Devil’s Gulch Trail Out & Back

This trail is an easy walk through woods with some open meadow, with a return trip via a narrow creekside trail.

Location: Samuel P. Taylor State Park
Length: 2.8 miles
Difficulty: easy
Shade: mostly shaded
Parking: small parking area off Sir Francis Drake Blvd. across from the trailhead (free, but fills up quickly)
Public Transportation: none
WC: toilet at the picnic area, less than half a mile into the hike
Dogs: not allowed on hiking trails, only in developed areas and Cross Marin Trail

Link to park website

Hiked: Mar 2021

Our Trail Route & Notes

We chose to stay on Devil’s Gulch Road (first paved and wide, then dirt and narrow) all the way to the park boundary on the way in. It’s a pretty simple trek through some open hills and woods. We turned around at the park boundary, which is marked by a gate. There’s a sign on it, but it’s hard to spot. Coming back, we decided to take the narrow Devil’s Gulch Trail going to the left about halfway back to the picnic area. The smaller trail takes you along a stream, which is nice, but it’s also a bit overgrown. There are some trails going off this one, but stay on the path going straight along the right side of the river and you’ll meet the main road again.

This time of year, the narrow paths are overgrown with grasses and other plants, which may or may not include poison oak (I’m unfortunately no expert at spotting it). We wore long pants and stuck to the trail, and I suggest the same to anyone else venturing to Devil’s Gulch.

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