Marin hike: Views keep getting better ascending Red Hill

I confess, I have lived in San Anselmo for almost 50 years, and until recently I’d never been to the top of Red Hill. For six decades it was almost impossible to hike to the summit of this landmark that I passed every day. The good news is that the efforts of the San Anselmo Open Space Commission, the Public Works Department and dedicated volunteers over five years paid off, and a ¾-mile trail opened in April 2018 making it possible to again enjoy the view of the surrounding area and across the bay to Mount Diablo.

Called Pan de Azucar (Sugar Loaf) by the Spanish, the boundaries of three Mexican land grants meet at the summit: Rancho Canada de Herrera, Rancho Punta de San Quintin, Corte de Madera, la Laguna y Canada de San Anselmo, and Rancho San Pedro, Santa Margarita, y Las Gallinas.

The well-marked trail starts from Shaw Drive. I was surprised to realize that despite the prominent introduced eucalyptus visible from Sir Francis Drake, the trees along the trail are mostly native coast live oak and bay, with a sprinkling of black oak, valley oak and Douglas fir. You will see three trees/shrubs with red berries if you hike soon — native madrone and toyon, and cotoneaster, a garden escapee native to China.

Because of the switchbacks the hike is not too steep, and there are plenty of birds to see and listen for if you need to stop for a breather. I heard the teletype chatter of a ruby-crowned kinglet, a tiny bird weighing just under ¼ ounce that has returned from breeding in the Sierra and will be with us all winter.

Overhead I heard the kee-youuu kee-youuu of a red-shouldered hawk, though trees blocked my view. I noticed a California scrub jay with an acorn in its beak. Scrub jays play an important role in the regeneration of oak forests. In the fall they gather about 5,000 acorns and bury them. Since they fail to relocate 30% to 50% of them, many of the buried acorns germinate.

I also heard a noisy Steller’s jay announce its presence. Although they have blue feathers and they are jays, confusingly they are not blue jays. Blue jays — blue and white jays with bright blue wings, crest and tail — are common backyard birds in Midwest and eastern states. The dark blue and black Steller’s jays are birds of the western states.

A sign marks where the trail passes from land leased from Side by Side (formerly Sunny Hills and even earlier the San Francisco Presbyterian Orphanage) to land owned by the Town of San Anselmo. As the sign explains, from this point on the trail follows an old road created by Dr. Henry Dubois in 1892 to connect San Anselmo to the Mount Tamalpais Cemetery in San Rafael, which he had founded in 1878.

Views keep getting better as you ascend. The panorama includes Mount Tamalpais, Mount Baldy, White Hill and Loma Alta. Just before the summit, look for some snags that acorn woodpeckers have turned into granary trees. This time of year, they are busy storing acorns to last until next fall. Each woodpecker in the extended family group will store about 325 acorns in the family tree, and defend the granary tree from other family groups. In the spring they will take stock of remaining acorns and determine if they can have a spring brood or should wait until next fall when acorns are plentiful again.

When you reach the summit there is finally a view east, taking in the San Francisco Bay, East Bay communities and Mount Diablo. After looking at a San Anselmo Historical Society photo, I had no trouble imagining worshipers climbing the hill in the dark early Easter morning to watch the sun rise and attend an outdoor service, a  custom that lasted from 1929 to 1953.

The summit is an excellent place to stop for a picnic with a view. The trail is not a loop, so return the way you came to complete the 1.5-mile hike.

To get to Red Hill take Sir Francis Drake Boulevard to Shaw Drive in San Anselmo.  There is parking by the dog park and athletic field. Walk back to the signed trailhead. No bicycles. Dogs under voice control are permitted off leash (but be aware there is a lot of poison oak if they go off trail).

Wendy Dreskin has led the College of Marin nature/hiking class Meandering in Marin since 1998, and teaches other nature classes for adults and children. To contact her, go to wendydreskin.com