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  • Archived Hikes 1
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      • Archives 2016-2018

Old Saint Hilary's Open Space Preserve

Address: 1) Fishbits Trailhead at 37°52'59.0"N 122°27'25.8"W (dead-end of Vistazo W. St. off of Lyford Drive, Tiburon)
                2) Heathcliff Trailhead at 37°53'12.2"N 122°27'21.5"W (dead-end of Lyford Drive, off of Sugarloaf Dr, Tiburon)
                3) 37.887673, -122.455613 (dead-end of Heathcliff Drive, off of Sugarloaf Dr, Tiburon)
Parking: Free street parking near the addresses above. Please be respectful of residents.
Hours: Not posted/website says open 24 hours
Type: Hike (moderate to strenuous) If you start at the Fishbits Trailhead, it's a strenuous hike. The other trailheads you can have easier hikes (moderate) but still enjoy the views.
Regulations: Dogs allowed on-leash; may be off leash on fire roads if under voice control
Best time to visit: A clear day for incredible views. But this is a great spot to visit anytime, because even on a hot day it stays relatively cool because of the bay breeze. 
 
This 122-acre preserve has some of the best views in the bay. From the Fishbits trailhead, you can take the trail down to the beautiful historic white chapel from 1888. It was originally a mission church but became a historical landmark in the 1950s. It is surrounded by wildflowers and has views of the the bay in the background.

If you retrace your steps back, you'll find my favorite trail that takes you up to the Tiburon Uplands. This trail is visible after the first bend from the Fishbits trail (photos below). You should see a small stream passing the trail with some bushes behind it. You can see the trail etched in the hillside to the right of/behind bushes. I did not initially think this unmarked trail was a legitimate trail, but a local told us about it and we have hiked it a couple times now. When you get higher up you will see official trail markers. The trail quickly ascends to beautiful views and it's a short but very steep scramble uphill. For reference, the Fishbits Trailhead is at approximately 220ft elevation, and about 20 minutes later we were at the first peak at 510ft elevation (at a leisurely hiking pace).

To reach the highest peak, just continue hiking uphill until you see a fence. Stay to the left when the trail splits (don’t pass the fence line). Although locals told me it was OK to hike past this fence to the right, there’s a private property sign so I wouldn’t recommend it. The view from the peak to the left is better anyway (you’re higher up and will have 360 degree views). You'll continue hiking up another 100 ft or so until you reach a peak of 615ft elevation. From here you will be able to see San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge, Angel Island, the Marin Headlands and the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge. During the hike to that peak, just continue following the trail to the left to the highest point you can see. You'll hike along the fence line and eventually pass a trail marker to the top. You'll know you're going the right way if you don't enter the no trespassing area or cross the fence line.

To finish your hike, you can either retrace your steps, take one of several other unmarked trails down the hillside that connect back to the main fire trail and scramble down, or you can take the trail to the Heathcliff Trailhead and walk down along Lyford Drive until you return to where you parked your car. I prefer to just walk down Lyford Drive, because the steep trail is more difficult to hike down than up.

​For a slightly easier hike with the same views, you can park at one of the upper trailheads (Heathcliff), and take the Heathcliff trailhead to the top. There are a couple hills that you will have to descend and ascend, but the elevation gain is only about 100ft, as opposed to 400ft from the Fishbits Trailhead. If you aren't up for the steep scramble down, but still want to see the chapel, you can simply drive to it (it's near the end of Esperanza St. on the other side of the preserve).

This park does not have restrooms or running water, but does have trash cans and doggy waste bags at the Fishbits Trailhead. If you have a long drive, I recommend stopping at Blackie's Pasture to use the restroom before you reach the park. From the East Bay, Blackie's Pasture is along the route to Old St. Hilary's, about 2.5 miles down the road before you reach the preserve. That park has nice restrooms and running water.
More info on Blackie's Pasture here
Although we didn't find any, you should check or ticks after this hike. There is high grass growing throughout the trail.

​Fishbits Trailhead:

​Immediately after you pass the first bend, you'll see the trail that heads up to the Tiburon Uplands for the best view:
OR, instead of hiking up, you can continue along the wide trail and take it down to the historic white chapel:

​If you decide to take the trail to the top of the Tiburon Uplands, here are some beautiful views you'll enjoy:

