Corte Madera and Larkspur: In View of Mt Tam From Richard Katz's
Skating Unrinked book, published in paperback by HarperCollinsWest in 1994. Or was it '95? If you are not reading this on a screen, stop reading and head to www.Amazon.com. Thanx. Richard Katz = katz@frogojt.com. email
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Chapter larkcm
The Trail System of Corte Madera and Larkspur: In View of Mt Tam
Here we have a system of not-quite-interconnecting paths in the Twin Cities of Larkspur and Corte Madera (and extending into Kentfield and Ross) that have one thing in common -- you can look up most any time and drink in the skyline of Mount Tamalpais. Intrepid skaters can lace these paths into a synergistic whole with a bit of street skating; the more reasonable skaters among us can check these places out one by one.
Generally, the stretches of trail that run next to Corte Madera Creek are smooth and wide and most suitable for beginners.
Part 1: Larkspur Landing
How to Get There by Car from Highway 101:
From northbound or southbound Highway 101, take the Sir Francis Drake Boulevard exit and turn east on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard. On your right you will see the Larkspur Ferry, and on your left the Larkspur Landing shopping center. There is a staging area just after the sculpture of Don Quixote on your right, across from Remillards Restaurant. Park here. If you get to San Quentin, you've gone too far.
What It's Like:
Larkspur Landing (the part of Larkspur by the ferry dock) is the eastern terminus of this trail system. The first half mile runs from the ferry terminal along the south side of Sir Francis Drake Boulevard. But avoid the fumes by starting at the remarkable steel sculpture of Don Quixote, acros the street from Remillards. Continue skating west, past the Larkspur ferry docks, past the antique shops, and under a railroad trestle. At the small blue sign "Downtown Larkspur" go left over a wooden bridge and boardwalk. This takes you under the freeway (very noisy), onto a path with a very good asphalt surface that leads to the shores of Corte Madera Creek. Take the path to the left; the path to the right goes to Zim's restaurant. Pass the Marin Rowing Association (note the convenient outdoor softdrink vending machine). From here, the path continues about a mile, with the broad expanse of the creek to the left and well tended industrial and residential condos to the right.
The path ends abruptly at a cul-de-sac on South Eliseo Drive. You can turn around here, or if you want to do some street skating, or if you don't mind skating over a steep hill and down the other side, you can continue on South Eliseo about a half mile, and end up at:
Part Two -- Corte Madera Creek in Kentfield:
How to Get There by Car from Highway 101:
Go west on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, past the Bon Air Shopping Center, to signs "Bon Air Rd" and "Marin General Hospital". Go left on Bon Air Road at the churchlike structure on the corner. When you come to the sign "End Divided Road" stop and park anywhere across from the hospital. Creekside Park is on the right.
What It's Like:
Starting at Creekside Park just west of an elegantly curved wooden bridge, skate along the Creek headed west. (The wooden bridge takes you into downtown Larkspur, and even to Paradise Drive, but it's pretty rough sledding.) The first part of the trail goes by a par course. There are mileage markers along the way. Soon you leave all the traffic noise behind, skating along through marshland along the Creek. Idyllic. With the sun setting over Mount Tam, it is -- ineffable.
Corte Madera Creek was concreted in the Sixties by the Army Corps of Engineers, much to the dismay of naturists who thought the area ought to be kept a floodplain, just in case the 100 year flood occurs some time in the next 100 years. You'll notice that the trail gets more constricted the farther west you skate. By the time you cross the first wooden bridge, you'll wonder where all the water went.
There is a not-so-easy crosswalk to negotiate at College Avenue in Kentfield. The Guatemalan-flavored Taqueria is just over there to your right a block. The path seems to end when you cross the street, but skate to the right of the kiosk, staying between the tin building and the brick retaining walls. Follow the sign "Bike Route" and bear left into the parking lot. Go around the boarded up old temp buildings to the triangular corner of the rough pavement in the parking lot. Look for the sign "Bike Trail" in the distance. The trail is now a narrow path by the Creek; it goes up to street level on a wooden walkway at Kentfield Medical Hospital. The trail comes to an end at about the two mile mark at Ross Common.
You can continue on a little further if you don't mind some street skating. Skate to Lagunitas Road, turn right and cross Sir Francis Drake and take a turn around the grounds of the Marin Art and Garden Center. Be careful around Ross Common, though. They don't have postal deliveries in Ross; everybody drives to the Post Office to get their mail, and it gets pretty crazy and congested sometimes.
