Earthquake Trail
Trail length: 0.6 mile loop
Time: 20 minutes
Terrain: paved path with bay, oak, alder trees
Restroom? Yes, at the parking lot
Parking: Yes
Kid friendly? Yes!
Dates visited: 8/23/14, 12/23/18
Favorite plants on this trail: California Bay (Umbellularia californica)
Favorite spots:
Racing leaves from the wooden bridge.
Standing inside the giant bay tree.
Checking out the fence that jumped 20 feet during the 1906 earthquake.
Large, grassy picnic area is nearby.
The Earthquake Trail is an easy stroll in a loop on a paved path. It’s perfect for young kids and accessible to wheelchairs and strollers. Signs along the trail tell you about the history of the 1906 earthquake. You’ll see a fence that moved 20 feet during the earthquake. This short, shaded trail begins near the picnic area across from the Bear Valley Visitor Center. When you get to the creek with a bridge, you can do leaf races.
Red-breasted Sapsucker drills neat rows of holes in trees
bay tree with holes made by the red-breasted sapsucker bird
Red-breasted Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus ruber) by Lorri Gong https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/8323033
When you see a row of holes drilled in a horizontal line, you’re looking at the work of the Red-breasted Sapsucker. This bird is in the woodpecker family and lives in forests in the west coast of North America. It feeds on sap and insects as well as seeds and berries. Learn more about the sapsucker on iNaturalist.
Volunteer Opportunity: PRNSA Field Institute
The Point Reyes National Seashore Association needs assistants for their Field Institute classes. You will spend a day training with PRNSA staff, then a couple of times a year you'll select the classes you'd like to help with. Shortly afterwards, you'll receive a confirmation of which ones you've been assigned. As a facilitator, you get to take the class for free. Normally, two facilitators help with every class. Duties include signing in class participants, making coffee (for indoor classes), talking briefly about PRNSA, and generally helping out as needed. I've been volunteering since 2017. It's a great experience to work with other facilitators and get to know the amazing field institute instructors.