Nicholl Knob

In this El Niño year, it’s getting tougher & tougher to get outside for exercise without getting really wet &/​or muddy. Sometimes the window of opportunity between storms, when the ground gets the slightest chance to dry out, is tiny & brief. As much as I’m aware of the dire drought situation, & am happy for all the rainfall, I am starting to miss trail running.
Fortunately, I recently got around to checking out Nicholl Knob. It’s the nearby neighborhood hill that I’ve seen out the windows of my place for years. During drier times, the scenic beauty of Marin’s hills, mountains, & redwoods are my usual trail running tromping grounds. But, right about now, convenience is key to getting any time on the trail at all.
& for that, Nicholl Knob has been an ideal backyard trail running training ground. It’s not huge or vast. But what it lacks in height & trail mileage, it makes up for with angle & intensity. There’s a few stretches of trail that are very steep & there’s some spots with really technical surface conditions. Parking is always easy & I’ve yet to see it crowded up there.
For a quick fix, I’ve plotted a 2-​mile trail loop with plenty of vertical. If I want more mileage, I’ll run a 2^nd lap. With Nicholl Knob being near the end of land jutting into the bay & no other high ground around it, the views at the top all around on a clear day are quite stunning. &, again, best of all, for me, is the convenience of such a great place so close to home.
Oh, & shout out to Jana C. for finding, exploring, & Unilocaling Nicholl Knob so long ago. I don’t know what took me so long discovering the nearby neighborhood hill & all its trails, but I’ll be back often.

It
is
simply
stunning!
Did some good, respectable hiking on another gorgeous 70’sF day.
Hiking with 360 degree views of the East Bay… those Potrero Hills can seriously kick those glutes and quads into overdrive. this seemingly simple hill manned by East Bay Regional parks is often overlooked as a way to capture some glorious sights of all 3 bay bridges, and wonderful Angel Island, as well as Tiburon.
Such a wonderful little secret, this treasure is located just across the street from Miller Knox, trailhead accessible by Dorman Dr. There are great trail names like Marine View trail, Crest Trail, East Ridge Trail… depending on which hill you hike, you’ll see very detailed vistas of the Chevron refinery and the Berkeley Hills and northward, or you can switch over to the west side, and it’s all glorious blue!!!
Dirt paths, mainly with some harder rock along the way… some trails are downright steeper than others, so head down and power through it, keeping your weight in the right place! The breeze was always there to cool us, so it was lovely. Very few spots on the various trails have shade, and often times, may have some non-​posion oak wild flowers brush against your shin.
Awesome way to get some fresh air, exercise, and appreciate the jewel that this area is… A great itinerary may be to tour the SS Red Oak victory and then hike some, and have a quaint lunch in historic downtown Point Richmond. If you’ve a family, the Golden State model Railroad Museum is also here, but check their spotty hours. Full models of railroad lines for kids (and trainspotters) to enjoy!
From here, I shuffled over to San Quentin Village, and then over to San Rafael.