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65-515: The stream's headwaters begin on the northern slopes of Mount Tamalpais in the Coast Range and terminate in southeast Tomales Bay , 1.5 miles (2.4 km) northwest of Point Reyes Station, California . Lagunitas Creek feeds several reservoirs on Mt. Tamalpais that supply a major portion of the county's drinking water . To the Coast Miwok the stream was known as Tokelalume , then by

130-463: A few isolated areas, are of two types. Northern coastal prairie is found below the fog line and is characterized by a Festuca - Danthonia association, while valley grassland , found in drier areas, is dominated by Nassella pulchra , with Elymus glaucus and Leymus triticoides also being common. Wetland vegetation types found on Mount Tamalpais include coastal riparian forests, wet meadows , and some marsh areas. Coastal riparian forest

195-861: A lieutenant in the United States Engineers, accompanied by his friend, Lt. William Tecumseh Sherman . Halleck was a partner in the San Francisco law firm, Halleck, Peachy & Billings, and in the Civil War was promoted by President Abraham Lincoln to general-in-chief of the armies of the United States. Halleck hunted and fished at Rancho Nicasio, and built a house on the creek near Nicasio, now called Halleck Creek. The Nicasio Creek watershed drains 36 square miles (93 km ) of coastal area of Marin County, California. This creek

260-621: A mile (1,600 m), they all flow into Lake Lagunitas , which drains into Bon Tempe Lake , which drains into Alpine Lake . Downstream of Alpine Lake, the creek flows roughly northwest until it reaches Kent Lake . Just downstream of Kent Lake, San Geronimo Creek joins the creek, right before it forms the Inkwells . Lagunitas continues northwest through Samuel P. Taylor State Park and is joined by Nicasio Creek, which flows from Nicasio Reservoir , another water storage reservoir . Shortly after this confluence, Lagunitas turns westward and flows through

325-541: A self-service fee ($ 8). The scenic Ridgecrest Blvd. running along the ridgeline between the Rock Spring trailhead and Fairfax-Bolinas Road, with panoramic views of the summit, Pacific, San Francisco , Bolinas , and Point Reyes , is featured in many automobile and other advertisements, as well as being the local hang-gliding launch point. Mount Tam is also home to the Edgewood Botanic Garden and to

390-633: Is Tillamook Bay , Oregon although they were also reported in the San Lorenzo River in 1915. As of December 2017 a half dozen chum salmon and a dozen pink salmon were counted in Lagunitas Creek. Below Kent Lake and the San Geronimo Creek confluence, the mainstem Lagunitas Creek courses through Samuel P. Taylor State Park, which hosts 600 acres of redwoods ( Sequoia sempervirens ) virgin forest . Remnant populations of

455-499: Is a lack of suitable spawning gravel in many lower stream reaches for spawning. Most spawning in the Lagunitas Creek watershed now takes place in San Geronimo Creek, an unregulated tributary, and the region immediately downstream of its confluence with Lagunitas Creek. Strong efforts are also being made to protect and restore undammed, headwater reaches of this Watershed in the San Geronimo Valley, where upwards of 40% of

520-465: Is a rare variety of thistle known only from the serpentine seeps of the mountain. The Mount Tamalpais jewelflower ( Streptanthus batrachopus ) is also limited to the area. Mount Tamalpais provides one of the last remaining wildlife refuges in the Bay Area. Urbanization has invaded wildlife habitat, forcing many fauna in southern Marin County to retreat up onto Mount Tamalpais, Muir Woods , and

585-583: Is cited in Jane Hirshfield's poem "Mountainal," from Ledger (New York: Knopf, 2020), p. 111. Mount Tamalpais Mount Tamalpais ( / t æ m əl ˈ p aɪ ɪ s / ; TAM -əl- PY -iss ; Miwok : Támal Pájiṣ ), known locally as Mount Tam , is a peak in Marin County , California , United States, often considered symbolic of Marin County. Much of Mount Tamalpais is protected within public lands such as Mount Tamalpais State Park ,

