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Samuel P. Taylor State Park has wooded countryside in the steep rolling hills of Marin County north of San Francisco. The park features a unique contrast of coast redwoods groves and open grassland.
The park features a variety of flowers and trees, including oak, tanoak, madrone, live oak, laurel and Douglas fir. California native wildflowers include buttercups, milkmaids, and Indian paintbrush.
The most common animal in the park is the black-tailed deer. There are also raccoons, striped skunks and gray foxes. Silver salmon and steelhead trout migrate up Papermill Creek to spawn.
Park News Alert
UPDATE:
Due to ongoing budgetary restrictions we will be implementing the following service reductions at Samuel P. Taylor State Park, beginning December 6th, 2011:
The park will be closed Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays of each week. The closure includes campgrounds, picnic areas, parking lots and restrooms, and is expected to last until the end of March, 2012.
Family campsites #1 - 61 will operate on a first-come, first-served basis only Friday – Sunday nights. Campers will be allowed to check-in after 12 noon on Fridays. Check-out time remains 12 noon. Park management reserves the right to close certain loops of the campground depending on demand. Campers should call the park ahead of time to find out what loops are currently open.
All group campsites at Devil’s Gulch and Madrone remain closed until further notice.
Irving Group picnic area remains closed until further notice.
National Park Service and California State Parks Sign Agreement to Keep Samuel P. Taylor State Park Open
Samuel P. Taylor State Park will be kept open through an agreement signed by the National Park Service (NPS) and California State Parks. The park is located within the boundary of Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The schedule of operation for Samuel P. Taylor will be determined in the next several months.
Click here for the full story
UPDATE:
Due to ongoing budgetary restrictions we will be implementing the following service reductions at Samuel P. Taylor State Park, beginning December 6th, 2011:
The park will be closed Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays of each week. The closure includes campgrounds, picnic areas, parking lots and restrooms, and is expected to last until the end of March, 2012.
Family campsites #1 - 61 will operate on a first-come, first-served basis only Friday – Sunday nights. Campers will be allowed to check-in after 12 noon on Fridays. Check-out time remains 12 noon. Park management reserves the right to close certain loops of the campground depending on demand. Campers should call the park ahead of time to find out what loops are currently open.
All group campsites at Devil’s Gulch and Madrone remain closed until further notice.
Irving Group picnic area remains closed until further notice.
National Park Service and California State Parks Sign Agreement to Keep Samuel P. Taylor State Park Open
Samuel P. Taylor State Park will be kept open through an agreement signed by the National Park Service (NPS) and California State Parks. The park is located within the boundary of Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The schedule of operation for Samuel P. Taylor will be determined in the next several months.
Click here for the full story
Getting There
The park is 15 miles west of San Rafael on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard.
The Day Use Annual Pass is accepted at this park.
The park is 15 miles west of San Rafael on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard.
The Day Use Annual Pass is accepted at this park.
Seasons/Climate/Recommended Clothing
This redwood forest community enjoys a mild climate ranging from dense fog and rain to full sun. Summer temperatures average in the low 80s, while winter days drop to the high 50s with frequent rainfall. Dressing in layers is recommended.
This redwood forest community enjoys a mild climate ranging from dense fog and rain to full sun. Summer temperatures average in the low 80s, while winter days drop to the high 50s with frequent rainfall. Dressing in layers is recommended.
Operating Hours & Contact
Please contact the park for hours of operation.
Telephone: 415-488-9897
Please contact the park for hours of operation.
Telephone: 415-488-9897
Camping
The redwood groves have 61 family campsites with restrooms, hot showers, and piped drinking water. Some parking spaces can accommodate small trailers, but none have hookups.
Two group campsites can also be reserved. Madrone Group Camp #1 has space for up to 50 people, and Group Camp #2 can hold up to 25 people. Devil’s Gulch Horse Camp #1 has a corral, hitching racks, watering troughs, and a campsite for up to 20 people. Two tent-only sites for up to 10 people are nearby, but are not horse camps.
Make Online Reservations
Max Camper Length: 31 Feet
Max Trailer Length: 27 Feet
The redwood groves have 61 family campsites with restrooms, hot showers, and piped drinking water. Some parking spaces can accommodate small trailers, but none have hookups.
