Bowman Canyon

Please sign up for this field trip on Meetup.  Limit 20 participants; join the waitlist.

Please sign the field trip Waiver for Marin Chapter 2024 

This field trip is located in the recently acquired, western portion of the Mount Burdell Open Space Preserve. We’ll observe plants in riparian, grassland, woodland and serpentine habitats, along the Serpentine and WB-03 Fire Roads. There are beautiful views from the upper portion of the serpentine area.The first part of the field trip passes through a bay, oak and buckeye forest along Bowman Creek. Some interesting plants in this riparian area are chain fern (Woodwardia fimbriata), sedges (Carex spp.), giant horsetail (Equisetum telmateia ssp. braunii) and a lush understory of snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus var. laevigatus and S. mollis), California honeysuckle (Lonicera hispidula), and blue elderberry (Sambucus nigra ssp. caerulea). The riparian area opens to a small meadow and then the serpentine area. We will walk along the edge of the serpentine, cross it, and return through bay, oak and buckeye woodland. Wild flowers we are likely to see include cream cups (Platystemon californicus), longspur sea blush (Plectritis ciliosa), little spring beauty (Claytonia exigua ssp. exigua), tuberous sanicle (Sanicula tuberosa), annual yellow monkey flower (Erythanthe nasuta), hillside collinsia (Collinsia sparsiflora var. sparsiflora), dwarf plantain (Plantago erecta), blue dicks (Dipterostemon capitatus), valley tassels (Castilleja attenuata), owl’s clover (Castilleja densiflora), and poppies (Eschscholzia californica). Other interesting plants we’ll see in the serpentine area are Leather Oaks (Quercus durata), and mountain mahogany (Cercocarpus betuloides var. betuloides)

The 2.5-mile loop is easy to moderate. There are wet patches along the Serpentine Fire Road. Waterproof hiking shoes or boots are useful. There is a steep, rocky uphill climb for one quarter mile. It is slippery due to rocks, mud, and puddles.

For more information, attend the Marin CNPS Chapter Meeting on April 8 at 7:30 to hear Julian Geoghegan, Vegetation Ecologist and Jon Campo, Principal Natural Resources Planner of Marin County Parks describe Bowman Canyon and the biological studies and planning now underway.

Directions: Parking is very limited, so we will carpool. Meet in the Harvest Market parking lot at the corner of San Marin Drive and San Ramon Way at 10 am. The trailhead is 5 minutes away.

Bring: Water, lunch, rain gear, and sturdy shoes.          Rain cancels

Field trip leader: Susan Schlosser      Questions, email Susan – scschlosser52@gmail.com   Text for day-of-trip questions. 707-834-6525