Gary Giacomini Open Space Preserve
Managed by Marin County Parks
426 acres6.7 mi of trail
Contour TrailCaterpillar TrailCandalero TrailBoulder Springs Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Olema Lime Kilns · Photo: Roger Sturtevant, photographer · Public domainA+Outdoors
Outdoors in Lagunitas-Forest Knolls
42% of Lagunitas-Forest Knolls’ land is conserved, and virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 20 miles of mapped trail cross Lagunitas-Forest Knolls, 4.8 per square mile of land. 42% of Lagunitas-Forest Knolls’ land is conserved, about 1,145 acres.
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
42%
1,145 acres · of 4.2 sq mi of land
Trails
20 mi
4.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,149 ac
707 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.8 mi
Lakes & rivers
2
What kind of outdoors town is Lagunitas-Forest Knolls?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Lagunitas-Forest Knolls have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Lagunitas-Forest Knolls is among the top 1% of U.S. towns. All four inputs put Lagunitas-Forest Knolls near the top nationally; trail miles rank highest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Lagunitas-Forest Knolls’ overall grade.
Conserved land42% of the land · typical CA town 4% · U.S. 4%A+Trails4.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (20 mi) · CA 0.9 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land707 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,149 acres) · CA 5 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to homeVirtually all residents within a half mile of a park · CA 91% · U.S. 72%A+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Among the top 1%
LessMore
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be A+. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Gary Giacomini Open Space Preserve, with 6.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Larsen Meadow
Managed by Marin Open Space Trust
74 acres2.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
French Ranch Open Space Preserve
Managed by Marin County Open Space District
393 acres2.6 mi of trail
Top Flight TrailSchool Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Samuel P. Taylor State Park
Managed by California Department of Parks and Recreation
204 acres1.7 mi of trail
Cross Marin Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Maurice Thorner Memorial Open Space Preserve
Nature preserve
48 acres0.7 mi of trail
Thorner Ridge Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Mount Tamalpais Watershed
Managed by Marin Municipal Water District
26 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 7 parks & preserves
Gary Giacomini Open Space Preserve426 acres · 6.7 mi of trail · Marin County Parks
Larsen Meadow74 acres · 2.9 mi of trail · Marin Open Space Trust
DirectionsFrench Ranch Open Space Preserve393 acres · 2.6 mi of trail · Marin County Open Space District
Samuel P. Taylor State Park204 acres · 1.7 mi of trail · California Department of Parks and Recreation
DirectionsMaurice Thorner Memorial Open Space Preserve48 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsMount Tamalpais Watershed26 acres · 0.7 mi of trail · Marin Municipal Water District
DirectionsSan Geronimo Park74 acres · Marin County Parks
Who protects it
1,145 conserved acres
42% of Lagunitas-Forest Knolls’ land. Who manages Lagunitas-Forest Knolls’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Regional agency915 ac
State parks198 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits80 ac
Regional Water Districts29 ac
County3 ac
Local Conservation Area · 821 acState Park · 198 acLocal Park · 83 acUnknown Easement · 83 acLocal Resource Management Area · 29 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 3 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gary Giacomini Open Space Preserve Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 402 | Open |
| French Ranch Open Space Preserve Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 387 | Open |
| Samuel P. Taylor State Park State Park | State parks | 198 | Open |
| San Geronimo County Park Local Park | Regional agency | 80 | Closed |
| Maurice Thorner Memorial Open Space Preserve Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 32 | Open |
| Marin Municipal Water District Watershed Local Resource Management Area | Regional Water Districts | 29 | Open |
| San Geronimo Ridge Acq Local Other or Unknown | Regional agency | 10 | Open |
| Lagunitas Village Mini-Park Local Park | County | 3 | Open |
Things to do
4 places to go in Lagunitas-Forest Knolls
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Lagunitas-Forest Knolls
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Picnic areas in Lagunitas-Forest Knolls
Irving Group Picnic AreaIn Samuel P. Taylor State Park
DirectionsPlus 1 picnic area without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
9 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 5.9 miHorses · 4.2 miUnpaved · 7.0 mi
Contour Trail1.1 mi
Top Flight Trail0.9 mi
Cross Marin Trail0.9 mi
Caterpillar Trail0.9 mi
Thorner Ridge Trail0.7 mi
Candalero Trail0.7 mi
Boulder Springs Trail0.5 mi
School Trail0.5 mi
Caterpillar Connector Foot Trail0.2 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.8 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.8 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Cross Marin TrailBike route
0.9 miCourts & fields
2Basketball
1Skate park
1Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
The Last Resort Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2024
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Lagunitas-Forest Knolls: April to August
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.8 | 10.7 | 11.8 | 13.1 | 14.2 | 14.8 | 14.6 | 13.6 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.1 | 9.5 |
| High (°F) | 56 | 58 | 61 | 63 | 67 | 72 | 75 | 77 | 77 | 72 | 62 | 56 |
| Rain (in) | 7.1 | 6.8 | 5.0 | 2.4 | 1.2 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 1.7 | 3.8 | 7.8 |
July is the driest month (under 0.1 in) and September the warmest (highs of 77 °F). 7.8 inches fall in December, the wettest month. The climate in Lagunitas-Forest Knolls →
Next door
Lagunitas-Forest Knolls and its neighbors
Lagunitas-Forest Knolls has the most mapped trails of the 2 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lagunitas-Forest Knolls | 42% | 4.8 | 707 | 99%+ | A+ |
| San Geronimo | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Lagunitas-Forest Knolls
Where can I hike in Lagunitas-Forest Knolls?
The longest trail networks: Gary Giacomini Open Space Preserve, 6.7 miles; Larsen Meadow, 2.9 miles; French Ranch Open Space Preserve, 2.6 miles; Samuel P. Taylor State Park, 1.7 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Lagunitas-Forest Knolls is conserved land?
42% of its land, against a typical 4% for a California town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Lagunitas-Forest Knolls’ trails?
Gary Giacomini Open Space Preserve and Larsen Meadow don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Lagunitas-Forest Knolls?
0.8 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.8 of shoulders and shared lanes. Named routes: Cross Marin Trail.
Is there public land near Lagunitas-Forest Knolls?
80,717 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Lagunitas-Forest Knolls or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,149 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Lagunitas-Forest Knolls have?
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Lagunitas-Forest Knolls neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →