Grave Site Fire Road to Barnabe Fire Road

Overview for the Gravesite Fire Road and Barnabe Fire Road

The Grave Site Fire Road and Barnabe Fire Road is the jack-of-all-trades route up Barnabe Mountain. It starts out in the heavily forested northern side and works its way around the west side to the exposed south face of the west ridge, with almost endless views. You also get a little bit of history, because the road passes by the grave site of Samuel P Taylor near the junction of the two fire roads. As you climb up the west ridge you can see Mount Diablo to the southeast, Mount Tamalpais to the south. Looking west you can see Mount Wittenberg in Point Reyes and to the north is Black Mountain.

This route is best done during the fall, winter and spring, or it is a good route up the mountain in the morning during the summer months because it is exposed the sun with little shade, but even during summer it rarely gets above 80° F. When hiking this trail keep in mind that there is no water past Devils Gulch Creek so make sure you have enough water, even on cool days. The route is not very strenuous at all. It is about three miles in length with 1,346 feet of elevation gain.

Although I didn’t see any mountain bikers on the two roads, I did see plenty of tracks and I’m willing to bet this is a good area for mountain biking along with the rest of Marin County. But it would be a good idea to stay alert, especially if you are hiking up after noon because I’m sure you will see someone flying down the hill.

Approach

Getting To Barnabe Mountain

From the Sacramento
From the junction of Highway 50/Interstate 80 and Interstate in Sacramento to trailhead, is about 96 miles and 2 hours. Take I-80 west towards San Francisco through Davis, Vacaville, and Fairfield to Vallejo. When you reach Vallejo take the state highway 37 west towards San Rafael. From highway 37 take merge onto highway 101 south towards San Francisco. At San Rafael take the exit towards central San Rafael and merge onto Irwin St.

When you reach 3rd St take a left and drive west until it merges and becomes 2nd St. Continue on 2nd for .3 of a mile until it meets up and merges with 4th St.
Shortly thereafter 4th St becomes Red Hill Ave. When you reach San Anselmo Red Hill Ave dead ends into Sir Francis Drake Blvd. Turn right onto Sir Francis Drake Blvd and drive northwest for about 16 miles through San Anselmo, Fairfax and San Geronimo. Right after driving through the small town of Lagunitas you reach Samuel P Taylor State Park. Find your trailhead and find a place to park.

From the San Francisco
From the junction of Highway 1 and 101 in San Francisco to trailhead, is about 28 miles and 50 minutes. Take U.S. Route 101 north across the Golden Gate Bridge into Marin County. Stay on Highway 101 until you get to San Rafael.

Take the Sir Francis Drake Blvd and head west towards San Anselmo. Drive northwest on Sir Francis Drake Blvd for about 16 miles through San Anselmo, Fairfax and San Geronimo. Right after driving through the small town of Lagunitas you reach Samuel P Taylor State Park. Find your trailhead and find a place to park.

From Oakland
From the junction of Interstates 80 and 580 in Oakland to trailhead, is about 33 miles and 50 minutes. Take I-80 north to Richmond. When you reach Richmond take I-580 west across the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge into Marin County. When you reach the Marin side of the bay take the highway 101-north exit and take 101 for about .7 of a mile and take the exit towards central San Rafael and merge onto Irwin St.

When you reach 3rd St take a left and drive west until it merges and becomes 2nd St. Continue on 2nd for .3 of a mile until it meets up and merges with 4th St.
Shortly thereafter 4th St becomes Red Hill Ave. When you reach San Anselmo Red Hill Ave dead ends into Sir Francis Drake Blvd. Turn right onto Sir Francis Drake Blvd and drive northwest for about 16 miles through San Anselmo, Fairfax and San Geronimo. Right after driving through the small town of Lagunitas you reach Samuel P Taylor State Park. Find your trailhead and find a place to park.

Trailhead

Devils Gulch Located in the northeastern part of the park on the west side of Sir Francis Drake Blvd. The parking area has enough spots for about 8-10 cars. From here the trail is hard to miss, just look across the road and you will quickly notice the paved road and the big sign with big yellow letters. You can also reach this spot on foot or bike from the campground via the south creek trail along Papermill Creek.

Gravesite Fire Road and Barnabe Fire Road Route Description

The route starts at the Devils Gulch trail at the northwestern part of Samuel P Taylor State Park. From the parking area, cross Sir Francis Drake Blvd, to the sign with big yellow letters. Follow the Devils Gulch Fire Road for about 500 feet or so, until you get to a fork. The Devils Gulch Fire Road continues on the left to Devils Gulch Horse Camp. Take the trail to the right called the (guess what) Devils Gulch Trail.

The Devils Gulch Trail follows the Devils Gulch Creek, for about .3 of a mile past a big moss covered oak tree until you get to a large wooden bridge. The bridge look relatively new and over done, with little red salmon on it. I bet it would be a cool place to catch the salmon run in the fall. Cross the bridge across Devils Gulch Creek and you will come across another fork in the trail. The Trail to the left is the start of Bills Trail, which goes up the north side of Barnabe Mountain and Stairstep Falls.

The route takes the fork to the left, which is the start of the Grave Site Fire Road. The road, starts with perhaps the steepest climb of the hike from the creek up to about 400 feet in about a tenth of a mile. After the initial climb the road winds its way for the next half-mile or so through a think forest. When the road crosses Deadman’s Gulch on the west side of the mountain the terrain starts to open up a bit and you start to get more wide open views of the area. Shortly after crossing Deadman’s you enter another thick forest of fir and oak. But this soon ends right before reaching the intersection with a trail the leads down to the Samuel P Taylor gravesite.

Shortly thereafter the Grave Site Fire Road dead-ends into to the Barnabe Fire Road at 420 feet. For the next mile the Barnabe Fire Road winds up the south side of the west ridge. It is a leisurely hike that gains 780 feet of the climb with very few steep sections. Since the road is south facing you are not hidden in the forest so you are rewarded with great views to the south and the west. On a few occasions you can see Black Mountain off to the north. After a mile and at 1200 feet the Barnabe Fire Road intersects with Bills Trail. Here the road starts to get a little steeper for the final 266 feet of the climb, but it never gets to bad and it doesn’t take to long to hike the final .3 of mile section to the summit.

Essential Gear For the Trail

This is a very basic hike. I would recommend sunglasses, sunscreen, water, snacks and a jacket. The rocks on the summit make a great spot to have a brew, I speak from experience.

Miscellaneous Information For the Trail and Barnabe Mountain

Samuel P Taylor State Park is open every from 8:00 am to sunset. The entrance fee for vehicles is $6. Bicycles are allowed on the trail.

Useful Information for Hiking Barnabe Peak

Maps

· USGS 7 ½-minute San Geronimo

· Tom Harrison Point Reyes National Seashore

External Links

· Samuel P Taylor State Park

Images

View Grave Site Fire Road to Barnabe Fire Road Image Gallery - 8 Images