Mt. Burdell Open Space Preserve

Probably one of the only places to get a good hike in Northern Novato. There are some great single track trails that go to the Olompali (I actually have a map of the trails and terrain siting next to my desk). Great place for a great hike or mountain bike ride.

Great if you aren’t a mountain biker. Harassed by Rangers, mugged by hikers and dog walkers as if I was seriously disturbing them. Come on people I’m on a bike not a 1,000lb beast that has a mind and attitude of its own. Cow poop isn’t a bonus either. But whatever I can deal. Better than most people’s attitudes.

A recent stopover in town found us with time for a little hike before continuing on our journey north home. Following directions and a map from fellow Unilocalers we were very close to this beautiful open space preserve.
This preserve has some great trails for walking/​hiking that are moderate to low stress, and it made for a wonderful mornings stroll through nature to encounter free ranging live stock — that’s right there are cows on this preserve and we encountered a few the morning of our visit.
This preserve passes through some residential areas and parking is relatively easy on the street — in the early morning we had no issues at all parking. It offers some nice views of Mount Burdell and the surrounding area.
This early morning fall excursion made for a nice way to start the day on our journey home, it was very cool, peaceful and refreshing.
Glad we found it and had the chance to explore this neat preserve. Well worth the effort and time to pull off, get out into nature and enjoy.
A solid 4 stars.
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Hard to find but once you are there its worth it. Plus when do you ever get to hike with cows?

Hike and then hike again. This side of Olampali is where your dog can run free on the fire roads. I spend a lot of time here. Early morning is best if you want to beat the heat.

On a beautiful sunny morning during the winter months my friend and I decide to tackle the trails of Mt. Burdell, specifically a 5 mile loop starting at the San Andreas Fire Road. I was surprised to find the trail head in the middle of a residential neighborhood, in fact it’s across the street from some homes. Parking is easily available on the street, but it can get more difficult to find a spot later in the day.
Hikes on this mountain are best completed on a cool day or when it’s not too warm. The trails are completely exposed and shade was nowhere to be found. Sunblock and hats are a must. The trails are on rolling hills and I would consider them to be easy, as there were no steps, ditches, steep inclines or narrow paths with steep drop offs. A more moderate trail is available on the Old Quarry Trail. The trails are on fire roads and are well maintained and wide. I mistakenly left my hiking shoes behind and hiked in my running shoes with no issues.
The views of the surrounding area are pretty spectacular and homes can be found around the perimeter of the park. Hikers will have to pass through cattle gates from time to time. On the day of my visit I was disappointed not to have seen any cattle. Moo! I want to see some happy cows!
I would suggest making visits when the ground is not saturated and when we are not going through one of our weird heatwaves. Trekking poles aren’t needed.
I found this trail to be somewhat easy and good for beginners or those looking for a walk more so than a hike.

For a few years, my family lived on San Marin Drive, so we considered ourselves lucky to have this open space preserve so close to home. We treated it like the best backyard we never owned!
Every season of the year has its own special touches upon this place– but late summer/​early fall is a personal favorite of mine. The dry golden fields are picturesque, the temperature is warm enough to hike around without a jacket (but there are tick warnings, so protect your legs), and the clear skies allow you to see all of northern/​central Novato, with the rare glimpse of Mount Diablo far into the distance.
I’ve only encountered friendly folks on the numerous trails here. Those trails can take you up the mount to the hidden lake at the top, which I am told is worth it. For those who don’t live within walking distance to the numerous entrances to the preserve, there is street parking on the quiet residential roads along San Marin Drive.

I hike here often. It is beautiful. Often you can see most of the north bay.

Gorgeous sweeping views of Novato and surrounding area from Mt. Burdell. You need not go all the way up, but the higher you go, the better the view. Path is not technical, so enjoyed by trail runners, dog walkers, and hikers. You can also see distant Diablo if you get high enough. Go in the mornings when it’s cool, it heats up quick and very little shade to be found.

If you want an uphill workout in Northern Marin, come here. The trails heading up the mountain have a noticeable incline for the first few miles. The trails are quiet and peaceful, with great views on clear days. Shade can be limited, so make sure to wear sunscreen.

Beautiful. hot in the summer. wear sunscreen and bring water. intermix of wide open spaces and tree covered parts. cows. scenic. paths. lovely.