650-771: Is instead a piece of Victorian-era apocrypha . The "Sleeping Lady" story was the creation of playwright Dan Totheroh, who wrote the first play performed at Mt. Tamalpais' Mountain Theater about Tamelpa, the Mountain Queen. Another suggests a tie to the Eurasian origins of the Miwoks, where "pais" means place and "tamal" is a tribe in Siberia. Mount Tamalpais is the highest peak in the Marin Hills , which are part of

715-439: Is more dominant in shadier, moister areas; madrone is abundant in certain soil types in both moist and dry spots. Oak woodlands are a more open-canopy forest dominated by coast live oak, while oak savannah has a completely open canopy and represents a mixture of coast live oak woodland and grassland. The great diversity of microclimates on Mount Tamalpais ensures a wide variety of plant communities as well. Plant communities on

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780-435: Is predominant along the valley streams of Mount Tamalpais. Red and white alder ( Alnus rubra and Alnus rhombifolia ) and arroyo and yellow willow ( Salix lasiolepis and S. lasiandra ) are dominant in these types of woodland, with bigleaf maple ( Acer macrophyllum ), box-elder ( Acer negundo ssp. californicum ), and California bay also being common. Wet meadows are present in several high-elevation spots on

845-505: Is the primary tributary of Lagunitas Creek which enters the Pacific Ocean at the head of Tomales Bay. Originating on Big Rock Ridge west of the city of Novato , Nicasio Creek descends initially to the south. Approaching Lucas Valley Road, it turns and follows the road as it winds westward, passing south of Skywalker Ranch to the town of Nicasio . North of Nicasio, it feeds into Nicasio Reservoir just as Halleck Creek enters from

910-534: The Bolinas Ridge . A wide variety of avifauna , amphibians , arthropods and mammals are found on Mount Tamalpais, including a number of rare and endangered species . Mt. Tamalpais and the neighboring Golden Gate Recreation Area together encompass over 115 square miles (298 square kilometers) of land, forming one of the largest preserved parklands located near a U.S. urban center. The Coast Miwok are said to have believed that an evil witch dwelled at

975-730: The Marin County Fire Department . Mount Tamalpais is a hiking, picnicking, mountain and road cycling, horseback riding, and hang-gliding destination for residents of the San Francisco Bay Area , with over 100 miles (160 km) of trails and fire roads. With numerous trailheads, a well-networked trail and road system, and hikes of greatly varying length and difficulty, the mountain offers a compelling range of attractions. Marin Municipal Water District maintains several reservoirs on

1040-573: The Marin Municipal Water District watershed , and National Park Service land, such as Muir Woods . The name Tamalpais was first recorded in 1845. It comes from the Coast Miwok name for this mountain, támal pájiṣ , meaning "west hill". Various different folk etymologies also exist, but they are unsubstantiated. One holds that it comes from the Spanish Tamal país , meaning "Tamal country," Tamal being

1105-622: The North American Plate as it slides along the Pacific Plate near the San Andreas Fault zone . In 2004, a team of Penn State geoscientists suggested that a blind thrust fault , like the one that caused the infamous Northridge earthquake , lies beneath Mount Tamalpais. This idea was partly based on the steepness of Mount Tamalpais and of nearby Bolinas Ridge , such steepness on the visible surface often being

1170-579: The Pacific Ocean . The Nicasio Reservoir , formed in 1961 by Seeger Dam , is located on this stream. Nicasio Creek and the Rancho Nicasio are probably named for a Coast Miwok named "Nicasio" by the Spanish missionaries. The original diseno for the 1835 and 1844 land grants shows Arroyo de Nicasio , Casa de los Indios de Nicasio , and Roblar de Nicasio for Nicasio Creek, the house of

1235-658: The Sidney B. Cushing Amphitheatre where Broadway musical productions are performed every year by the Mountain Play Association. Monthly astronomy viewings and lectures are held at Rock Spring and Mountain Theater April through October by Mt Tam Astronomy. Since the Mount Tamalpais area contains large expanses of undeveloped, natural land, there are many trails and trailheads that criss-cross

