China Camp Loop

Trailhead

This ride starts at Performance bike store in Montecito shopping center, San Rafael. It has a distance of 15.2 miles and involves steep climbs with an elevation gain of over 1800 feet.

From Performance exit the parking lot at the central area and turn right at the light on 3rd St. After a few blocks 3rd St. becomes Point San Pedro Rd, 0.3mi. Follow Point San Pedro Road for 2.6mi.

Mile 2.6 Turn left on Knight Dr. Ride up Knight Dr. which starts out as a gentle climb but steepens near the top.

Mile 3.8 The pavement ends at the entrance to China Camp State Park

Mile 4.1 Go through the barrier and climb steeply up a sandy singletrack.

Mile 4.2 Your path merges with an old jeep trail and shortly after that you come to a 5 way intersection; the hard left and right is the Ridge fire trail, soft left is the "Owl" section of Bayview trail and straight ahead is a rough single track descent to Miwok Meadows signed as being closed to bikes.
Proceed right on Ridge trail up gently and down a little more steeply under towering Eucalyptus trees after

Mile 4.4 Turn left off of Ridge fire trail and down a steep rutted jeep trail known as Miwok fire trail enjoying the view of the bay below you. Almost down to the bay, Miwok fire trail crosses Shoreline trail immediately before it ends at a gate on a flat fire road immediately off of North San Pedro Rd.,

Mile 5 Turn right on Shoreline trail, a 4ft. wide single track tractor trail built by China Camp State Park. Easy riding on the Shoreline trail for approx. 1.7mi. brings you to a:

Mile 6.7 Trail junction. (A left turn here would keep you on Shoreline trail, take you down by the park Ranger station and then would continue for another mile of easy riding to the southern boundary of China Camp State Park, near the pier.)
Instead you proceed straight and your trail becomes the Oak Ridge trail another 4ft. wide single track tractor trail built by China Camp State Park with a lot of volunteer assistance from the Bicycle Trails Council of Marin, (BTCM).

Mile 6.8 Another junction, left takes you on a short trail to the Peacock Gap neighborhood of San Rafael, while Oak Ridge is straight ahead and it starts climbing up through several fun switch-backs to overlook

Mile 7.2 Peacock Gap, After 300ft or so of elevation gain the trail straightens out and flattens to a gentle climb, at

Mile 7.4 you cross an old jeep road that comes in at a shallow angle from the left. The jeep road is the bottom end of the Ridge fire trail which you encountered once already and will briefly travel on again; Gently climbing you ride below the Ridge road through liveoak woodland for until

Mile 7.8 when we cross it again. As you veer away from Ridge fire road you travel up a steady grade on the only hand built section of trail in China Camp State Park, built entirely by the BTCM, and Oak Ridge trail dead ends into Miwok fire trail

Mile 8.1 A sharp and tricky left turn takes you back up the Miwok fire trail and you are backtracking up Miwok a few yards, left along the Ridge road and back to the 5 way junction above Knight Dr.

Mile 8.4 The smart move here is to take the soft right on the "Owl" trail continuing on this ride description. The section of Ridge fire trail straight ahead that goes from the start of the "Owl" trail to the top of Back Ranch fire trail is considered by many Marin county mountain bikers to be the steepest fire road in Marin, in both directions, not for the faint hearted! The "Owl" a.k.a. Bayview trail is a well graded tractor trail that continues to climb gently with some level rolling sections that eventually meets the Back Ranch fire road in the middle of a turn.

Mile 9.7 Turn left here and follow Back Ranch up a slightly steeper pitch to a junction as Back Ranch makes a sharp left turn and continues up steeply.

Mile 9.8 At this junction stay right and you are back on the Bayview trail. Bayview trail continues on its gentle climb for maybe another 0.3mi. before topping out and becoming a rolling cruise. This tractor trail has matured and softened providing a more finished and slightly narrower tread that has become a favorite of many riders favoring fast easy cruises.

Mile 10.1 Junction of Bayview trail and the new Doc's trail which connects Bayview trail to Bayhills Dr.

Mile 11 Doc's trail ends at Bayhills Dr. Turn right up Bayhills Dr. and climb steeply up this paved service road.

Mile 11.4 Pass through a gate with a dirt road coming in on the left from a hilltop through another gate; this dirt road is the Aquinas fire road. After going past the junction with Aquinas fire road, Bayhills continues 0.1mi. to a look out consisting of concrete circles that are remnants of wartime Nike missile sites.

Mile 11.5 This lookout is known creatively as the Nike Site, and it is in the top drawer of Marin County vistas; essentially a 360° view of all the local mountain bike "Peak Bags" with views ranging northward to Cow Mountain near Ukiah south to Montara Mountain and Mission Peak (how many Bay Area bridges can you count?). 
After a suitable pause, continue on Bayhills Dr. along the ridgetop taking in a stiff little descent and curving sharply to the right and climb steeply again on the rough pavement. After another sharp little descent you have to pay again with a very steep climb. Go straight past the road junction to the left and start to head up to the Microwave tower.

Mile 12.3 Before you get there turn right on Gold Hill Grade. Begin a rapid descent down Gold Hill, down through liveoak and bay woodland, meadows and finally a eucalyptus forest as you descend into the Dominican neighborhood of San Rafael.

Mile 13.6 Go through a gate and remain on Gold Hill Grade now a paved road.

Mile 13.8 Turn right on Deer Park Ave. Ride down Deer Park Ave., through the beautiful Dominican College Campus.

Mile13.9 Turn right on Magnolia.

Mile 14.2 Turn left on Acacia go

Mile 14.4 Left onto Grand Ave.

Mile 14.8 Then a left on Mission Ave.

Mile 15.0 Then a right on Union St. takes you straight across 3rd St. and into Montecito Plaza with Performance bike store on your right.
 
 

The information about this ride is provided as a courtesy to the reader and is as current and accurate as possible; however land use policy, weather, acts of god, war and ignorance may make the content incomplete, out of date or just generally useless; so, as trust goes only so far these days, use your brains and your heart before you ride. 
Ride information compiled by Michael More. 

©2000 Bicycle Trails Council of Marin