Marin hike: Heading into the heart of ‘Big Empty’
Today we leave our everyday life behind and travel into Marin’s wildest, rawest, least touched land to hike in the area I call the “Big Empty.” Located between Big Carson Ridge and Bolinas Ridge, it is harsh country and magnificent. It is close in distance, but far away from our usual experience.
On our out-and-back hike, we will see Tomales Bay in the distance, stand atop Pine Mountain —Marin’s third highest — and see a broad expanse of Marin’s largest and most hidden reservoir, Kent Lake. Most of the time, we will traverse land seemingly untouched by civilization.
• Hike summary: The hike is difficult because of its climbs, but the footing, except for some spots of loose gravel, is reasonably good. In the first mile, we climb to the junction with Oat Hill Road on the left, but we continue straight. In another .4 miles, we turn left, as signed on Pine Mountain Road. We climb Pine Mountain Road about .8 miles to where the fire road summits. Just past it, you can see a good portion of Kent Lake. This is a good place to return for a round trip of about 4.5 miles.
For vigorous hikers who wish to continue, we will descend and climb another 1.25 miles, past the sign for Poison Springs and to the top of the final steep short hill. From here, you can see a large portion of Kent Lake, for a round trip of about 7 miles.
There is generally no tree cover on the hike, so be sure to take plenty of water and protection from the sun, and avoid the hike in hot weather. Dogs on leash allowed. There are no facilities.
• Getting there: Take Bolinas Road from Fairfax and continue past the Meadow Club about 1.3 miles to the Azalea Hill dirt parking area on your left and park there.
• The hike: From your car, cross the paved road and pass around the gate to take Pine Mountain Fire Road. After you climb a short distance, look back over your left shoulder and see the inviting water of Alpine Lake. As we climb, we are surrounded by untouched and remote landscape, except for the Meadow Club on the right below and occasionally some power lines. We traverse serpentine chaparral evidenced here by chamise, manzanita and yerba santa.
We climb, sometimes steeply, about 1 mile and then descend and continue straight past the sign on the left for Oat Hill Road. In less than .5 miles, we come to a junction indicating Pine Mountain Road to the left and turn on it to start our climb to the summit. Before we turn, notice the serpentine-loving Sargent’s cypress trees nearby, with seed cones that resemble a three-dimensional geometry exam problem that you couldn’t solve.
We climb uphill and pause at a slight dip, like a horse’s swayback, called the Saddle. From here on a clear day, we see Green Hill rising above San Geronimo Ridge Fire Road, then Barnabe Peak and, in the distance, Tomales Bay. Mount Tamalpais stands tall in the opposite direction.
Notice also uphill to your right the remnant of a rubble-stone wall built, probably in the 1870s, to mark the boundary line of the 8,700-acre San Geronimo land grant. The land grant was purchased from the original Mexican grantee and ranched for a while by Paul Revere’s grandson, Joseph Revere. He is responsible for giving the name Carson — after Kit Carson — to the Big Empty’s Carson Falls, Big Carson Creek and Little Carson Creek.
From the Saddle, we climb to the road’s high point. On the right, there is a slight parting and narrow unsigned path of some 50 yards through chaparral to the mountain summit of 1,762 feet, marked by a metal stake in a mound of stones. The summit is unimpressive and lacks good views. If you wish to see it because it is there, you must thread the narrow path through the chaparral and will probably pay — as both my friend Buz and I did — with some scratches incurred along the way.
Walking on the road just a short distance past its high point, we see a portion of Kent Lake down and to our left. It looks more like a river than a lake, because essentially it is. The Marin Municipal Water District completed Kent Lake in 1954 by enlarging a section of Lagunitas Creek’s watercourse and damming the creek’s flow. After viewing a portion of Kent Lake from here, you may return, having seen much of the spectacular scenery.
We will continue by heading generally down and then up for another 1.25 miles, making for a total round trip of about 7 miles. In doing so, we notice changes in habitat from chaparral to forest to grasslands, and occasionally have good views to the right of Tomales Bay. We descend and continue past the junction to Poison Springs, head up a gradual hill and then a short steep hill to the top. There, just off to the left, we see a low red post with a concrete base incised with “SG 21,” a boundary survey marker for the San Geronimo land grant.
From the general area, we see a good portion of Kent Lake, a long drink of water up against the steep backdrop of densely wooded Bolinas Ridge. If we choose, we can walk cross-country toward the lake to the canyon’s high bank for a more expansive view. Tired, we return a short way to find some shade and, when ready, head back the way we came.
The Big Empty is unforgettable in its spaciousness and remoteness. It can turn you outward to its landscape, unspoiled as far as you can see, or inward to your own inspirations and thoughts.
See you in two weeks for my farewell column and a legendary hike.
A longtime avid hiker and Marin resident, Jim Holden is the author of two nonfiction books: “It Happened in Marin” and “Adventurous Lives, Daring Acts.” He can be reached at MarinhikingJim@gmail.com