1300-569: The foothill yellow-legged frog ( (Rana boylii) ), a Federal Species of Concern and California Species of Special Concern, persist in Little Carson Creek and Big Carson Creek, tributaries of Kent Lake . Under the name Paper Mill Creek, Lagunitas Creek is referred to, and crossed several times by car, in the course of Confessions of a Crap Artist , a 1975 novel by Philip K. Dick , partly set in Marin County. Lagunitas Creek

1365-400: The manzanita slopes, cool and breezy at the summit, and shady on the heavily Douglas-fir -forested north slopes near Alpine Lake. Annual precipitation around Mount Tamalpais varies greatly from around 27.5–31.5 inches (700–800 mm) in the drier, eastern foothills to about 59 inches (1,500 mm) near the Bolinas Ridge , close to the Pacific Ocean . Both Mount Tamalpais and

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1430-512: The steelhead trout ( Oncorhynchus mykiss ) and coho salmon ( Oncorhynchus kisutch ) spawning populations in the Lagunitas Creek watershed. By blockage and inundation the dam reduced by 50 percent of the salmon and steelhead populations entering Lagunitas Creek watershed. Author and landscape artist Russell Chatham wrote, "One of the most tragic sights I ever beheld was the year after Nicasio Dam blocked that critical watershed. An uncountable number of silvers, between 10,000 and 15,000, crowded into

1495-473: The "Central California Coast Evolutionarily Significant Unit ," or CCC ESU, and are listed as "endangered" at both the state and federal level. The CCCESU has declined from an estimated 50,000–125,000 adult returns to only 500 spawning adults, and is at high risk for extinction, with only 67 adults returning in 2013. Significant efforts to protect and restore these fish have been underway in the Watershed since

1560-489: The 1980s. Before Seeger Dam was constructed in 1960 by the Marin Municipal Water District (MMWD), Nicasio Creek supported half of the steelhead trout ( Oncorhynchus mykiss ) and coho salmon spawning populations in the Lagunitas Creek watershed. The 50% of remaining historical salmon habitat in the Lagunitas Creek watershed is now also behind dams. Because dams also block sediment transport, there

1625-529: The Bolinas Ridge and the summit of Mount Tamalpais. In summer, the area gets almost no precipitation, except for fog drip that occurs in Muir Woods, the Bolinas Ridge and the western end of Mount Tamalpais, where summer fog and oceanic breezes are more prevalent. In contrast, the eastern foothills, sheltered from the oceanic breezes and fog, are drier, since the foothills force little moisture out of

1690-571: The Bolinas Ridge force moisture out of the air efficiently, since the air is cooled rapidly as it ascends the steep mountain faces and thus Mount Tamalpais's western part is heavily forested with tall redwoods and Douglas firs. The same fact holds for the steep, south-facing bowl canyon that Muir Woods is located in, with precipitation in Redwood Canyon at around 39.4–47.2 inches (1,000–1,200 mm). As in San Francisco , most of

1755-422: The Lagunitas Creek salmon spawn each year and where as much as 1/3 of the juvenile salmon (or fry) spend their entire freshwater lives. Roy's Dam on San Geronimo Creek was built in the 1920s to supply water to a ranch. It was an obstacle for coho salmon and steelhead trout trying access to the habitat upstream of the dam for spawning . It was decided to lower the dam instead of completely removing it because of

1820-681: The Nicasio Indians, and the oaks of Nicasio. In the mid-1830s, General Mariano Vallejo promised 80,000 acres (324 km ) to the Marin County Coast Miwok Indians and asked them to choose the lands, since their original lands had been co-opted by the Mission San Rafael . In 1835, the land was granted by Mexican Governor José Figueroa , however the Indians were subsequently swindled out of

