Ring Mountain, Tiburon, 3 miles or 6 miles

Ring Mountain is Trip 4 in the Geologic Trips: San Francisco Bay Area (https://www.amazon.com/Geologic-Trips-San-Francisco-Area/dp/0966131649). The trip is subtitled "Exotic Blocks -- Thermometers in the Subduction Zone."

Don't worry about the 50 person limit. Our hikes tend to end up with 15-25 people (given the number of no-shows). I'll email out a reminder the last week asking people to change their RSVP if they can't make it.

Gather at 9:45, we'll leave at 10:00 promptly. I'll email my cell number to the YES RSVP list the day before the hike. Cell coverage SHOULD be good, in case you get there late and want to try to catch up with us.

We'll start at the Parking lot on Paradise Drive on the far north side of the mountain (see the Google map), then hike up to the two stops on from the Geologic Trips book (Taylor Road and Ring Mountain summit). Ring Mountain is 602', and we're starting at the bay, so we're climbing 600'. After these two stops, we'll hike back past Turtle Rock, and those who want a three mile hike can return down Phyllis Ellman Trail to the parking lot. The rest of us will hike along the Ring Mountain Fire Road, then loop back through the Tiburon neighborhoods (see Google map).

Download a PDF trail map (https://www.co.marin.ca.us/depts/PK/Main/os/pdf/RingMountainWeb.pdf) of Ring Mountain and Tiburaon Ridge Open Space Reserves (PDF).
A complete Google map can be found here (https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&ll=37.914037,-122.495112&spn=0.025224,0.051627&t=p&z=15&msid=104378039710734503991.00047e918110c13fda80f).
Bay Nature article on Ring Mountain Geology. (https://baynature.org/articles/apr-jun-2007/ring-mountain-rocks)
Prof. Jim Locke's Ring Mountain Geology page. (https://www.marin.edu/~jim/ring/)
Rock carvings on Ring Mountain. (https://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=19244)
Northern Cal Geologic Society page on Ring Mountain (https://www.ncgeolsoc.org/Field%20Trips/Tiburon%20Peninsula%20FT/TiburonPeninsulaFT.htm) (great photos)
Great photomicrographs of thin sections (https://mathsci.solano.edu/users/mfeighne/vol1.page2.htm) taken by Howard Day and Warren Gray.

We've been averaging about 2 MPH (including stops) on our hikes, so expect 1-2 hours for the short hike and 2.5-3.5 for the longer hike.

If you want to do this hike on your own, dogs on leash are allowed, but the policy on my hikes is to not allow dogs (too many bad experiences). Kids are welcome, and the shorter version of this hike may be ideal for them.

We'll hike rain or shine, although if it's raining and you don't show I won't hold it against you.

I'll be coming from the east bay on the Golden Gate Transit bus line 42 to near San Quentin, then a five-mile ride to Ring Mountain. If anyone wants to join me, I'll be on the 8:13 bus from El Cerrito Del Norte BART (but I'm not sure how many bikes they can hold on each bus--anyone taken this bus before, will they allow bikes inside if the 2-bike rack is full?). If it's raining, I'll probably drive :-)

Note: The Ring Mountain map listing on Meetup is just a bit west of our meeting place--use the Google map link above to get the correct location.