Two group campsites can also be reserved. Madrone Group Camp #1 has space for up to 50 people, and Group Camp #2 can hold up to 25 people. Devil’s Gulch Horse Camp #1 has a corral, hitching racks, watering troughs, and a campsite for up to 20 people. Two tent-only sites for up to 10 people are nearby, but are not horse camps.
Make Online Reservations
Max Camper Length: 31 Feet
Max Trailer Length: 27 Feet
Activities
Trails: The park offers a wide network of fire roads; hiking, nature, and equestrian trails also wind through the park. The scenic, paved Cross Marin Trail follows the historic North Pacific Coast Railroad right-of-way and has no vehicular traffic.
Picnicking: The park’s main picnic area sits in a shady grove along Lagunitas Creek. Each site has a table and barbecue. Piped drinking water and restrooms are nearby. The Redwood Grove and Irving group picnic areas hold groups of up to 80 and 30 people, respectively. To reserve, call 800-444-7275.
Trails: The park offers a wide network of fire roads; hiking, nature, and equestrian trails also wind through the park. The scenic, paved Cross Marin Trail follows the historic North Pacific Coast Railroad right-of-way and has no vehicular traffic.
Picnicking: The park’s main picnic area sits in a shady grove along Lagunitas Creek. Each site has a table and barbecue. Piped drinking water and restrooms are nearby. The Redwood Grove and Irving group picnic areas hold groups of up to 80 and 30 people, respectively. To reserve, call 800-444-7275.
Natural History
Chert and sandstone underlie well-drained soil that hosts profuse vegetation. Shaded, fern-filled groves of coast redwoods, Sequoia sempervirens, are found along the canyon bottoms and up the north-facing slopes. The striking Aralia californica, or elk clover, displays immense leaves with huge cream-colored flowers blossoming in early summer. Oak, tanoak and madrone hardwoods dominate the park’s grasslands.
Wide, grassy slopes characterize Devil’s Gulch. A succession of native flowers adds an ever-changing highlight to the landscape – buttercups and milkmaids early in the spring, followed by Indian paintbrush as summer approaches. Live oak, laurel, Douglas-fir and madrone trees grow in this part of the park, and big-leaf maples turn beautiful colors in fall.
Chert and sandstone underlie well-drained soil that hosts profuse vegetation. Shaded, fern-filled groves of coast redwoods, Sequoia sempervirens, are found along the canyon bottoms and up the north-facing slopes. The striking Aralia californica, or elk clover, displays immense leaves with huge cream-colored flowers blossoming in early summer. Oak, tanoak and madrone hardwoods dominate the park’s grasslands.
Wide, grassy slopes characterize Devil’s Gulch. A succession of native flowers adds an ever-changing highlight to the landscape – buttercups and milkmaids early in the spring, followed by Indian paintbrush as summer approaches. Live oak, laurel, Douglas-fir and madrone trees grow in this part of the park, and big-leaf maples turn beautiful colors in fall.
Wildlife
Black-tailed deer are common. Raccoons, skunks, coyotes, and gray foxes may be spotted; badgers and bobcats are seen occasionally. Rarely, mountain lions come out in the daytime.
On Barnabe Peak, turkey vultures circle and kestrels and red-tailed hawks watch for prey. Swallows, owls, egrets, and woodpeckers nest in the park.
In the winter and early spring, coho salmon and steelhead trout migrate from the ocean to spawn in Lagunitas (Papermill) Creek. Sadly, fewer fish make these annual runs because both the coho and steelhead are now endangered. Fishing is no longer permitted in Lagunitas Creek or within the park. Nearby lakes to allow fishing; a valid fishing license is required for anglers age 16 or over.
The California freshwater shrimp, Syncaris pacifica, is another endangered species. Lagunitas Creek is one of the few prime habitats left for this two-inch crustacean.
Black-tailed deer are common. Raccoons, skunks, coyotes, and gray foxes may be spotted; badgers and bobcats are seen occasionally. Rarely, mountain lions come out in the daytime.
On Barnabe Peak, turkey vultures circle and kestrels and red-tailed hawks watch for prey. Swallows, owls, egrets, and woodpeckers nest in the park.
In the winter and early spring, coho salmon and steelhead trout migrate from the ocean to spawn in Lagunitas (Papermill) Creek. Sadly, fewer fish make these annual runs because both the coho and steelhead are now endangered. Fishing is no longer permitted in Lagunitas Creek or within the park. Nearby lakes to allow fishing; a valid fishing license is required for anglers age 16 or over.