1885-485: The North Bay, San Francisco, and any other nearby locale resting on unstable earth and loose fill. Major Mount Tamalpais rockforms include serpentine , particularly evident in outcroppings near the summit and on the north side. A number of serpentine endemic plants grow in the serpentine soils in this part of the mountain. Since the steep slopes of Mount Tamalpais force out moisture from passing storms and/or fog,

1950-622: The Northern California Coast Ranges . The elevation at the West Peak, where a radar dome currently stands, is between 2,560 feet (780 m) and 2,578 feet (786 m) It stood over 2,600 feet (792 m) before the summit was flattened for the radar dome construction. The East Peak is at 2,571 feet (784 m). The mountain is clearly visible from parts of San Francisco and the East Bay . The majority of

2015-471: The Spanish as Arroyo de San Geronimo , then Daniels creek. Now the "San Geronimo" survives only as the San Geronimo Creek tributary. The modern name, Lagunitas Creek, is derived from the several "lagunitas" (Spanish for "little lakes") which have now been turned into reservoirs by dams in the upper watershed. It was once known as Paper Mill Creek because Samuel P. Taylor built a paper mill on

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2080-518: The air. This leads to the fact that the eastern slopes contain only oak, pine, chaparral shrub, coastal sage scrub , grassland and sparse Douglas-fir forest. Coastal sage scrub also occurs on some of the exposed coastal slopes. Temperatures on top of Mount Tamalpais are generally somewhat cooler than places next to the San Francisco Bay or the ocean due to elevation. In summer, however, the top of Mount Tamalpais may actually be warmer than

2145-482: The annual precipitation falls during the winter months. During cold, wet winter storms, the mountain also regularly gets some snowfall, sometimes as much as 6 inches (15 cm) overnight, as observed in February 2001, March 2006, February 2011, February 2019, and February 2023. The region sometimes gets hit with strong Pacific storms that may topple trees, and bring hurricane-force winds to exposed, barren areas like

2210-520: The area. Many of these trails are used by hikers and bikers seeking refuge from the urban landscape of the San Francisco Bay Area. Some of these trails, including the mountaintop or ridgetop trails, have views of the San Francisco Bay and Pacific Ocean. Other trails, usually lower elevation valley trails, lead into natural, dense groves of mature Douglas-fir and redwood trees, clear, open grassland, and shrublands. All roads leading to

2275-475: The birthplace of mountain biking in the 1970s, where early mountain bikers such as Gary Fisher , Charlie Kelly , and Joe Breeze were active. British philosopher Alan Watts owned a cabin on Mount Tamalpais later in his life where he ultimately died in his sleep of heart failure on November 16, 1973. On top of the East Peak is a fire lookout station, staffed during the summer months by volunteers with

2340-669: The creek in Taylorville . This mill, the Pioneer Paper Mill, was built in 1856, the first in California. Lagunitas Creek's major tributaries include San Geronimo Creek, Devils Gulch, Nicasio Creek , and Olema Creek . The creek's source is the northern slope of Mount Tamalpais , a few miles (~6–8 km) east of Bolinas Lagoon . The creek begins as three forks, the East Fork, Middle Fork and West Fork. After about

2405-462: The dam blocks sediment transport, there is a lack of suitable spawning gravel in the lower mile below the dam for spawning. Most spawning in the Lagunitas Creek watershed now takes place in San Geronimo Creek, an unregulated tributary, and the region immediately downstream of its confluence with Lagunitas Creek. A river otter ( Lontra canadensis ) was collected by the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology at

2470-550: The east. The reservoir drains to the west, through a gap in Bolinas Ridge . Seeger Dam is located approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) upstream from the confluence of Nicasio and Lagunitas Creeks. The dam was constructed in 1960 by the Marin Municipal Water District (MMWD) to store water for cities in southern Marin County. From the dam, Nicasio Creek parallels Point Reyes-Petaluma Road westward until it empties into Lagunitas Creek. Before Seeger Dam presented an impassable barrier to anadromous fish passage, Nicasio Creek supported half of

