Gold Hill Grade to Nike Missile Site is a 4.4 mile moderately trafficked out and back trail located near San Rafael, California that features beautiful wild flowers and is rated as moderate. The trail offers a number of activity options and is accessible year-round. Dogs are also able to use this trail.
April 17, 2021Good!
March 23, 2021Up hill! Up hill! Some sun and some shade! Gets your heart rate pumping! Bring water! Great for dogs.
February 28, 2021Great hike, just the amount of elevation and plenty of views all around!
February 17, 2021Well maintained. Beautiful views! Even though you gain much altitude, it’s done pretty gradually.
February 9, 2021January 19, 2021I went pretty early in the morning for a sunrise hike. Only hiked in for about 30 to 45 minutes and back. Big wide trail, somewhat rocky, few people out, one Mountain biker. Beautiful views. Will be back.
January 10, 2021Great afternoon hike up to the summit of San Pedro Mountain with Luna and Grant. Grants first time using his new birthday backpack. First summit as a 7-year-old!
January 10, 2021December 29, 2020I took the map Trail outbound then returned along the Bayview Trail. the trip from the parking lot to the Nike missile silo is an excellent cardio workout if you're on foot. It would be an amazing cardio workout on a bicycle. And plenty of people are on bikes. This Trail is continuously up and down. at the end of the map Trail, the Nike missile base, there really isn't much to see except for a historic Nike missile base. you'll see plenty of mountain bikers. on the way back I decided to take the Bay view Trail and several of the connecting trails. This turned the whole hike into about seven and a half miles. I probably should have started a little earlier, because it was getting dark toward the end. This is a fantastic Trail for an impulse hike. If you just want to burn some calories hike up to the Nike missile base and back. If you want some amazing, very steep and slippery backwoods hiking, return on one of the alternate trails.
December 29, 2020December 17, 2020October 18, 2020October 9, 2020Straight up hill and down hill with rather steep grades at times! Wonderful views of Mt. Tam and San Rafael await.
October 4, 2020September 27, 2020Great hike very fun and has sick views. Fun up hill and fast down hill.
September 27, 2020We were definitely the fastest group out of everyone else
September 27, 2020this was a very tricky and tiring hike but the views were amazing, definitely uphill for the majority of the way though!
September 27, 2020Good
September 26, 2020September 23, 2020Mostly shaded before noon
September 20, 2020I thought the hike was fun and challenging
September 19, 2020Great wide path, majority shaded. Mountain bikers on and off the main trail. Some steep parts but very doable!
September 16, 2020Pretty fun
September 13, 2020I thought it was very relaxing to walk through the path and see where I live from up above, except for the whole getting tired part. Very nice
September 4, 2020This trail is mostly fire roads. Quite a bit of climbing. A great route for hiking, biking or running. Great views normally. Today Smokey.
August 16, 2020Wide gravel fire road to top, then paved fire road to silo. Be sure to take the single track hillside trail back or up; it is the nicest part.
July 19, 2020Second half of the route as marked is not dog friendly. Other than that, a decent trail with a mix of sun and shade.
May 4, 2020This trail is very wide with a pretty long grade and pretty nice views most of the way. If you are not fit and do not have good experience on a bike you WILL be walking. If you make it up most of the way you have done well but the last part is tricky. It becomes very very steep at the end at two last pitches for both hikers and bikers and most beginners will not be able to fully complete this portion. Overall, this trail is not technical and the downhill reward is very satisfying.
April 29, 2020Chickie and I headed out for a hike in Marin this morning on an overcast but not cold day. Ended up over by Dominican College and decided to go up Gold Hill Grade to the paved road on the ridge. This is a wide fire road with some steep sections and nice views of the Southern part of San Rafael, Dominican, and the surrounding neighborhood. We made it up to the paved road near the top and decided to continue a while longer on the paved road until we could find a lunch spot. A chilly wind was blowing and in some areas there were little black gnat things flying around. Eventually we ended up on Scettrini FR and found a spot in a clearing to eat where we were out of the wind and no bugs were bothering us. We finished lunch and decided to keep on Scettrini FR, then come down the hill and walk back to the car on the residential streets, to make it a loop hike. Still seeing a lot of wildflowers, and on this hike we noted all of the rockrose growing all over the place. I don't think it is native to this part of CA but I could be wrong (we haven't come across it growing anywhere else on our hikes in Marin). There are 3 different types - one all white petals, a second one with white petals and maroon splotches on the base of each petal, and the third one with a pink crinkly texture on the petals.
March 28, 2020
