MT. TAMALPAIS: A PLANE CRASH, THE "THRONE" & CATARACT FALLS
Leader: Gary Weiss
Leader Email: gary@sfhiking.com
Leader Phone: 415-279-5570
Meeting Date and Day: Saturday, Apr 20 2019
Meeting Time: 9:00 AM
Departure Time: 9:15 AM
Meeting Place: Under the Safeway sign on Market @ Dolores
Rating: Level-3
Mileage: 8.5 miles
Elevation Gain: 1200'
Description: As this hike is almost entirely on unofficial trails, there's a bit of "rough-and-tumble" now and then, but none of the trails is terribly difficult, and any elevation gain is gradual. We'll start at the O'Rourke's Bench parking area, just north of Rock Spring on West Ridgecrest Blvd, hiking between the road and the Cataract Trail for a bit before dropping down to stop briefly at Cataract Falls. We'll spend some time in prime Calypso Orchid habitat - hopefully we'll get a good end-of-season show. We'll be on the High Marsh Trail for a while before dropping down to Barth's Retreat. We'll then visit the Throne, the Fortress and a plane crash site from the 1940s. We'll have a mix of open grassland, chaparral, serpentine, creekside and dense forest. There should be a ton of wildflowers throughout the hike. If the weather is behaving, we can go out to O'Rourke's Bench for one of the best views of San Francisco and the Farallon Islands.
Bring/Wear: Plenty of water, lunch, snacks and sturdy hiking shoes.
Rain Policy: Contact hike leader if weather is questionable
Driving Distance: 44 miles total, there and back.
Total Bridge Tolls and Entry Fees: $7.00
Car Pool Fees: $8.00
Alternative Meeting Place: From Highway 101, exit at the Stinson Beach/Highway 1 off-ramp, take a left to follow Highway 1 at the ARCO station (Tam Junction). Continue until it splits - stay right onto Panoramic Highway. At the intersection (Four Corners), continue straight on Panoramic. When you reach Pantoll Ranger Station/Campground, stay right onto Pantoll Road. You'll reach Rock Spring parking area straight ahead. Turn left onto West Ridgecrest Blvd for .4 miles. Parking will be on the left. Google Maps link: https://www.google.com/maps/dir/2020+Market+Street,+San+Francisco,+CA/37.9096648,-122.6199646/@37.9074406,-122.6183635,16z/data=!4m9!4m8!1m5!1m1!1s0x808f7e1e329b437d:0xf9b56566bbf7a57f!2m2!1d-122.4279658!2d37.7688946!1m0!3e0
Alternative Meeting Time: 10:15 AM
Alternative Meeting Departure Time:10:30 AM
Level-1
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Level-2
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Level-3 |
Level-4 |
Level-5 |
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moderately easy
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moderate
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strenuous
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very strenuous |