The California freshwater shrimp, Syncaris pacifica, is another endangered species. Lagunitas Creek is one of the few prime habitats left for this two-inch crustacean.
Park History
The park is named after Samuel Penfield Taylor, who came to California from Boston in 1849 to try his luck in the gold rush. He actually found gold, cashed in, and entered the lumber business.
Purchasing 100 acres of timberland along Papermill Creek, Taylor built a paper mill and established a paper-making process. Using scrap paper and rags from San Francisco the mill produced newsprint and well as square-bottomed paper bags - a novelty at the time.
Taylor built a resort hotel and Camp Taylor, one of the first sites in the US to offer camping as a recreational pursuit. The area was one of California's most popular and well-known weekend recreation destinations in the 1870s-80s.
The park is named after Samuel Penfield Taylor, who came to California from Boston in 1849 to try his luck in the gold rush. He actually found gold, cashed in, and entered the lumber business.
Purchasing 100 acres of timberland along Papermill Creek, Taylor built a paper mill and established a paper-making process. Using scrap paper and rags from San Francisco the mill produced newsprint and well as square-bottomed paper bags - a novelty at the time.
Taylor built a resort hotel and Camp Taylor, one of the first sites in the US to offer camping as a recreational pursuit. The area was one of California's most popular and well-known weekend recreation destinations in the 1870s-80s.
Accessible Features
Camping: Six campsites designated accessible and dispersed throughout the Creekside (lower) and Orchard Hill (upper) loops are usable in dry weather. Many have dirt activity areas, but sites 58 and 21 have asphalt pads in the activity areas. Assistance may be needed with water, trash and cooking facilities in all sites. Improvements are planned. Restrooms with showers: An accessible restroom with showers is located in the Creekside loop near site 12. The Orchard Hill loop has an accessible combination restroom with showers near site 37. An accessible unisex toilet and shower room is also at the other end of this loop near site 58. Accessible parking is near both facilities.
Picnic Area: Azalea Picnic Area is just beyond the entrance kiosk and is on fairly compacted earth and may be usable in dry weather. There is accessible restroom with showers and adjacent accessible parking.
Trails: The Cross Marin Trail is a paved, level hike and bike trail that passes through the park’s redwoods and meadows for 4.5 accessible miles and includes some interpretive panels at historic sites. The trailhead is beyond Shafter Bridge in the campground. Accessible restrooms and parking are available in the main picnic area or Upper campground.
Camping: Six campsites designated accessible and dispersed throughout the Creekside (lower) and Orchard Hill (upper) loops are usable in dry weather. Many have dirt activity areas, but sites 58 and 21 have asphalt pads in the activity areas. Assistance may be needed with water, trash and cooking facilities in all sites. Improvements are planned. Restrooms with showers: An accessible restroom with showers is located in the Creekside loop near site 12. The Orchard Hill loop has an accessible combination restroom with showers near site 37. An accessible unisex toilet and shower room is also at the other end of this loop near site 58. Accessible parking is near both facilities.
Picnic Area: Azalea Picnic Area is just beyond the entrance kiosk and is on fairly compacted earth and may be usable in dry weather. There is accessible restroom with showers and adjacent accessible parking.
Trails: The Cross Marin Trail is a paved, level hike and bike trail that passes through the park’s redwoods and meadows for 4.5 accessible miles and includes some interpretive panels at historic sites. The trailhead is beyond Shafter Bridge in the campground. Accessible restrooms and parking are available in the main picnic area or Upper campground.
Trails
Summary
Difficulty
Distance
Barnabe Peak Loop Hike
A morning hike up Barnabe Peak, it's vistas and a return along a Redwood lined creek trail.
A morning hike up Barnabe Peak, it's vistas and a return along a Redwood lined creek trail.
Moderate
5.6 mi/
9.0 km
9.0 km
Mt Barnabe, Samuel P Taylor State Park
Hike the winding forest trail up reach the sun-bleached summit of Mt Barnabe and views over Marin County.
Hike the winding forest trail up reach the sun-bleached summit of Mt Barnabe and views over Marin County.
Moderate
6.0 mi/
9.7 km
9.7 km
Guides
Hike the winding forest trail up reach the sun-bleached summit of Mt Barnabe and views over Marin County.
A morning hike up Barnabe Peak, it's vistas and a return along a Redwood lined creek trail.
Community Trips
Devil's Gulch to Stair Step Falls in Samuel Taylor SP, California
