The best hikes from bus stations in Rush Creek Open Space Preserve

Pierre Joske Grove offers hikers, mountain bikers, and equestrians a peaceful oak-shaded retreat amid sweeping grasslands. Sitting at roughly 800 feet elevation just off Deer Camp Fire Road, the grove’s mature oaks invite rest, birdwatching, and wildflower spotting in spring. It also serves as a community focal point for habitat restoration, most recently hosting milkweed planting events to support monarch butterflies.

Miwok Park is a beautiful 22-acre area with a creek running through bay laurels and redwoods. It is named for local Indigenous people and serves as the home to the Museum of the American Indian. A replica of a traditional Miwok home is located outside of the museum, along with a garden containing plants that were important to the Miwok. There are two bocce courts, a playground, a picnic area, and an expansive grassy lawn, making it a nice place to stop and stretch your legs.

Depending on your approach, Burdell Mountain can be very exposed. Be sure to check the weather and prepare for it to change quickly. Once you reach the summit the views are definitely worth your efforts.

Eventually the Bay Area Ridge Trail will encircle the entirety of the San Francisco Bay. As it stands currently there are over 400 miles of trails and here you can find a small section to link up with other trails in the area.

Located in the Verissimo Hills Preserve, Oak Valley Trail traverses the edge of the hills and continues on to connect with the Bay Area Ridge Trail.

Pinheiro Fire Road closes its loop here to return back to the highway. The two wooden bridges meet at the intersection where Rush Creek Fire Road originates to lead around the bottom of the northern Hill and turns into Bahia trail.

Western terminus of this wide and well compacted trail that leads without elevation change around the foot of the preserve, with excellent bird watching opportunities along the bay wetlands.

Located in Marin County on a site of an actual Miwok Village, the Museum is dedicated to providing the people of Northern California with programs and exhibits that deepen understanding and appreciation of Native American cultures. The Museum gallery is home to a permanent collection of exhibits, as well as displaying new and rotating exhibits. This native indigenous museum, the only one of its kind in the Bay Area, was founded in 1967 in response to the rapid development of Marin County. Construction activity in the county unearthed masses of archaeological objects related to the original inhabitants of the region, the Coast Miwok people. The Museum was originally designed to serve as a repository for these materials. Today, the museum still houses a large collection of Coast Miwok artifacts; however, the scope has broadened considerably and its programs and collections represent Native American cultures from across the entire continent. Cultural property on display includes Navajo textiles, Eskimo carvings, Plains beadwork, birch bark baskets, and Northwest Coast masks. These treasures are displayed in the various exhibits to help both adults and children understand and appreciate the diversity and beauty of Native American art and culture. The Coast Miwok Indians were hunters and gatherers whose ancestors had occupied the area for thousands of years. About 600 village sites have been identified in the area. They were also considered skillful craftsmen in basketry, flint knapping and clamshell bead making. The Coast Miwok lands covered present-day Novato, Marshall, Tomales, San Rafael, Petaluma, and Bodega. The Southern Pomo people are from the Sebastopol area. Many of the Coast Miwok and Southern Pomo people still live within their ancestral territories. In 2000 the Coast Miwok and Southern Pomo tribes were restored to federally recognized status as The Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria. https://www.marinindian.com