Part Three -- Paradise Drive in Corte Madera:
How to get there on skates from Sir Francis Drake Boulevard in Larkspur Landing:
After you skate all the way back to Larkspur Landing, if you want to skate some more, just after crossing under the freeway skating east, follow the other little blue sign, the one that says "To Lucky Drive". It will take you over Corte Madera Creek to the Paradise Drive subsystem. Once you are on the south side of the creek, follow alongside the freeway on Redwood Highway, which at this point is mostly an odd succession of parking lots. (Note the pedestrian overpass; if you can negotiate that overpass successfully, you will find another trail on the other side that goes diagonally by Redwood High.) Just on the other side of the shopping center with the Cost Plus store, on the left side of the road going south, you will see the beginning of a very unassuming skating trail.
It is easier and safer to go back and get your car.
How to Get There by Car from Highway 101:
Exit Highway 101, northbound or southbound in Corte Madera at the "Paradise Drive -- Tamalpais Drive" exit and turn east on Paradise Drive. Nordstrom's Village is on your left. Continue on Paradise Drive and turn left at a T-like intersection onto Redwood Highway, the street closest to the marshlands. Where the road makes a lazy turn with lots of open space on the right, park anywhere. You're in the middle of the trail, toward the northern end of it.
What It's Like:
This trail goes south for a few miles, first on Redwood Highway and then continuing on San Clemente Drive, which runs into Paradise Drive. At the south end of Nordstrom's Village, you are skating just a few feet from a state ecological reserve. Paradise Drive soon runs out of steam as a place to skate, but some day take the time to explore it all the way to the end, as it meanders majestically all around the Tiburon Peninsula.
Places to Eat:
Where the Creekside Park trail crosses College Avenue in Kentfield, there are three or four interesting places to get fed. It's a college town, sort of, with an eclectic menu: There's the Half Day Cafe, Nana's Cafe, the seafood restaurant, and even the healthy Local Yoghurt shop (which says Spacekraft Skateboard Co. on the door.) The one that's okay to skate into is the Taqueria Mexican Grill, on the west side of College near Sir Francis Drake. 415 453 5811. Great burritos, and a little different; their motto is "If you're hungry and in a hurry." It's open every day of the week.
Nordstrom's has an entire enclosed minimall of small eateries in the elegant Nordstrom's Village, including a Starbucks and just across from it, a bakery. And they're not bad. Nordstrom's Village is at the eastern end of Tamalpais Drive in Corte Madera.
Places to Rent Skates:
There are at least three places to rent skates reasonably close to the trails here.
DemoSki at 415 454 3500 is open seven days a week in San Rafael. Take the central San Rafael exit, turn right on 2nd street, and right on Grand Avenue. They'll give you a quick lesson, show you a video, and direct you to a trail, if you want.
Any Mountain at 415 927 0170. Also oOpen seven days a week. It's in Corte Madera, near Redwood High.
Or try Marin Skate 415 453 9283 Seven days, at 347 Third Street in San Rafael.
Public Transportation:
Larkspur Landing is served by the Golden Gate Transit's Larkspur Ferry. The ferry dock is a major terminal where you can catch the Golden Gate #1 bus or #30 bus.
To get to the Ross end of the trail system, take the Golden Gate Transit #20. It will take you to College of Marin, for example.
All of these services operate daily. The #20 and #30 both go to San Francisco.
Ratings:
Path Surface = Varies; mostly ***
Public Transit Access = ****
Surroundings = **, but great views
Level of Difficulty = EASY
Overall Rating = ***
Length = About 2 miles apiece, one way
Other trails to check out in the neighborhood:
Tiburon
Mill Valley -- Sausalito
Note:
Larkspur Ordinance 650 Says:
No Rollerskating on the Sidewalk, as posted near Creekside Park.
10/10/96
Sometimes a person will walk right up to you and stand there right under one of those signs, and ask you where the trail is
Note from the Author: Haven't put in links to the other chapters yet.
From Richard Katz's Skating Unrinked book, published in paperback by HarperCollinsWest in 1994. Or was it '95? If you are not reading this on a screen, stop reading and head to www.Amazon.com. Thanx. Richard Katz = katz@frogojt.com. email
Back to Richard Katz's Homepage
If you want to go back to the Table of Contents of Skating Unrinked, Back to TOC