Barnabe Mountain

California, United States, North America

Barnabe Mountain

California, United States, North America

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Marin County Mountains, Ridges and Hills
- Additional Parents
- SF Bay Area Peaks
Barnabe Mountain

Page Type:	Mountain/Rock
Lat/Lon:	38.02619°N / 122.71634°W
County:	Marin
Activities:	Hiking
Season:	Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Elevation:	1466 ft / 447 m
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Overview of Barnabe Mountain

Barnabe Mountain in western Marin County, while not the highest peaks out there, it does rise tall among its neighbors. From the top of its 1,466 summit you can see the Pacific Ocean beyond Point Reyes and Tomales Bay to the west. To the east Mount Diablo is prominent. Looking south Mount Tamalpais sticks out along with Peters Dam and Kent Lake and Bolinas Ridge.

The north and west sides of Barnabe Mountain are covered in dense forest made up of douglas fir, live oak, the giant coast redwood, and ferns. The rest of the mountain is grass covered rolling hills with little clusters of Oak trees. It is a nice departure from a lot of the other major Bay Area peaks that are covered by thick chaparral. Along the way you may run into black tail deer, raccoons, skunk and gray fox. There are many types of birds in the area including red tail hawks, vultures, and if you are lucky you will see bald eagles

I think this is the best day hike in the Bay Area. It is not strenuous in the slightest, and you can hike it year round. You can hike to the top of ride a mountain bike. The campground below makes a great base camp for many of the local adventures the area provides. The trail is easy enough and the amenities close by would even attract a non-outdoorsy type

Leaving the Forest

Getting To Barnabe Mountain

Getting To Barnabe Mountain From 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.

Sir Francis Drake Boulevard

Getting To Barnabe Mountain 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.

Getting To Barnabe Mountain From 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.

Trails and Routes Up Barnabe Mountain

Trailheads

Devils Gulch 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.

· Camp Taylor:Located in the central area on the south side of

Camp Taylor

the road. Since this is where the ranger station there is a $6 parking/entrance fee.

Trails

Bill’s Trail:Class 1, Use the Devils Gulch trailhead and follow the paved road for about +/- 500 ft until you see a trail branch off to the right. Follow that trail along Devils Gulch Creek for quarter mile and cross a bridge over the creek and you will notice that the trail forks right when you cross the creek. The trail to the right heads goes to the Samuel P Taylor Gravesite.

Take the trail to the left, which climbs 1000 feet over the next 3.7 miles to the junction with the Fire Road. This is very mellow climb up the north side of Barnabe Mountain through a thick forest of Oak, Fir and Redwoods. When you connect with the Fire Road at 1200 feet take the road for the next 266 feet to the Fire look out on the summit.

Grave Site Fire Road to Barnabe Fire Road:Class 1, Once again use the Devils Gulch trailhead and follow the paved road for about +/- 500 ft until you see a trail branch off to the right. Follow that trail along Devils Gulch Creek for quarter mile and cross a bridge over the creek and you will notice that the trail forks right when you cross the creek. The trail to the left heads goes to Stairstep Falls and Bill Trail.

Follow the trail to the right through the forest. As you leave the northern area of the mountain you leave the canopy and you enter a treeless environment. Shortly after passing the grave site the trail heads east and climbs to the summit for another mile.

Barnabe Fire Road:Class 1, From the Camp Taylor follow the trail east, on the Cross Marin Trail, which follows Papermill Creek. Shortly after the trail crosses Sir Francis Drake Blvd you come across the Barnabe Fire Road. Take a left onto the road and follow it up to the summit.

Red Tape

The South Ridge.

Most of Barnabe Mountain is part of the Samuel P Taylor State Park. Park hours are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and there is no backcountry camping allowed. Most of the trails are multiuse with only a few that are hiker only. Sorry dog lovers, dogs are only allowed in the campgrounds, picnic areas, paved roads, and the dirt bike path between Redwood Grove Picnic area and Shaftner Bridge. Due to habitat loss and over fishing, fishing is not allowed in Papermill Creek.

The Summit

There are no permits needed to hike on Barnabe Mountain, but there is a $6.00 daily use fee. The south east side of Barnabe Mountain is not within the Samuel P Taylor State Park and for the most part is privately owned. But there are houses going up most of the way and if you are feeling adventures you can follow the road up most the way and do a short cross-country hike to the summit.

Camping and Lodging Near Barnabe Mountain

Camping

The closest camping to Barnabe Mountain is at the bottom of the mountain in Samuel P Taylor State Park. Between Camp Taylor, Devils Gulch, and Madrone Group campgrounds there are over 60 Campsites within the park, and is open year round. Other nearby campground include Lawson’s Landing at Dillon Beach and Pantoll Ranger Station in near by Mount Tamalpais State Park. If you feel the need to do some backcountry camping the only real option in the area is at Point Reyes National Seashore .

Not to Much Further.

Lodging

Barnabe Mountain is nice and peaceful, but make no mistake about it. Barnabe Mountain is no wilderness. It is located within 30-minute drive of a 4 million people metropolitan area. Finding a motel is the least of your worries. If you don’t feel like staying in the city, there are several bed and breakfasts as well as small inns along the coastal area.

When to Climb Barnabe Mountain

Year round, Barnabe Mountain is near the coast, so temperatures are mild pretty much all year. It can get into the 90’s during summer, but that is rare, and if it gets too warm, hiking up Bill’s Trail shouldn’t be a sweat.

Barnabe Mountain