Muir Beach Shoreline

Muir Beach Shoreline via the Pacific Coast Trail

(includes a tour of the Bay Model in Sausalito after the hike)

Thursday, May 30, 2013

OVERVIEW OF THE DAY: This is a day trip with great views of the blue Pacific, making the long drive well worth while. The day will start with a drive to the coast to avoid the triple digit temps of Lincoln. A 7 mile hike overlooking the Pacific with spectacular scenery and ocean breezes will highlight the day. After the hike we will take a short drive to Sausalito to view the most interesting Bay Model (see description below). Then we will relax after our scenic hike while enjoying a salad, burger, sandwich, pizza or brewery favorite at the Marin Brewing Company at Larkspur Landing. Plan to join us for a fun day of spectacular hiking, cooler temps, a unique trip to the Bay Model, and a relaxing meal at a fun restaurant. For those wanting a shorter hike, you have the option to only hike in one direction only. You’ll be dropped off at the Tennessee Beach parking lot and can stroll leisurely one mile to Tennessee Beach. We’ll meet you there after hiking from Muir Beach to Tennessee Beach. After we’ve all eaten lunch we will all hike back to Muir Beach together. This would reduce the hiking distance to approximately 4.5 miles and give you a relaxing couple hours at Tennessee Beach.

HIKE DIFFICULTY: Moderate to strenuous, depending on your plan to hike both ways. The elevation gains can be a bit tedious, particularly on the initial part of the hike where the grade is a bit steeper. The return part of the hike will seem easier with more gradual switchbacks.

ELEVATION GAIN: Approximately 1400 feet. You climb 500 feet from Muir Beach to the ridge, hike along the ridge, and then descend 500 feet to Tennessee Beach. Then you go back the way you came. With other ups and downs the total elevation gain is around 1400 feet. The cooler temperatures will make the elevation gain feel more like 1366 feet.

HIKE DISTANCE: 7 miles total – out and back. Or 4.5 miles if you opt to hike in only one direction, then to the Tennessee Beach parking lot.

GENERAL LOCATION: The trail head is at Muir Beach on the Pacific Coast, west of Sausalito.

HIKE DESCRIPTION: With the heat bearing down in Lincoln, take a refreshing trip to the coast for a 7 mile hike overlooking the blue waters of the Pacific. This hike has spectacular scenery. (See pictures below.) The trail is the Pacific Coast trail (not to be confused with the Pacific Crest trail in the Sierras) and is right on the coast overlooking the Pacific where the temperatures will be refreshing and a breeze you can count on. Wildflowers will be in bloom. After about 3.5 miles we will drop down to Tennessee Beach for our lunch break. Bring a towel (or something similar) to use on the beach sand while eating lunch. And after lunch we will retrace our steps to the north and now view the Pacific on our left side. The ocean view will likely look even more beautiful when viewed in this direction. After the hike we will take a short drive to Sausalito and view the Bay Model.

BAY MODEL DESCRIPTION (Quoted from the SF Chronicle)

At first sight, the San Francisco Bay Model is utterly overwhelming.

Standing on the observation platform, above the acre-and-a-half scale reconstruction of the Bay Area's waterways, you can scan from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta across San Pablo Bay to the Pacific Ocean. As you descend the ramps to walk closer to the edge of the waterways, you can examine the Port of Oakland and Alameda, or gaze across the Marin Headlands, the Golden Gate and beyond.

This fascinating and unique facility is one of the Bay Area's best open secrets - a remarkable tool that enables visitors to visualize and put the ecology of the bay's watershed into context. It's a terrific way to educate kids about the effects humans can have on our natural water systems. Best of all, it's free.

Built by the Army Corps of Engineers in 1957 as a way to examine the impact that John Reber's proposed dam system would have had on the bay, the model demonstrates in a concrete way the delicately interlinked natural and man-made systems that bring fresh water from the Sierra Nevada, down rivers and creeks, to meet the salt water of the Pacific Ocean.

After a two-year renovation, the Bay Model reopened earlier this year, and longtime fans will be happy to know that the familiar spots around the San Francisco Bay are all still there - including the miniature Golden Gate Bridge straddling the deep channel that leads to the ocean and the Splash Zone miniature ballpark.

Clever pumping systems enable hundreds of thousands of gallons of water to ebb and flow in tides that cycle every 14 minutes - if you watch carefully, you can actually see the water flowing through the Golden Gate, or creeping through the Suisun Slough. In 2000, when computer modeling became a more efficient way to study the impact of changes to the watershed, the Army Corps of Engineers turned the model into a one-of-a-kind educational tool.

It will take at least an hour to fully appreciate the entire facility, and scattered throughout are plenty of hands-on exhibits and video kiosks that the kids will find interesting.

What effect did dredging new shipping channels in the San Joaquin River have on the delta? How did runoff from mining during the Gold Rush change the rivers? How big is that system of dikes and levees in the delta, and what would happen if the levees failed? If you or the kids have walked along the Napa River or driven over the Carquinez Strait, if you've visited Alcatraz or landed on the runways by the bay at SFO, the Bay Model will put all your travels around our waterways into perspective.

And when you walk outside to take in the view across the water from Sausalito, you'll have a fresh appreciation for the beauty and fragility of the bay.

9 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. Free. 2100 Bridgeway, Sausalito. (415) 332-3871.

LUNCH: Bring your lunch. A lunch break is planned for mid hike at Tennessee Beach. Also a towel is recommended to use on the sand.

TRAVEL TIME / DISTANCE / PARKING: Travel time is approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes and 120 miles from Lincoln. We will stop for dinner prior to returning home to Lincoln. Suggested contribution for riders is $18. Detailed driving directions will be handed out to all drivers.

HIKE LEADER / SWEEP: Dennis Ratay / Margaret Ratay

SPECIAL NOTES:

FACILITIES AVAILABLE: A comfort station is available at the trailhead.

PREPARATIONS FOR HIKE

1) IF YOU HAVE ANY HEALTH ISSUES, PLEASE CONSIDER YOUR CONDITION BEFORE HIKING.
2) Bring a copy of your ID (driver's license), health card, and an emergency contact name and phone number with you on the hike.
3) Always bring 2 pairs of shoes, along with a plastic bag to store your muddy/dusty hiking boots after the hike. DO NOT get your driver's car dirty by wearing your dirty boots on the drive home.
4) Hiking boots and poles recommended. Be prepared for any type of weather - bring layers and sun screen, a hat and some water.

RISKS: Weather on the coast can be unpredictable, so plan for anything from fog to sun.

QUESTIONS: Call Dennis Ratay at 543-9935.

MEETING TIME: 6:45 AM -- Leaving time: 7:00 AM. We will not return to Lincoln until 7 or 8 o’clock in the evening.

LINKS