Meadow Trail
Trail length: 1.6 miles
Terrain: oak, fir, bay forest, meadow, slope
Restroom? Yes, at Bear Valley parking lot and visitor center
Parking: Yes, large parking lot at Bear Valley
Dates visited: 4/13/19, 3/27/20
Favorite plants on this trail:
Favorite spots:
The Meadow Trail lives up to its name and features three verdant meadows. Each one is revealed as you emerge through the shaded cover of a mixed Douglas Fir, oak and bay forest. It’s a surprise three times! After crossing the last meadow, the trail inclines gently through the forest flanked by ferns and huckleberry. The best time to hike this trail is during the winter and spring when the meadows are green. Hiking in mid-April, I expected to see wildflowers in the meadows but was disappointed to only find a few. It may have been too early in the season or this area may not be a good spring wildflower spot. I did see plenty of early spring flowers in the shade of the forest including Pacific Trillium (Trillium ovatum), Star-flowered Lily-of-the-Valley (Maianthemum stellatum), Douglas Iris (Iris douglasiana) and Milkmaids (Cardamine californica). The Meadow Trail is atmospheric and serenely beautiful when fog rolls through the meadows. Bring a picnic lunch to enjoy in one of the three meadows. They are a great place to watch buzzing bumble bees, butterflies, and dragonflies, and to hear and watch birds in the nearby forest.
Wittenberg-Meadow Loop (4.8 mile loop)
This is a popular loop with joggers and an exhilarating ascent to the highest point in Point Reyes, Mt. Wittenberg. Starting at the Bear Valley trailhead, walk 0.2 miles on the Bear Valley Trail to the Mt. Wittenberg Trail. Hike 1.8 miles to the intersection with the Z Ranch Trail. Take a left and continue 0.4 miles on the Mt. Wittenberg Trail. Look to the right for spectacular ocean views. At the intersection of Mt. Wittenberg, Sky (to the right), and Meadow trails, take the Meadow Trail to the left. Continue on the Meadow Trail 1.6 miles until it meets the Bear Valley Trail. Go left on the Bear Valley Trail 0.8 miles back to the Bear Valley Visitor Center. For a less daunting incline, start with the gradually-rising Meadow Trail and return on the Mt. Wittenberg trail.
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 for about a year. It's a great experience to work with other facilitators and get to know the amazing field institute instructors.