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