2535-465: The fog line with relatively low overall rainfall or thin soils are often the site of a northern coastal scrub community characterized by coastal sage - coyote brush association, with lesser amounts of poison-oak , bush monkeyflower , California blackberry , western bracken fern , and various species of grasses and forbs . Chaparral is predominant in areas characterized by thin, rocky soils and little moisture. Two main types of chaparral are found

2600-646: The fog line, and deep soils. Muir Woods is the most extensive and best-known redwood forest of the Mount Tamalpais area. Mixed evergreen forests of various combinations of tanoak , madrone , coast and canyon live oak , and Douglas-fir are found in moist areas on middle to high elevations on the mountain. Very moist areas of mixed evergreen forest may also include bay, redwood, and California torreya . Areas in which mixed evergreen forests are predominant include areas of Fairfax-Bolinas Road and Ridgecrest Boulevard and around Alpine Lake . Various kinds of scrub communities are also widespread. Low-elevation areas below

2665-684: The land by General Vallejo and Governor Juan Bautista Alvarado . By the time the scheme was discovered in 1843, the disputed lands were quietly granted to Pablo de la Guerra , an aristocratic Spaniard, and John B. R. Cooper , an Irishman who already owned the Rancho Punta de Quentin near San Rafael. In 1855, the Miwok claim was rejected by the Public Land Commission . Subsequently, de la Guerra sold his land in 1850 to Henry Wager Halleck . Halleck had arrived in California in 1847 as

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2730-474: The large amount of sediment that had accumulated behind the dam. This re-opened critical spawning habitat no longer available on other Lagunitas Creek tributaries. The Salmon Protection and Watershed Network ([1]) leads winter tours for the public to learn about and view these spawning salmon, and also leads year-round opportunities for the public to get involved in stream restoration, monitoring spawning and smolt outmigration, juvenile fish rescue and relocation in

2795-482: The lower slopes of Mount Tamalpais fall within several cities and unincorporated communities of Marin County, including Mill Valley , Tamalpais-Homestead Valley , Stinson Beach , and Kentfield . These areas are generally developed, consisting of mostly low-density single-family homes . Like the rest of the California Coast Ranges, Mount Tamalpais is the result of uplift, buckling, and folding of

2860-601: The many trailheads around Mount Tamalpais are usually open, but during fire season some of these roads may be closed due to high fire risk. The many roads, paved and unpaved, that cross the Mount Tamalpais region are used by mountain bikers , especially on weekends. Mount Tamalpais played an instrumental role in the birth of mountain biking many years ago, with pioneer frame builders such as Tom Ritchey , Gary Fisher, and Joe Breeze setting up shops in nearby towns. There has been considerable controversy over trail access for mountain bikes, both in terms of environmental impact and

2925-558: The mid-twentieth century and the tidal marsh at the mouth of the creek is no longer aggrading likely due to sediment capture in the many upstream reservoirs. Sir Francis Drake Boulevard follows the course of San Geronimo Creek west and then north along mainstem Lagunitas Creek through Samuel P. Taylor State Park. The Lagunitas Creek Watershed [1] is home to the largest remaining wild run of coho salmon ( Oncorhynchus kisutch ) in Central California. These coho are part of

2990-633: The middle, foggy elevations due to a thermal inversion . The summer fog and breezes make locations on Mount Tamalpais, closer to the ocean, cooler than the blazing hot interior valleys. Hardwood woodland types are generally subtypes of California oak woodland , including oak-bay-madrone forest, oak woodland, and oak savannah . Oak-bay-madrone forests are found in areas with moderate moisture and particularly favor north-facing slopes. They are dominated by one or more of three hardwood tree species – Coast Live Oak , California bay , and madrone . Coast live oak tends to be dominant in somewhat drier areas, while bay

3055-408: The mile from the gravel company to the base of the dam. They were so thick that many were forced out onto the banks, where they died without spawning." For mitigation the Marin Municipal Water District initialled trapped inbound coho below the dam and transported them above the dam, but by 1991 only 20 pairs of coho returned to spawn and none reached the trapping site below the dam. In addition, because

