come out again and do the longer run.Great Birthday!

We had such an amazing time at Sonoma Zipline Adventures! We were there for my husband's birthday…read more The whole experience was so much fun, exciting, and definitely an adventure to remember. Our tour guides were hilarious, entertaining, and did an amazing job making us feel safe and comfortable throughout the entire experience. They even sang Happy Birthday to him at the end of our zipline tour as he repelled from the tree. They really made the tour memorable. We also reserved one of a Treehouse for an overnight stay, and it was absolutely beautiful! It had such a fun glamping feel and was fully furnished with everything we needed. I was worried I might be cold overnight, but there was a heater that kept the treehouse nice and cozy. The staff was incredibly kind, welcoming, and accommodating from start to finish. We truly had a wonderful experience and would definitely recommend Sonoma Zipline Adventures and the treehouse stay to our friends and family. So much fun, beautiful scenery in the middle of the forest. Great accommodations, wonderful staff, and definitely worth it! We can't wait to come back!

Still feels like management has abandoned or has put this place on auto pilot. All these issues are…read morenoticeable so not sure why they don't get the attention that is needed. Membership price just went up and reason is inflation and for up keep to the facilities which is fine but let's see results. Cons: Broken mirrors since December 2023 Men's showers without curtains for months Lockers have locks removed without a plan to replace them Doors propped open so friends can use the services No deep full cleaning No answer from the 18 yr old manager or 21 yr old shift leader to simple yes or no questions. Actually waiting for an answer since January Pros: Hired 2 new friendly staff members Floors get vacuumed on Saturday or Sunday

The new management has really changed things around for Sonoma Fit Novato. It's fully staffed…read moreagain, bathrooms are clean and stocked, towels are available again for workout, equipment and facility are clean and working great, and everyone is smiling again. Makes it easier to go to the gym again....

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!