Current Issue
Community
Sign up to get
Explore
Search
Bay Nature Institute
- Magazine
- Online
- On the Air
- BN Hikes & Outings
- BN Special Events
- About Us
- Contact Us
Connect with us on
RSS Feed
Tiburon’s Wildflower Wonder
Old St. Hilary's Open Space Preserve
by Jocelyn Knight — published April 01, 2011
The hike to the summit of these rolling, grassy camelbacks reveals unmatched panoramic views, sweeping from the Golden Gate Bridge to San Francisco, Angel Island, the East Bay, Vallejo, and Mount Tamalpais. The hollows and seasonal creeks on the hills' flanks host a delicate habitat full of rare and varied wildlife. The Tiburon jewelflower grows here and nowhere else. Migrating raptors often soar overhead.
This precious 117-acre pocket of wilderness begins at the Old St. Hilary's Church and climbs up along the ridge of the Tiburon peninsula. Adjacent to Old St. Hilary's is the John T. Howell Wildflower Preserve, with 217 species of plants adapted to the serpentine soil here. Spring wildflowers include Tiburon paintbrush, Tiburon buckwheat, Marin dwarf flax, fountain zigadene, hog fennel, false lupine, and many others.
Visitors may be deceived about the preserve's true size, since beyond the fence on the southern border, extending to the ridgeline, is a locally popular 110-acre open parcel known as "Easton Point" or the "Martha property." For decades, it has been mistaken for contiguous public open space, but it's actually private property slated for a 32-unit housing development (email joannakemper@gmail.com for updates).
Getting there: Enter either near Old St. Hilary's Church at the Vistazo West Fire Road, or on the ridge at the end of Heathcliff Road, off of Lyford Drive, Tiburon.
Marin County native Jocelyn Knight is a freelance photojournalist and nature photographer celebrating 30 years in business. See her work at jocelynknight.com.
This article is part of our "On the Trail" series, which highlights a particular park or trail you can visit.
Top Stories
Amongst marshes, a salty past, A walk along the Hayward shoreline
Berkeleyans closer to selling backyard produce , Residents want local food sustainability
Solar spectacle on horizon, Sunday's partial solar eclipse first in 18 years