3120-804: The mountain chamise chaparral and manzanita chaparral. Chamise is dominant in the hottest, most xeric areas of the mountain, particularly on south- and west-facing slopes, while manzanita is dominant in other xeric areas, particularly on east-facing slopes and forest borders. Areas of mixed chamise-manzanita chaparral occur in relatively more mesic areas; Ceanothus and dwarfed interior live oak may also predominate on such sites. Areas in which various kinds of chaparral communities are dominant include areas along Old Railroad Grade. Grassland areas are also common on Mount Tamalpais. Native perennial bunchgrass species were originally dominant, but most of these grasslands are now dominated by invasive annual grasses of European origin. Native grasslands, still found in

3185-482: The mountain in the early 20th century, only to be destroyed by one of the periodic hurricane-force windstorms. In late November 1944, a US Navy plane crashed into the mountain after developing engine trouble shortly after takeoff from Alameda Naval Air Station . All eight aviators on board were killed. The U.S. Weather Bureau operated a weather station at the site of the now defunct Mill Valley Air Force Station for many years. The peak and its surrounding areas are

3250-412: The mountain include various types of hardwood and coniferous forests , coastal scrub , chaparral , grassland , and wetland vegetation. Wholly or partially coniferous forest types are found in the moistest areas of Mount Tamalpais. Coast redwood forests are restricted to areas where the particular ecological needs of redwood are met: areas characterized by high overall moisture, low elevations below

3315-672: The mountain is contained in protected public lands, including Mount Tamalpais State Park, Muir Woods National Monument , and the Mount Tamalpais Watershed. It adjoins the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (which in turn adjoins Point Reyes National Seashore ) as well as several Marin County Open Space Preserves. This provides nearly 40 miles (64 km) of continuous publicly accessible open space. Some of

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3380-490: The mountain supports several year-round streams like Redwood Creek on the southern face of the mountain down into Muir Woods . The steep southeastern slopes of Mount Tamalpais drain to Arroyo Corte Madera del Presidio , which in turn discharges to Richardson Bay . With its height, various faces, and proximity to the ocean and bay, the mountain contains many microclimates , ranging from cool and foggy in lower ocean-facing valleys with their redwood forests, to hot and dry on

3445-597: The mountain, while High Marsh represents a rare example of a marsh community on the mountain. Serpentine soils have a high rate of endemism and are the site of several unique subtypes of the above plant communities. Serpentine grasslands are some of the few grasslands in which native perennial grasses are still relatively dominant. Serpentine chaparral forms a unique plant community, dominated by dwarfed leather oak ( Quercus durata ), Jepson ceanothus ( Ceanothus jepsonii ), Tamalpais manzanita ( Arctostaphylos montana ), and Sargent cypress ( Cupressus sargentii ). On

3510-572: The name that the Spanish missionaries gave to the Coast Miwok people. Another holds that the name is the Coast Miwok word for "sleeping maiden" and is taken from a " Legend of the Sleeping Maiden " Supposedly, the legend is that the mountain's contour reflects the reclining profile of a young Miwok girl who was saved from a rival tribe by the shuddering of the mountain. However, this legend actually has no basis in Coast Miwok myth and

3575-490: The north slopes of Mount Tamalpais, including Alpine Lake , Kent Lake , Bon Tempe Lake , Phoenix Lake, and Lake Lagunitas . The western slopes of the mountain descend to the Pacific Ocean at Stinson Beach . The annual Dipsea Race traverses the mountain from Mill Valley to Stinson Beach. Though backpack camping isn't allowed, walk-in camping exists at the Pantoll and Bootjack campgrounds. The historic Bootjack Campground

3640-563: The result of blind thrust faults. Another reason for the suggestion was that the San Andreas Fault creeps more slowly south of Mount Tamalpais than it does in its sections north of Mount Tamalpais and in the Olema Valley , and that the existence of a blind thrust fault may explain the different creeping velocities. If a blind thrust fault does exist under Mount Tamalpais, and if it ruptures, it could be potentially devastating to

