Fairfax – Hiking at Loma Alta Fire Road Trailhead
Loma Alta, situated Lucas Valley Road & Big Rock Trail, Fairfax, CA 94903, is a small preserve on the side of one of the area’s higher peaks. It offers some rewarding longer hiking opportunities, and its location close to nearby preserves makes it easy for visitors who want shorter treks without having to travel too far before starting their journey.
The 680 Trail is a wooded singletrack that runs between Loma Alta, one of the more enjoyable hikes in suburban Marin County. The trail offers some outstanding views, and it’s possible to make an all-day loop hike by walking on streets for about 2 miles with increasingly breathtaking scenery.
Loma Alta is scenic, but it’s no secret. With its stunning views and challenging climbs that provide great exercise for people and their pups, this preserve lures visitors with the promise of an unforgettable experience in perfect solitude – until they get there. Once you climb out of Lomas canyon to reach the ridge-line, though, traffic thins down significantly, allowing one to enjoy their time away comfortably enough without feeling overwhelmed by other people around them.
This place is a haven for the naturalist. It offers one medium loop and an option to add on an out-and-back climb if you visit in winter or early spring when there may be early wildflowers. Later during those seasons come rain storms which create mud conditions that can at times turn into quagmire’s – but these are all opportunities not found anywhere else.
To get the most out of this hike, you should start at Butterfield Road and Sleepy Hollow Drive in Fairfax. First, there are 1.8 miles on suburban streets before climbing Legend Road Ravenroad Stuyvesant drive (with one more elevation gain)and then following their respective ridgetops as well! After getting high enough up by Manor View Trailhead over to Oakmanor Fire road, where you’ll see two good-length trail options – stay left for shorter but steeper terrain or take an immediate right turn down.
After the big climb up Oak Manor Fire Road, you’ll see some nice views and green trees. Follow that with a short downhill trek to two huge water tanks before turning left onto Glen Fire Trail, which has deep ravines filled with bright yellow flowers in season – it’s like being transported into another world.
This trail winds through beautiful grasslands and oak woods. It is not uncommon to come across mountain bikers or hikers, especially on weekends when there’s more room for everyone! Along your journey, you will cross Fairfax Falls (if it has rained recently), which flows from two tiers of rocks into a narrow crevice beneath its own weight before spilling outwards again at Loma Alta Fall’s edge where we find our hidden waterfall; this scene can be quite stunning after rain because water filters down so slowly that all colors have time enough opportunity shines brightly between layers upon layers of tall stone.
Hike at Cataract Falls
Critical Control – Restoration service