Sunday, May 22, 2016

Del Valle to Murietta Falls

Near: Livermore
Trip Type: Hike
Distance: 14 miles
Elevation: 800 - 3500 ft
Vegetation: Forest, Scrub and Pasture
Last Hiked: May 8, 2016





**Note: This hike was affected by the 2020 SCU fire complex. Check on official information for the Ohlone Regional Wilderness, for up to date information on the state of trails there**   

Murietta Falls are not particularly awe-inspiring, but they make for a just-reachable destination over a challenging and pleasant section of the Ohlone Wilderness Trail.  All but a mile or so of this "Wilderness Trail" is a typical east bay fire road... but there's enough poison oak around you won't mind so little single track.  At least 13 miles out and back with almost 3,000 feet of net elevation gain and significant back climbing, reaching the falls makes for no easy stroll.  Most of the climb up to the best vista at Schlieper Rock is in forest and scrub land (as opposed to the grazed pastureland around Murietta Falls) so while I think "Wilderness" is a bit of a stretch, the landscape does feel more wild the most of the east bay.  Let's call it a wildishness if not a wilderness.


Saturday, May 7, 2016

Indian Valley

Near: Novato
Trip Type: Trail Run
Distance: 4.5 miles
Elevation: 100 - 600 ft
Surface: Dirt and Rocky Dirt
Vegetation: Forest


Indian Valley is a small park in the Marin County Open Space system.  It's less extensive and interesting than some of the nearby parks, and the lower parts have a very suburban feel, but it's a nice spot for a modest hike or trail run if you've done most of the higher profile trails nearby.  I was out for a trail run there today in the rain without at map and got terribly confused and ran all about the place in very inefficient loop.