​Heathcliff Trailhead:
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  • Home
  • Browse All
    • Alameda County >
      • Albany Bulb
      • Alameda Creek Regional Trail
      • Anthony Chabot Regional Park (Lake Chabot)
      • Aquatic Park
      • Chabot Park
      • Barlago Italian Kitchen
      • Buchanan Dog Beach
      • California Canoe & Kayak (Oakland)
      • César Chávez Park
      • Claremont Canyon
      • Coyote Hills Regional Park
      • Crab Cove
      • Cull Canyon Regional Recreation Area
      • Dimond Canyon Park
      • Don Castro Regional Recreation Area
      • Don Edwards Wildlife Refuge
      • Dublin Hills Regional Park
      • Fairmont Ridge
      • Five Canyons Open Space Preserve
      • Fremont Central Park
      • Garin/Dry Creek Pioneer Regional Park
      • Greenbelt Trails
      • Hayward Regional Shoreline
      • Heron Bay Trail
      • Holy Land Restaurant
      • Ikaros Greek Restaurant
      • Jerusalem Organic Kitchen
      • Joaquin Miller Park
      • Lake Anza
      • Lake Chabot
      • Lake Merritt
      • Leona Canyon Regional Open Space Preserve
      • Leona Heights Park
      • Marina Park
      • Martin Canyon Creek Trail
      • Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Shoreline
      • Mission Peak
      • Montclair Railroad Trail/ Torii Gate
      • Morgan Territory Regional Preserve
      • Oyster Bay Regional Shoreline
      • Park Street Classic Car Show (Annual)
      • Pleasanton Ridge Regional Preserve
      • Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park
      • Robert's Park
      • Room 389
      • Shoreline Park
      • Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve
      • Skyline Gate Staging Area
      • Strawberry Canyon Fire Trail
      • Sunol Regional Wilderness
      • Temescal Regional Recreation Area
      • Tilden Regional Park
      • Upper Anthony Chabot Regional Park (Oakland Entrance)
      • Upper Knowland Park
      • Vargas Plateau Regional Park
    • Butte County >
      • Feather Falls
      • Motel 6 - Oroville
      • Riverbend Park
    • Contra Costa County >
      • Acalanes Ridge Open Space
      • Briones Regional Park
      • Carquinez Strait Regional Shoreline
      • Crockett Hills Regional Park
      • Diablo Foothills Regional Park
      • EBMUD Trails
      • Fernandez Ranch
      • Frowning Ridge
      • Geppetto's Caffe
      • Hacienda de las Flores Park
      • Hillside Nature Area
      • Howe Homestead Park
      • Indian Rock
      • Kennedy Grove Regional Recreation Area
      • Lafayette Community Park
      • Lafayette Reservoir
      • Las Trampas Regional Wilderness
      • Lime Ridge Open Space
      • Miller/Knox Regional Shoreline
      • Moraga Commons Park
      • Mulholland Ridge Open Space Preserve
      • Point Isabel
      • Point Molate Beach Park
      • Point Pinole Regional Shoreline
      • Point San Pablo Harbor
      • Rubio's
      • San Quentin Beach
      • Shell Ridge Open Space
      • Sobrante Ridge Regional Preserve
      • Sugarloaf Open Space
      • Sycamore Valley Open Space Preserve
      • Tender Greens
      • Tilden Regional Park
      • Wildcat Canyon Regional Park
    • El Dorado County >
      • Angora Lakes Trail
      • Bijou Community Park
      • Cascade Falls
      • Horsetail Falls
      • Inspriation Point
      • Motel 6 - South Lake Tahoe
      • Mt. Tallac
    • Marin County >
      • 101 Surf Sports
      • Baltimore Canyon Open Space Preserve
      • Blackie's Pasture
      • Camino Alto Preserve
      • Carson Falls
      • Cascade Falls
      • Cataract Falls
      • Dawn Falls
      • Ignacio Valley Preserve (Fairway Falls)
      • Indian Valley Open Space Preserve
      • King Mountain Open Space Preserve
      • Marin Headlands (Coastal Trail)
      • Old Saint Hilary's Open Space Preserve
      • Phoenix Lake
      • Ring Mountain Open Space Preserve
      • Roy's Redwoods
      • Sam's Anchor Cafe
      • Tiburon Peninsula Historical Trail
      • Tucker Trail Falls
    • Mariposa County >
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      • Yosemite National Park
    • Mendocino County >
      • Catch-a-Canoe
      • MacKerricher State Park
      • Mendocino Headlands State Park
      • Navarro River Redwoods State Park
      • Princess Seafood
      • Skunk Train
      • The Stanford Inn By The Sea
      • Van Damme State Beach
    • Mono County >
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      • Jolly Kone
      • Lundy Canyon
      • Mono Lake (Tufa State National Reserve)
      • Virginia Creek Settlement
    • Monterey County >
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      • Bistro Beaujolais
      • Carmel Beach
      • Fishwife
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      • Monterey Bay Coastal Trail
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    • San Mateo County >
      • 7 Mile House Sports Bar & Grill
      • Barbara's Fishtrap
      • Bedwell Bayfront Park
      • Bob's Vegetable Stand and Pumpkin Farm
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      • Esplanade Beach
      • Flying Fish Grill
      • Half Moon Bay Kayak Co.
      • McNee Ranch State Park (Montara Mountain)
      • Montara State Beach
      • Mori Point
      • Mussel Rock Park
      • Panera Bread
      • Pedro Point Headlands
      • Poplar Beach
      • Pulgas Ridge Open Space Preserve
      • Rancho Corral de Tierra
      • Seal Point
      • Taqueria La Mexicana
      • Wavecrest Open Space
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      • Calero County Park
      • Uvas Canyon County Park
    • Santa Cruz County >
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      • Greyhound Rock County Park
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