Here are a few pictures of, and a condensed ride report from, Camp Tamarancho in Marin County.
I rode here for the first time on July 4 (how patriotic!), after hearing about how Tamarancho is the shidizzle for Marin Co. singletrack. The ride is a 8.5-mile loop across a huge parcel of land (100s of acres, I would guess) owned by the Boy Scouts. The Biycle Trails Council of Marin has, over the years, put this trail in by hand with volunteer labor. Because it is on private property, you need a permit; $50 annually, $25 for a half-year pass, or $5 for a one-day pass you can buy online and print at home (this is what I did).
The ride actually starts in downtown Fairfax, where you park your car, fuel up on water if need be, and ride the ~2 miles up the hill to the Scout camp (a nice warm-up for the ride itself).
These signs are posted periodically along the trail, just in case you forget what you're doing out there. It's enough to bring tears to my eyes *sniff*...
The loop starts with a moderate climb up several switchbacks, and opens up onto the first of several ridges. The overall grade is very moderate, but short sections of the trail get rather technical, with lots and lots of exposed rocks (I had to dismount, oh, 3-4 times
). The climbs are rather short, though, and drop back into well-protected ravines.
The BTC folks have done a superb job on the infrastructure.
The view from the tops of the ridges is fantastic, looking out over the surrounding ridgelines and Mt. Tamalpais to the south.
Here's another view at about the half-way point of the ride. This little section, dropping down several hundred feet over about two miles, was the most technical part of the ride due to lots of exposed rocks and scree. Check out the cyclist coming up, for scale.
Hmmm, I think I'll take the high road. Can you spot the turkey in the background, on the trail?
Here's a closer view.
The total ride ended up at about 11 miles, including the ride up and back from town. Completed in just over 2 hours. Being alone, I was going *way* to fast to properly enjoy myself. I'd like to bring some bros along, but they are all 'skeered of climbs
.
The pay-to-play system kind of stinks, but this is truly a marquee mountain bike experience for the Bay Area, where there is very little legal singletrack relative to all the open space we have. This trail was constructed by and for mountain bikers, and it shows. IMO, the five bucks is worth it, and I am seriously considering ponying up for a 1/2 year pass to see me through to December.
