Bear Valley Trail is back open!
The Bear Valley Trail opened on April 30, 2021 for the first time since the Woodward Fire closed access in August. It was just in time to catch late-blooming spring flowers. I headed out early to have plenty of time for exploring, full of anticipation to see what changes the fire had brought.
The first time I returned to the Bear Valley area after the fire was in December to hike the newly-reopened Rift Zone Trail. The Rift Zone trail begins at the Bear Valley Trailhead. It was a huge relief to look in the distance and see the first part of the Bear Valley trail with its iconic stand of oaks undamaged. Not far beyond the oaks, the trail leads quickly into deep forest and was out of view — silently beckoning for many long months! While it would have been easy to sneak onto the trail, I respected the closure and bided my time.
I was exhilarated to be back on the Bear Valley Trail! The first thing I noticed was the sound of birds everywhere. There was clear evidence of fire damage on the right side of the trail — charring on the bottom of tree trunks, fallen trees, and patches of open ground, but overall the impact was minimal. Instead of charred hillsides, the ground was vibrant green. California Manroot (Marah fabacea) had spread it’s tangled vines everywhere! Burnt tree trunks on the ground were covered in manroot — its bright green leaves and white flowers climbing the slopes. Everywhere, Western Sword Fern (Polystichum munitum) was unfurling its green fronds from clumps of charred fern remains. One of the unfortunate side affects of the fire was to give invasive weeds the opportunity to claim the bare ground first — Sow Thistles (Genus Sonchus) wasted no time in staking a large claim.
The biggest difference is much more sunlight on the trail. With so many trees and foliage gone, you can see far up the hillsides to open sky in many places. High snags offered excellent perches for raptors to survey the area. But the difference is subtle. In fact, a couple I spoke with along the trail did not even know there was a fire here. Some of my favorite decomposing trunks were still happily gathering moss and sprouting ferns — oblivious to the fire, but sadly, the log with beautiful Rosy Conk (Rhodofomes cajanderi) near the Glen Trail had been removed.
All the trails that feed off the Bear Valley Trail on the right side (west) were closed — Mt. Wittenberg, Meadow, Old Pine, and Baldy. I was surprised to find no evidence of Old Pine trail except the trail marker. A large tree trunk had fallen on the trail and grass had reclaimed at least the first hundred feet before the trail goes into the forest. A few late Douglas Iris (Iris douglasiana) were blooming near the Old Pine trail.
Happily, the left side of the Bear Valley trail was only affected by the fire in one or two spots. The dogwood near the beginning of the trail was majestically blooming deep in the forest — a vision in white. Divide Meadow was untouched and beautiful as ever. The dusky-footed woodrat nests in the oak stand near the beginning of the Bear Valley Trail were intact, but it’s unclear if the occupants survived the fire. I hope they did.
A few Pacific Bleeding Heart (Dicentra formosa) flowers were still blooming but most had started forming seed pods. Star-flowered Lily-of-the-Valley (Maianthemum stellatum), Pacific Trillium (Trillium ovatum) and Solomon's Plume (Maianthemum racemosum ssp. amplexicaule) were at the end of their bloom. Hooker's Fairybells (Prosartes hookeri), Fringe Cups (Tellima grandiflora), and Thimbleberry (Rubus parviflorus) were just beginning to bloom. Western Wild Ginger (Asarum caudatum) was blooming secretly in the undergrowth.
I’m ending on a grumpy note. While I thought only the Bear Valley Trail had reopened, it appears that many other trails reopened on May 7, the day I visited. Unfortunately, signs were still posted marking the trails as closed. If I had known, I would have made a beeline to my favorite trees at the intersection of the Sky Trail and Mt. Wittenberg Trail. I’ve been waiting patiently for nine months to see how they fared in the fire. According to the Point Reyes National Seashore website:
On Friday, April 30, 2021, the Bear Valley Trail, the Coast Trail from the Bear Valley Trail to the Kelham Beach Trail, and the Kelham Beach Trail were reopened.
On Friday, May 7, 2021, the Baldy Trail, Horse Trail east of its junction with Z Ranch Trail, Kule Loklo Trail and Kule Loklo, Meadow Trail, Mount Wittenberg Trail from Z Ranch Trail to Sky Trail, Mount Wittenberg Summit Trail, Old Pine Trail, Sky Trail south of the Meadow/Mount Wittenberg Trail junction, and Z Ranch Trail were reopened.
As a park volunteer and newsletter subscriber, I’m disappointed about the lack of advance communication on the openings, coupled with the park’s slowness in removing the “closed” signs. The May 6 Volunteers-in-Parks newsletter did not mention the trails reopening the very next day on May 7. As someone who has respectfully heeded the closures, I would have appreciated being given a heads up before the trails reopened so I could have better planned my visit. It was a lost opportunity for the park to reward its volunteers with timely information.