Went to Mt. Burdell OSP with Greenbelt Sun 4÷7÷13. They have no bathrooms, so we used the Harvest Market bathroom (it’s in the back, next to the milk, separate bathrooms), there’s a Starbucks in the shopping center but didn’t want any coffee.
Parking is street parking on the Right side & gotta parallel park on San Andreas Dr. I hate parallel parking so if I ever go back there, I’m parking down low & hiking up.
Trails we did: San Andreas Fire Road — Deer Camp Fire Road [high point] –Cobblestone Fire Road [downhill to Hidden Lake] –unnamed trail around lake –Middle Burdell Fire Road [downhill] –San Andreas Fire Road –[parking].
We only did like 5 miles, wish it could have been longer. We need to do shuttle hike to get to the summit & to make it longer.
The hidden lake is really a vernal pool & not much water, just a tiny puddle is what we saw. We had lunch near it inside the gated area. K. lifted up a rock & found a small scorpion, another hiker find a tiny tree frog, another person found a newt with a slug in its mouth. Many cows seen on the trail. Those were they highlights. There were some wildflowers, not much.
Maybe worth a visit if you live nearby, from Fremont, just ok.

Pristine. On a clear day you can see for miles. The preserve offers short, long, easy and hard trails. We’ve come across cows, coyotes, bobcats, no mountain lions but we see their kills, turkeys, humming birds, humans, and all manner of wildlife.
The trails are quiet, open, peaceful and beautiful.

Great hiking trail. when you reach the top of Mt Burdell the views are awesome. You can see all the way to Mt Diablo on a clear day.
highly recomended and dog friendly.

This hiking trail was beautiful! All of the trails are really well marked, and you really get a chance you get out in the wilderness. The animals aren’t afraid of you and we had cows walking across the path right in front of us. The views once you get higher up are quite wonderful.
It was a gorgeous and hot Saturday, and I was shocked that we only came across a few other people. Everyone we saw were with their dogs, so I’m guessing it’s a very dog-​friendly place.
It’s easy to park right along the side of the road at the entranceway. If you’re looking to Google Map directions, this is the address that my GPS came up with:
483 San Andreas Dr.
Novato, CA 94 945
We were looking for a moderate hike, and easily found a loop of San Andreas Fire Road — Middle Burdell Fire Road — some smaller marked trails — San Marin Fire Road, which ended up being about 4 miles total. The other trails looked interesting too.
The only downfall to hiking this trail is you have to watch your step on the trail to avoid the cow steamers, and possibly related, you should really wear bug spray since bugs are all over the place.
My goal for next time is to find Hidden Lake, we were looking for it but it must be really well hidden!

Park on the street at the entrance on San Andreas Drive. Walk up the San Andreas Fire Road to begin your hike. Keep to the right as you hike.
Check out the map that I posted.
Bring your whole family — this hike is considered easy/​moderate. Some hills at the beginning, but nothing too challenging.
Furry friends (dogs) are welcome! They can be off-​leash as long as you’re able to control your dog with voice commands.
Enjoy the rolling hills… and bring your camera!

A wonderful place to go for a hike without the normal crowds!
Just a short 30 minute jaunt north of SF, Mt. Burdell has a beautiful vista set among homes outside of Novato. On the way I went, the view was clear and we could see the Bay and more! We did a 5 mile loop (~3 hours) and ate lunch that we picked up at the Harvest Market — conveniently located less than 5 minutes away from the trail head. The trails vary with parts that are shaded and parts that are exposed.
The trail is dog friendly and parts of it are mountain-​bike friendly. You may also run into a few cows on the way up, but they’re very friendly.

ON A CLEAR DAY YOU CAN SEE FOREVER
Okay, maybe not forever, but for sure you can see Mount Diablo, the Bay, the lights of Novato, and lots of other spectacular panoramic views. You’ll also see babbling brooks, cows (and their dung!), coyotes, jack rabbits, beautiful wild flowers in the spring.
Overall, it’s dog friendly too. Never had a problem with dogs… owners with rowdy dogs are good about leashing them up. Those with well-​mannered dogs don’t pose a problem.
There are many trails and many trail heads. Pretty much any street coming off San Marin Drive to the north will end up at a trail head to this open space area. You just have to go out here, and start hiking. Even if a beginning hiker, you’ll be able to find a trail that’s perfect for right now, and plenty more to give you challenge as you get in shape.

There’s so many trail heads to this Mountain. There is so many different levels of difficulty. You get great views when walking up of Marin, Mt diablo, S.F. ect. Great place to see Marin rolling hill.

Mt. Burdell is a huge open space tucked away in Novato. It has multiple entrances along San Marin Drive. The reason I love this space is how is changes through out the year. In the summer, it’s a great place to work up a sweat and get some exercise in. When the rainy season hits, creeks kick up and a lake is formed. The views are amazing from the top and it leads right into Olompali park as well, which also has a really easy and beautiful hike.
One thing to look out for: Fast bikers, horse riders and of course, the cow herd that grazes during moo moo season. It’s the place to go in the area to get away from the noise if you need to talk to the trees.
Sometimes there are interesting people out there like this couple sitting in a tree singing to each other in the middle of nowhere. Looking back it was pretty pimp actually.