Mt Tamalpais State Park: Coastal Trail
San Francisco: Marin Headlands - Mt Tamalpais - Point Reyes
The Coastal Trail is Marin County’s longest maintained trail, stretching 17 miles from the Golden Gate Bridge to Fairfax-Bolinas Road. It’s part of the greater Bay Area Ridge Trail system, a 310+ mile route that runs through all nine counties of the San Francisco Bay Area. The 4.1 mile segment from Mt Tamalpais’ Pantoll Ranger Station to West Ridgecrest Blvd is celebrated for its dramatic ocean views and miles of open coastal hills. Runners, especially, will enjoy the Coastal Trail's fast pace and mild grades
The California Floristic Province is one of only five regions in the world with a Mediterranean climate
The abundance of coast live oak and tanbark oak acorns enabled native Americans to subsist without agriculture
Bolinas Lagoon is located directly over the San Andreas Fault, is 3.45 miles long and 1 mile across at its widest point
Coastal prairie bunch grasses die back in the summer, and bulbs store energy for next year’s growth
Vast numbers of tule elk lived in the grasslands of coastal California before settlement
Coast live oak is 'live' because its leaves live on the tree year round, unlike deciduous oaks which drop annually
Mule deer have exceptional smell, up to 1,000 x stronger than humans
Occasional low intensity fires are critical to regeneration and natural succession in the coastal grassland ecosystem
Coyote pups are generaly born in late spring and can survive on their own by the following fall
Coastal scrub are usually low-growing, thick-leaved shrubs with aromatic oils for temperature regulation, and hairy or waxy coatings for water retention
The California red-legged frog is Federally listed as a threatened species
Near the ocean, bishop pine grow low to the ground and contort to withstand this saline, intemperate environment
Greenstone basalt and greywacke comprise most outcrops, which erode more slowly than surrounding rock
Coastal prairie grasses can stay green all year if positioned well in the fog belt
Looking north towards Stinson Beach and Point Reyes National Seashore
While blooms peak by late May, poppy can appear throughout the year
The Farralon Islands, the Golden Gate Bridge and Ano Nuevo Island form a triangle inhabited by one of the largest concentrations of great white sharks in the world
Wildflowers fill the hills along the Coastal Trail
Rocky outcrops are good places to find sunning rattlesnakes
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