The Tiburon Uplands Loop and the adjoining hike through Old St. Hilary's Preserve offer sure-footed hikers an awesome opportunity to have interaction with the wild and rugged natural landscape of the Tiburon Peninsula. This trail offers great views, the possibility to see rare wildflowers, and many strenuous climbing.
• Summary of the hike: The Tiburon Uplands Trail is a 0.7 mile loop through narrow, rocky and steep trails along the side of the hill. Near the very best point of the loop is a mountaineering trail (roughly 0.5 miles) that climbs through Old St. Hilary's Preserve, accessible via a network of trails. The entire hike ought to be not than 5 kilometers, even when it feels longer attributable to the steepness.
• Directions: Take US 101 and exit at Tiburon Boulevard. Take Tiburon Boulevard into downtown Tiburon where it becomes Paradise Drive. Follow the road until you reach an indication for the Tiburon Uplands trailhead on the left. There is parking available on the side of the road slightly further ahead.
• The hike: The trail begins with a brief flight of stairs but quickly descends into muddier and uneven terrain. Bring good, grippy mountaineering shoes.
If you propose on just completing the 0.7 mile loop, I like to recommend starting on the left (south) side of the trail. This is the more wooded section of the trail and doesn't offer particularly great views, while the appropriate side of the trail is less densely vegetated and offers views of Angel Island and the East Bay. If you begin on the left side, you’ll look out to sea as you descend.
California bay and coastal oaks are the dominant trees within the forest. Toyon bushes enliven the landscape with vibrant red pops of color from their vibrant berries. Look on the bottom to see should you can spot any wildflowers. Watch out for banana slugs. If it has recently rained, you will have to step over a small stream.
The vegetation becomes less dense the upper you go on the Tiburon Uplands Loop, and the perfect views and most consistent terrain on the trail are found about halfway through. There are two picket benches along this route. The trailhead for Old St. Hilary's Preserve is between the benches.
The path as much as Old St. Hilary's is just as steep and rocky because the circular path. Shortly behind the start line, a small mountaineering trail branches off to the appropriate. Follow this short trail to excellent views of Tiburon, Paradise Cay, and the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge. Look for the Larkspur and Angel Island ferries that travel across San Francisco Bay. You might even see a cluster of old picket buildings near the shore. This is San Francisco State University's Estuary and Ocean Science Center, the one academic marine laboratory on San Francisco Bay.
The trail ends at Old St. Hilary's Preserve near Heathcliff Drive, where panoramic views of San Francisco Bay await. The west side of Angel Island is clearly visible and San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge and Sausalito are easy to identify. The terrain here is far leveler and the paths far more pronounced than on the Tiburon Uplands Loop Trail, although there may be some elevation gain as you head east along the Heathcliff Fire Road along the crest of the peninsula. Look for deer and coyotes in the comb.
The John Thomas Howell Wildflower Preserve and Old St. Hilary's Landmark are only down the hill. You can leave the preserve at Heathcliff Drive or Lyford Drive and walk down Lyford to Vistazo West Street, which becomes Fishbits' Trail and leads directly through the preserve to the church. The preserve is legendary for its wildflowers, a lot of that are endemic to Marin County. Rare flowers in the world include Tiburon paintbrush, Tiburon buckwheat, Marin dwarf flax, and Tiburon jewelflower.
The area is stuffed with curiosities you could explore before or after your hike. In addition to the numerous bars and restaurants, downtown Tiburon contains a stone tower built by Lyford Drive's namesake, Tiburon settler Dr. Benjamin Lyford, nineteenth century, whose try and construct the utopian city of “Hygeia” on the tip of the peninsula failed. As for this strange construction. The waters between Tiburon and Angel Island are a primary area for porpoise and dolphin sightings.
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