5. Old Quarry Trail to the Top of Mt. Burdell

Distance: 5.5 miles
Shaded: 10%
Elevation Change: 1400'
Hiking: 8
Difficulty: 8 Steep and rocky in places.
When to Go: In spring when the hills are green.
This is the best hike for exploring Mt. Burdell. It offers great views, magnificent oak trees, good wildflowers and a visit to a rock quarry.
This map looks best on a high-resolution monitor displaying 256 shades of grey. The map and hike description are excerpts from the book, Hiking Marin, 141 Great Hikes in Marin County, ©2006 by Don and Kay Martin.
 
This hike starts on San Andreas Drive (off San Marin Drive) in Novato.
 
Getting there from Hwy 101:
In Novato, W on San Marin Dr. for 2.4 miles. R on San Andreas Dr. Park at the open space gate at the top of the hill.

0.0 Park near the end of San Andreas Drive. Go through the open space gate and take the trail right, which starts out level and soon joins the Big Tank FR. Ahead, a trail parallels the road, which can be muddy when wet. In spring, look for a display of blue dicks.
0.4 Junction. Take the signed Michako trail left. Good views south.
0.9 Junction #1. Take the San Carlos FR left. Notice the large oaks. Mt. Burdell has the best examples of oak savannah in Marin.
1.3 Junction. Take the signed Old Quarry trail left towards the gate.
1.5 Junction #2. Take the road left 100' and then continue uphill on the Old Quarry trail, which climbs steeply into a large ravine.
2.4 Junction #3. Head right on the Burdell Mtn. Ridge Rd. to explore the mountain top and enjoy some well-earned views.
2.6 Junction #4 with dirt road. Continue on the Burdell Mtn. Ridge Rd.
2.7 Quarry, view and turnaround point. A small lookout point offers great views south and west. Opposite the viewpoint, a short, narrow spur trail leads 100' into a quarry, where cobblestones were mined to pave the streets of San Francisco in the 1870s. Return to junction 4.
2.8 Junction #4 and power pole. Take the dirt road right 200 yds. up past a rock wall and the Olompali State Park boundary. This hilltop offers good views east to the Petaluma River, the bay and Mt. Diablo.
3.0 Junction #3. Head right uphill on the trail. The rock walls were built in the 1870s by Chinese laborers who came here after completing work on the transcontinental railroad.
3.1 Mt. Burdell at 1558'. This is the highest point in north Marin and offers great views north. You can see Mt. St. Helena in the distance.
3.2 Junction #3 again. Take the rocky Cobblestone FR downhill.
4.3 Junction and Hidden Lake. Head right on the Middle Burdell FR.
4.9 Junction #5. Take the San Andreas FR left.
5.5 Back at the parking area. No facilities.

Disclaimer: The information provided on this web site is only a general guide. We do not accept liability or legal responsibility for trail conditions, trail information, errors or omissions.

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