Samuel P. Taylor State Park
Trail Review
Cassie and I rode the Cross Marin Trail that goes through and across Samuel P. Taylor State Park. We parked at the north end of the Cross Marin Trail and rode it all the way to Marie Dhority Bridge before cycling back.
The Cross Marin Trail is paved in the northern half and becomes a hard-packed dirt trail for the southern half. The northern half has more redwood trees and is generally more shaded, but the southern half should not be skipped as it has interesting bridges over concrete swales so that the trail can be used even in the wettest of conditions.
The trail has a slight elevation gain as it goes south, which worked out well as I always prefer gaining elevation to start and going downhill in the second half.
The trail had shade the majority of the time as it cuts through a redwood forest. Even when there were no redwoods to be found, there was still plenty of shade from bay trees that fed off the Lagunitas Creek that the Cross Marin Trail kept company.
In the middle of the trail, there is a possibility for vehicular traffic as there’s a campsite and a day use area, but we did not encounter any moving vehicles.
There weren’t too many people on the trail. Most of the time, it was just the two of us and a whole bunch of trees.
What I Learned
I was thoroughly impressed by this trail and by Samuel P. Taylor State Park as it was just so beautiful and clean. We also smelled many delicious smells wafting over from the campsites onto the trail, which made us hungry even though we had just had lunch!
What Happened?
10.7 miles, 1 hr 23 mins, 492 ft of ascent
When I first got into cycling, I remember looking up the best trails in the Bay Area for new cyclists. While I saw many familiar places like the San Francisco Bay Trail and the Half Moon Bay Coastal Trail, a good amount of folks recommended the bike trail at Samuel P. Taylor State Park. I ended up cycling bits of the first two, but I didn’t consider Samuel P. Taylor State Park as driving two hours to bike 10 miles seemed to be an act of folly.
But on this weekend, we were scheduled to go backpacking at Point Reyes National Seashore, and we had an empty afternoon. Given that, I thought it was the perfect time to finally explore Samuel P. Taylor State Park.
Cassie and I arrived at the intersection of Platform Bridge Road and Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, where we parked in a deep pull-out. We biked over the Platform Bridge and onto the Cross Marin Trail.
We were wowed immediately as the trail immediately transported us from fields of golden grass to a green forest. At first, we were surrounded by lots of bushes and bay trees, but were soon taken into a denser forest with redwood trees abound. And all the while, the trail was smoothly paved and as easy as they came, even with a slight elevation gain.
Soon we were at the heart of Samuel P. Taylor State Park, riding past campsites, picnic areas, and people playing in the creek. With smiles on our faces, we cycled on as our trail turned from a smoothly paved road to a hard-packed dirt road. We did notice that after a few miles that we were riding out of a redwood forest, and the air became warmer and shade became more difficult to find. But as soon as it got too warm, we were at the Marie Dhority Bridge, where we saw more people down in Lagunitas Creek enjoying the water.
We turned around and headed back. The way back was even more pleasant as we headed into shade and got to enjoy the slight downhill that accompanied us all the way back to Ramona (our car).
To me, the Cross Marin Trail reminded me of the Avenue of the Giants near Eureka, as that’s another road that is paved through a coastal redwood forest. Even if the Cross Marin Trail is shorter, it only takes about two hours from San Jose to get to, compared to the Avenue of the Giants, which can take around 5 hours.
If I had a critique of this trail, it’d be that I wish it were longer as it was just so nice. If you’re looking for a nice place to cycle, don’t be like me and wait 3 years to visit Samuel P. Taylor State Park. Actually, I’d recommend camping at the state park—just don’t forget to bring the bike!