Art Rocks!

Hike to Petroglyphs on Ring Mountain

When you're on a hike, do you focus on the big picture or the small details? Here's a hike that lets you do both with ease. Ring Mountain Open Space Preserve next to Tiburon is famous for its baywitching scenery—sweeping from the Bay Bridge to the tips of the Golden Gate. But it's also home to ancient Coastal Miwok petroglyphs found on large serpentine boulders dotting the hillside. See the largest of them on a 4-mile (round-trip) hike that starts from the Via Los Altos access point. Head up a short set of stairs to reach the trail and ascend a moderately rolling ridge trail that brings views of the San Francisco skyline and the sailboats in the marinas of southern Marin. At a half mile in, you'll reach the gated Ring Mountain Fire Road, marking the official entrance to Ring Mountain. The next half-mile is the steepest, but at the top … you get the big picture! All of Mount Tam unfolds to the west while to the east you can trace the Richmond Bridge to the rolling East Bay hills. Continue another quarter of a mile down the fire road before making like Indiana Jones and taking a short (roughly 50 meter) singletrack to the petroglyph rock. The large fenced-off rock is protected as a unique cultural resource because of the circular ring carvings, created centuries ago. The meaning of the symbol remains a mystery; see if you can figure it out.

To reach the Via Los Altos access, exit the 101 freeway at CA-131/Tiburon Blvd. and head east for 0.8 mile. Turn left on Blackfield Dr. Go 0.4 mile and make a left on Via Los Altos. Follow it 0.5 mile uphill to the end of the road. There's limited parking on the side of the road at the start of the trail marked by a set of stairs and a sign directing towards Tiburon Ridge Trail. No dogs.

Trending Stories NorCal

View all Stories
  1. Field of Light at Sensorio in Paso Robles

    Light This Way

    Hidden in the bucolic hills of Paso Robles lies one of the greatest light shows on earth. The lighted art exhibition, Sensorio, is as if the rainbow magic of the aurora borealis was plucked from the sky and planted in the fields.

    View
  2. Bikers and walkers on the Bay Area Ridge Trail with the Golden Gate Bridge behind them

    National Park City Walk

    See San Francisco the way locals do by hiking the Presidio, a national park right in the city! Wooded trails, secluded beaches, and epic views of the Golden Gate Bridge feature on this 5.5-mile out-and-back on the Bay Area Ridge Trail. It’s a lovely slice of the City by the Bay.

    View
  3. Bucks Up!

    Come on in, the water is beautiful. Whether you like swimming, kayaking, stand-up paddling, or heading out on a bigger boat, Bucks Lake is a high mountain haven that’s easy to access, blissfully uncrowded, and surrounded by sandy beaches, picnic areas, pines, and aspens.

    View
  4. Surfboards and tents for shade are set up on the beach at Cull Canyon Regional Recreation Area in the Swim Lagoon Area

    Switchbacks and Swimming Holes

    Hike hard, play hard! This 7-mile out-and-back in Cull Canyon Regional Recreation Area is a great workout with payoff vistas and a relaxing post-hike picnic and dip in the water.

    View

Trending Stories SoCal

View all Stories
  1. Bear Hug

    This 5.5-mile loop through Coyote Lake-Harvey Bear Ranch County Park explores one of the newest segments of the acclaimed Bay Area Ridge Trail, one redolent with trees ranging from madrone and manzanita to buckeye and blue elderberry (with a bubbly post-hike bonus).

    View
  2. Two kayakers on Upper Klamath Basin on tour with Sky Lakes Wilderness Adventures

    Zen & the Art of Kayaking

    It’s the most meditative and relaxing experience you’ll ever have on a kayak. Yes, you read that right, a Zen experience on a kayak. It all happens in beautiful Klamath County when you head out on a guided tour with Sky Lakes Wilderness Adventures.

    View
  3. A Rose in the Pines

    A crackling fire, a bottle of wine, a bubbling Jacuzzi tub with a waterfall … now the big question: Marvin Gaye tunes or not? In the morning (ahem) it's breakfast in bed and a leis

    View
  4. Alex Villicana, Villicana Winery and Re:Find Distillery

    Locals' Feature: Alex Villicana

    Tech booms, AI revolutions, okay that’s all fine, but you wanna know what else is really cool? Being a pioneer in a world-famous industry that—in Paso Robles—remains solidly down to earth. When Alex Villicana established Villicana Winery in 1993, he clearly had grape expectations...

    View