W6/NC-354

This nameless peak is at the top of the Indian Tree Open Space Preserve near Novato. I came here after climbing Burdell Mountain. As far as I can tell, the only access is from the north, on Vineyard Road. The trailhead is at the height of land on the road, where the pavement ends. There is parking on the south side of the road, on the dirt section.

Big Trees Trailhead.

From here, take the Big Trees Trail to the ridge. This is also the route the Bay Area Ridge Trail takes, so you can follow the blue arrows. The trail climbs at a rather shallow grade with many, many switchbacks. It passes through various ecosystems, from open grassland to redwood groves.

On the way up.

There are a few openings on the climb with views to the north, but for the most part it is in the cool forest. At the top, turn right and follow the fire road up. There is a gate at the edge of the open space, then a barbed wire fence separating the road from the summit. I setup along the fence for convenience. The fence is about 10 feet above the bottom of the activation zone, so no worries there. I had intermittent cell service, but enough to get out a spot. This got me six contacts on 30 meters. I tried 17 for a while, but didn't have any luck.

QRV just below the summit.

 After packing up I crawled under the fence to tag the true summit. The top is totally open, and has a decent sized flat area that could be used to operate from. It is probably a good area for VHF.

Looking toward Mt Tam

 The hike back down was pleasant, there were no steep or loose sections that required slowing down. I did stop at a view point to take a look at the next mountain on the list for the day, Little Mountain.

Trailhead: Height of land, Vineyard Road. Labeled as Big Trees on Google Maps
Website: SOTA Site. Marin Open Spaces website.
Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map. See open space website above.
Route: Take the Big Trees Trail to the top. Turn right on the Indian Tree Fire Road, and follow this up to the high point. The summit is above you on the left.
Red Tape: None.

Little Mountain.