Marin County’s Ring Mountain Preserve, a little-known gem just off Highway 101 in Corte Madera, boasts spectacular views of San Francisco Bay along with the possibility of seeing ghosts of a Miwok tribe and nearby resident, movie star Robert Redford.
While Mount Tamalpais and Point Reyes attract most Marin visitors, Ring Mountain offers easily accessible short and long ridgetop hikes scattered across 385 acres, along with 360-degree panoramic vistas of San Francisco, Mount Diablo and the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge. Visitors will find oak woodlands, wildflower strewn grasslands, and seasonal creeks.
The trails crisscrossing the preserve also are popular for birding and rock climbing.
The preserve is due to the efforts of Phyllis Ellman, a Tiburon resident known as “Mother Botany” who fought to save the area from being developed during the 1970s. Ellman, who died in 2009, has a trail named after her, an easy 2-mile loop.
Before Ellman, a dairyman named George E. Ring who was a county supervisor at the turn of the 19th century, bought up enough land in this part of Marin to have his name affixed to the landscape.
Perhaps the area’s most fascinating features are the circular carvings of Petroglyph Rock, made by the indigenous Coastal Miwok tribe more than 2,000 years ago, which provide a glimpse into the area’s history. The carvings seem to reflect the islands of the Bay, including Angel Island and Alcatraz, that shimmer in the distance on a usually sunny day in Marin. Archeologists don’t know what they mean, but I like to think the natives wanted to document the amazing view.
Across a small valley, Turtle Rock, a massive boulder, attracts rock climbers. The area’s seafoam green-hued rocks are serpentine, California’s state rock.
A spooky aspect of the area are the ghosts of Ring Mountain’s Indigenous Miwoks, which have reportedly been spotted in the twilight by hikers who saw a group of people in the area, even though a nearby parking lot was empty.
Redford, who moved from Napa County a few years ago and bought a home in Tiburon that borders Ring Mountain, has been seen hiking in the area. On my frequent hikes in the area, I’m always on the lookout for the famous actor or the native ghosts.
A wide variety of wildflowers includes some species endemic to Ring Mountain and the Tiburon Peninsula. Rare plants like the Mariposa lily are found nowhere else in the world. Most of these plants flower in spring, March to June.
Mountain bikers are allowed on some of the trails; dogs are also welcome but must be leashed.
Ring Mountain offers fairly easy, short hikes with rewarding vistas, and, who knows, if you’re lucky you may catch a glimpse of Indian ghosts or run into Redford.
Getting there: There are a handful of ways to access Ring Mountain, the easiest is by taking the winding Paradise Drive to the trailhead, where there is limited street parking. Access from the north is at Taylor Road and Paradise Drive; from the south, on Reed Ranch Road. There are no facilities at Ring Mountain. For a map and more details, visit parks.marincounty.org/.