3705-408: The safety of other trail users. As a result, bicycles have been banned from the majority of narrow, single-track trails, though bicycles are still allowed on fire roads. The fire roads on Mt. Tam are mixed-use and they are commonly used as running, hiking, biking and horseback riding routes. The Dipsea Race , the oldest cross-country trail running race in the U.S., is held in the area and part of

3770-686: The summer, and advocacy and policy development. In the fall of 2017, two additional salmon species appeared in Lagunitas Creek, pink salmon ( Oncorhynchus gorbuscha ) and chum salmon ( Oncorhynchus keta ). Pink salmon, also known as humpback salmon, rarely spawn in coastal streams south of tributaries to Puget Sound in Washington state, although they were reported as far south as the San Lorenzo River in November 1915. The southern limit of spawning chum salmon, also known as dog salmon,

3835-704: The top of Mount Tamalpais and therefore never set foot on the peak. Tamalpais was home to the Mount Tamalpais and Muir Woods Railway , also known as "The Crookedest Railroad in the World," a railroad which wound its way from downtown Mill Valley up to the mountain's East Peak, starting in 1896. An auto road was constructed to the peak as automobiles gained popularity in the 1920s. The 8-mile standard-gauge railroad used conventional rails but required mountain-climbing geared steam locomotives and operated from 1896 to 1930. Early wireless towers were constructed on

3900-516: The town of Point Reyes Station . On the west side of the town, the creek is joined by Olema Creek, the largest tributary in the Lagunitas Creek watershed. Olema Creek receives Bear Valley Creek, and mainstem Olema Creek flows for 9 miles (14 km) along the San Andreas Fault Zone, with a catchment area of 14.5 square miles (38 km). After receiving the waters of Olema Creek, Lagunitas Creek turns northward and then empties into

3965-456: The trail traverses the mountain from Mill Valley to Stinson Beach. Broadway musicals are performed outdoors, several times each summer, in the stone open air Cushing Memorial Amphitheatre on the southern side of Mt. Tam. Nicasio Creek Nicasio Creek is an 11.9-mile-long (19.2 km) stream in Marin County, California , United States and is the primary tributary of Lagunitas Creek , which flows, in turn, into Tomales Bay , and

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4030-499: The upper slopes of the mountain, small groves of Sargent cypress trees up to 50 feet (15 m) tall can be found in serpentine areas. Several species of endemic plants are found only on serpentine soils; these species may be widespread, but only occur on serpentine soils, or the may be more restricted, only growing in a few other places besides Mount Tamalpais, or may even be restricted just to Mount Tamalpais. The Mount Tamalpais thistle ( Cirsium hydrophilum var. vaseyi ), for example,

4095-599: The watershed is their blocking of the streams, which prevents fish migration . The dams dewater the streambed, especially as the first winter rains fill the reservoirs instead of flowing downstream. Also, water from the late winter rains are partially lost from streamflows because of evaporation from the reservoir surfaces. Erosion is also a significant problem in the watershed. Sedimentation from Lagunitas Creek into Tomales Bay resulted from nineteenth century logging and cattle grazing of riparian plants which otherwise slow erosion. However, sediment loads have been decreasing since

4160-454: The wetlands at the southeast end of Tomales Bay . The Lagunitas Creek watershed drains 103 square miles (270 km). Most of its major tributaries are dammed, including the Kent, Alpine, Bon Tempe, Lagunitas, and Nicasio reservoirs. The San Geronimo Valley is the last un-dammed headwater tributary of Lagunitas Creek. Each of the reservoirs in the watershed has a dam and the biggest problem in

4225-622: Was established in the early 1920s by the Tamalpais Conservation Corps, and the Civilian Conservation Corps further refined the campground facilities in the 1930s. Showing substantial signs of overuse, the campground was closed by State Parks in 1969. The Bootjack Campground and Trail were reopened on Thursday, June 5, 2014. Trailhead parking within Mt. Tamalpais State Park is available generally with

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