Lily Gulch Trail & Oat Hill Fire Road is a 5.7-mile out-and-back in Mount Tamalpais Watershed near Fairfax, CA. It climbs 1,267 ft, with sections as steep as 29% grade. It scores 86/100 on the Ambleway Wildness scale: genuinely wild.
Elevation
0 mi768 – 1,450 ft · steepest grade: 29%5.7 mi
Getting there
Trailhead: Pine Mountain Fire Road 37.96398, -122.62519
Nearest town Fairfax, CA
Directions
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Lily Gulch Trail & Oat Hill Fire Road
5.7 mi · ▲ 1,267 ft · 2 hr 32 min
Elevation 769–1,449 ft
Out & Back · Mount Tamalpais Watershed
Trailhead: Pine Mountain Fire Road · 37.96398, -122.62519
Weather Aug 3: Clear, high 89°F / low 58° · precip 0% · wind 12 mph · sunrise 6:16 AM · sunset 8:19 PM
- Start on Pine Mountain Fire Road, heading SW.
- 1.1 miSharp left onto Oat Hill Fire Road, heading SW.
- 0.2 miBear right onto Carson Falls Trail, heading S.
- 50 ftTurn left onto Oat Hill Fire Road, heading S.
- 0.9 miTurn left onto Lily Gulch Trail, heading S.
- 0.6 miReach Oat Hill Fire Road, then turn around and head back the way you came.
- 0.6 miTurn right onto Oat Hill Fire Road, heading N.
- 1 miTurn right onto Carson Falls Trail, heading N.
- 50 ftBear left onto Oat Hill Fire Road, heading N.
- 0.2 miSharp right onto Pine Mountain Fire Road, heading NE.
- 1.1 miArrive back at the trailhead.
Each distance is the walk from the previous step. Tap a step for a map of its junction.
Trail surface
58% dirt42% unspecified
Weather
ClearTemperature 89°F58°
Precip0%Wind12 mphUV8Humidity51%
Hourly temperature
90°55°
Sunrise 6:16 AM12 AM3 AM9 AM12 PM3 PM6 PMSunset 8:19 PM
Tue
78°57°
Wed
79°52°
Thu
92°51°
Fri
96°53°
Sat
98°50°
Sun
91°50°
Sunset
The best sunset spot on this hike is 2.3 mi in (~71 min). Leave by 6:47 PM for the 8:19 PM sunset. Back at your car by 9:39 PM, after dark — bring a headlamp.
Other ways to reach this destination
More from Pine Mountain Fire Road Trailhead
- Pine Mountain Fire Road 2.2 mi · ▲ 376 ft
- Little Carson Falls–Carson Falls Trail, 3 sights 4.7 mi · ▲ 1,286 ft
- Little Carson Falls–Kent Lake, 5 sights 6.4 mi · ▲ 1,398 ft
- Pine Mountain Fire Road 7 mi · ▲ 1,173 ft
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