Bay Nature

710 acre Park managed by: California Department of Parks and Recreation

This park embraces thousands of years of a history that is uniquely Californian—including relics from the native Miwok, Spanish missionaries, and the Grateful Dead rock band that once lived here.

Rancho Olompali State Historic Park, on the northeast-facing slope of Marin’s Mt. Burdell, overlooks the Petaluma River and San Pablo Bay. Once the site of a year-round Miwok village with hundreds of inhabitants, this 700-acre park features historic adobes and reconstructed Miwok structures as well as gently switchbacking trails up the mountain. Under a canopy of oaks and madrones, beautiful flowers bloom in the spring and native bunchgrasses clothe the higher slopes year-round. At the top, hikers will find a few picnic tables and beautiful vistas.