Afoot and Afield: San Francisco Bay Area. David Weintraub

      West Point Inn is a popular spot on the south side of Mt. Tamalpais.

      Continuing straight on the Rock Spring Trail, you walk on the edge of a steep drop-off, left, high above Old Stage Road. After crossing Rattlesnake Creek on rocks, you follow the trail as it bends left and begins a gentle, then moderate, ascent. (Rattlesnakes are found on Mt. Tamalpais and have been seen in this area.)

      The route traverses an outcrop of gray-green serpentine, then passes a seasonal creek, bends left, and enters a wooded area. Just as you emerge from the trees, you may notice a rock bearing a plaque with the inscription: TO JOHN M. COLIER, A LOVER OF NATURE. Colier, an eccentric Scot and one of the early Mt. Tam trail builders, has two features on the mountain’s north side named for him, a spring and a trail.

      The trail descends, crosses more seasonal creeks, and then climbs past a rest bench to a fork. Here the Rock Spring Trail goes right, but you continue straight, passing two water fountains, left, at the edge of the Mountain Theater.

      Just past the fountains, turn left and walk down a series of stone steps, toward the stage area. Once at the level of the stage, continue behind it. When you are directly behind the center of the stage, you turn left and descend a few more steps and then walk down a path that connects to the Bootjack Trail. About 150 feet from the back of the stage, you reach a T-junction with the Bootjack Trail. (Restrooms are about 100 yards uphill and right.)

      Here you turn left and follow the Bootjack Trail as it switchbacks downhill on a moderate grade, past little streams that gather to form the headwaters of Redwood Creek. Continuing downhill through a small ravine, you finally emerge from the forest into a grassy area dotted with California poppies, blue-eyed grass, and false lupine. A final descent on wooden steps brings you to a T-junction with Old Stage Road, at about 4 miles.

      Mountain Theater

      Dramatic productions have been given almost every summer since 1913 on Mt. Tamalpais, except during wartime, most of them at Mountain Theater, a large amphitheater with stone seats. Most of the construction on this impressive venue, involving about 5000 massive stones moved into position by cranes and derricks, was done during the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps.

      Here you turn right, walk about 40 feet to a paved road, and then turn left. After 50 feet or so, you turn right onto the continuation of the Bootjack Trail, a single track. Now, at first with the aid of a few wooden steps, you pursue a moderate downhill grade through forest, with the creek you have been following since just below the Mountain Theater on your right. A short descent puts you at the Bootjack picnic area, where trails sprout in all directions.

      From here, both the Bootjack Trail to Muir Woods and the Matt Davis Trail to the Pantoll Campground head right. Your route, the Matt Davis Trail to Mountain Home, a single track, goes sharply left. Alternating between sun and shade, the trail finds a rolling course over ridges and into gullies, including one that holds bridged Rattlesnake Creek. Crossing Spike Buck Creek via a bridge, you contour across a ridge and then enter the canyon holding Laguna Creek. Close the loop at a T-junction with the Nora Trail, then turn right and retrace your route to the parking area.

      TRIP 13 Pine Mountain

Distance		4.7 miles, Out-and-back
Hiking Time		2 to 3 hours
Elevation Gain/Loss		±1000 feet
Difficulty		Moderate
Trail Use		Mountain biking allowed, Leashed dogs
Best Times		All year
Agency		MMWD
Recommended Map		Trail Map of Mt. Tamalpais and the Marin Headlands (Olmsted)

      HIGHLIGHTS This out-and-back route, using Pine Mountain Road and a short trail atop Pine Mountain to its summit, takes you to one of the best vantage points in the Bay Area, where your efforts on a clear day will be rewarded by fantastic views. Pine Mountain’s name refers to a nearby grove of bishop pines — a coastal, two-needled species.

      Along the way, plant lovers will stay busy identifying a variety of trees and shrubs, some found only on the locally prevalent serpentine soil. This area is also a favorite with mountain bikers.

      DIRECTIONS From Highway 101 northbound, take the San Anselmo exit, also signed for San Quentin, Sir Francis Drake Blvd., and the Richmond Bridge. Stay in the left lane as you exit, toward San Anselmo, crossing over Highway 101. After 0.4 mile you join Sir Francis Drake Blvd., with traffic from Highway 101 southbound merging on your right. From here, it is 3.6 miles to a stoplight at the intersection with Red Hill Ave. From the intersection, stay on Sir Francis Drake Blvd. as it goes straight and then immediately bends left.

      At 5.5 miles from Highway 101, in Fairfax, turn left at a stoplight onto Claus Dr., jog left onto Broadway and right onto Bolinas Road, which is heavily used by bicyclists. After 0.4 mile, you pass an intersection with Cascade Dr., where you bear left. (Bolinas Road soon becomes Fairfax – Bolinas Road.) At 3.9 miles, turn left into a gravel parking area. (Fairfax – Bolinas Road to the Azalea Hill parking area may be closed because of high fire danger.)

      From Highway 101 southbound, take the Sir Francis Drake/Kentfield exit and follow the directions above.

      FACILITIES/TRAILHEAD There are no facilities at the trailhead, which is on the west side of Fairfax–Bolinas Road, about 50 feet north of the parking area.

      After carefully crossing Fairfax–Bolinas Road, you walk north about 50 feet from the parking area to a gated dirt road. This is Pine Mountain Road, which brings you, in about 2.3 miles, to within 100 yards or so of the mountain’s summit; a short, narrow trail covers the remaining ground. Passing an information board and an old wooden sign, right, you follow the dirt road as it climbs, bends right, and then follows a rolling course atop a broad ridge.

      Serpentine Soil

      The underlying rock in this area, serpentine, creates a soil that gives rise to a number of unusual plants. Among these are leather oak, a shrub, and Sargent cypress, an evergreen tree growing here in a stunted form. Leather oak grows in low clumps, its dull green, oval leaves curled under and often spiny. Sargent cypress, found farther up the road, has round, gray-brown cones, and angled strips of gray bark.

      Now on rocky ground, you climb on a gentle and then moderate grade past a few pines, stands of manzanita, chinquapin, and chaparral pea, and a dense thicket of oak — some of the trees are the dwarf form of interior live oak, and others are a hybrid variety. The grade eases, and as you crest a high point, you can see The Saddle, a windy gap between Pine Mountain and an unnamed peak to its northeast.

      Dropping slightly, you soon pass Oat Hill Road, left, at about 1 mile. Now on a moderate descent, you may just be able to make out the summit of Mt. St. Helena, perched on the border of Sonoma, Napa, and Lake counties, to the north. Gaining elevation once again, you begin to see a few Sargent cypress trees, the advance guard of a large forest that blankets a flat expanse to the north of Pine Mountain.

      Now you reach a junction where Pine Mountain Road turns sharply left, and San Geronimo Ridge Road goes straight. (To extend the trip, follow San Geronimo Ridge Road northeast through a dwarf Sargent cypress forest to Gary Giacomini Open Space Preserve.)

      Following Pine Mountain Road, here a rocky track, you begin a moderate ascent. As you near The Saddle,