Olompali State Park doesn't seem to get much press, and maybe that's why it's so peaceful. Right off 101 between Novato and Petaluma (accessible only from 101 South--make a U-turn at San Antonio Road if you're coming up from SF), it's a perfect place for a moderate day hike--about six miles in a semi-loop up and back to the top of Mt. Burdell, almost 1,300 feet of elevation change. From the summit there's a view of southern Sonoma that reminds me of a Wayne Thiebaud painting. (The painting above, by Bill Pfeffer, is of the trees surrounding a number of 19th century buildings near the park entrance.)
The park's southwest corner, near the summit, borders on the Mount Burdell Open Space Preserve, which looks to be about three times the size of the State Park and has a rich network of trails and fire roads. Yesterday a friend and I hiked up the Mt. Burdell trail in Olompali and walked a little ways down a fire road in the Open Space Preserve, thinking it might re-enter the park at some point--unfortunately it dead-ends in private property owned by the Buck Center for the Aging. Luckily we backtracked briefly and ran into a pair of serious (i.e. GPS-equipped) hikers who showed us a little-used but still extant trail that re-connects with the Mt. Burdell trail. Signage instructs you not to take it, but we didn't want to backtrack all the way, and while I can see why they wouldn't want bikers or horses on it, I can't see how hikers could cause any harm. So we took it.
Note that the official (but apparently outdated) State Park map (PDF) only shows the now-banned trail and not the Mt. Burdell trail, while the far superior Open Space Preserve map (PDF) does just the opposite and includes both the park and the preserve. (Marin Open Space District maps kick ass.) Thanks to Jane Huber's Bay Area Hiker for the map links and to Bill Pfeffer for the unauthorized use of his beautiful painting--go see more. And thanks to John for the great conversation (and yes, that was the moderate hike.)
