Mount Wittenberg from the Sky Trailhead

The Sky Trailhead Parking Lot and the Sky Trail from the trailhead to Sky Campground will be closed from Wednesday, September 18, 2024, through Wednesday, October 2, 2024,for resurfacing and trailwork. The parking lot and trailheadwill be fully closed with no overnight parking allowed to accommodate staging equipment and materials.While work is performed on Sky Trail, equestrians and bicyclists must use alternate routes and hikers should also seek different paths. Visitors should also expect to see large trucks on Limatour Road and staging at the pullout across from the Sky Trailhead Parking Lot. Although the trailhead will be closed to parking for the duration of the project, the Sky Trail will be open to hikers on weekends. --> Distance: 4.5 miles (7.2 km) roundtrip This hike provides the easiest routeto Mount Wittenberg, the highest point on the Point Reyes Peninsula at 1407 feet (426 meters) in elevation. There is only 750 feet (225 meters) in elevation gain from the Sky Trailhead , as opposed to 1300 feet (400 meters) from the Bear Valley Trailhead via the Mount Wittenberg Trail . This hike ismostlywithin the Phillip Burton Wilderness . Please practice Leave No Trace principles. Start at the Sky Trailhead, which is located along Limantour Road. Follow the northern section of the Sky Trail, which hassome limited views of the ocean, through the woods for 0.8 (1.3 km) to the Horse Trail. Turn left and follow the Horse Trail for 0.4 miles (0.6 km) to the Z Ranch Trail and turn right. After 0.7 miles (1.1 km), the Z Ranch Trail brings you to the Z Ranch-MountWittenberg trail junction. From this junction, the 0.3-mile-long (0.5-kilometer-long) Mount Wittenberg Summit Trailleads, as its name suggests, to the summit of MountWittenberg. The once unobstructed views from near the summit have, since 2000, become obstructed by dense Douglas fir thickets that sprouted shortly after the 1995 Vision Fire . While the 2020 Woodward Fire burned through much of the forest around Mount Wittenberg, the view-obstructing Douglas fir thickets were largely left unscathed. However, as one continues from the Z Ranch-MountWittenberg trail junction along the 0.4.-mile-long (0.6-km-long) western leg of the Mount Wittenberg Trail to the junction of Sky and Meadow Trails, there are locations from which one may look west across the peninsula to the Pacific Ocean (weather dependent). From the Sky-Meadow trail junction, turn north on to the Sky Trail, which, in 0.5 miles (0.8 km)leads past Sky Campground , before returning to the trailhead 1.3 mile (2.1 km) later. Mount Wittenberg took its name from Peter and Newton Wittenberg, who are believed to be the first occupants of the Z Ranch in the early 1860s. The Z Ranch was located at the present-day Sky Campground. The Z Ranch was the highest elevationranch on the peninsula. All that remains of the ranch operationare eucalyptus and cypress trees that were planted as wind breaks and the remains of a concrete pathway that leads to the old ranch spring. This route description alone is not a substitute for a trail map. Print out the Point Reyes National Seashore's South District trail map (3,422 KB PDF) before your visit, or pick one up at the Bear Valley Visitor Center on your way. Always check current conditions before heading out into the park and familiarize yourself with park regulations . Please practice Leave No Trace principles. Visit the park's Hiking at Point Reyes National Seashore page for hiking tips and information about trail etiquette and safety. Visit the park's Trail Advisories and Closures page for current information about closed trails, trails blocked by trees, or other temporary hazards or advisories.