Novato’s Indian Valley proves to be a herpetological treasure trove
With warmer weather, my herpetological expectations rise. Every hike has me on the lookout for the sunning snake and darting lizard, so the largely shady hike from Indian Valley trailhead in Novato was not where I expected to see either. It’s always a great day when nature surprises you with herps.
A coastal garter snake hunts for food at Indian Valley in Novato.
As with most hiking areas in Marin, the Indian Valley open space preserve features a network of trails that offer dozens of possible combinations for loop, figure-eight, and there-and-back routes. For our hike on a warm Monday afternoon, we opted to make a loop that strings together the Indian Valley, Ad and Gloria Schwindt, Kent Harth Waterfall and Pacheco Pond trails. Trail descriptions promised shade and a still-trickling waterfall over the course of a short 3.5 miles of easy-moderate terrain.
Just at the Indian Valley trailhead is a small pond that comes alive with croaking frogs during spring and summer sunsets. As many times as I’ve been privileged to witness the chorus, I’d never seen the adult amphibians themselves, only their tadpoles, which densely populate the ponds right now. Our Monday hike changed that, but not before a pair of snake encounters that left us thrilled.
This hiking route starts with a sharp right just past the Indian Valley trailhead onto the Ad and Gloria Schwindt trail, named after mid-20th-century owners of a small farm in West Novato. After a brief sunlit stretch, the route winds under a canopy of bay and oak and curves around to intersect again with Indian Valley Trail. There is a stable and neighborhood visible through the trees just past this turn, and the spacious trail runs alongside them for a bit.
Bypassing a couple of tempting turnoffs to other routes we’ve done before, we finally took a right onto the Kent Harth Waterfall Trail. This path runs along a creek still weakly flowing from all of the winter and spring rains. At one point, the trail forks around a rocky cropping. Taking the right fork leads right to the waterfall, while keeping left will land you just above the falls. “Falls” is probably not quite accurate now that things are drying up, but there was still a trickle flowing down the rocks, enough to convey the idea. It’s a beautiful, shady spot with pools full of tadpoles. These distracting amphibian babies were probably the reason that we at first overlooked the beautiful coastal garter snake lurking in the water, trying to eat them.
After we communed with the snake for a bit and had the good fortune to watch it on the hunt, we continued on a few feet only to encounter a good-sized Pacific gopher snake snagging some rays just where sunlight splashed onto the path. It placidly tolerated our paparazzi behavior as we snapped pictures while trying hard not to disturb it.
Buzzing on this good fortune, we continued on the Waterfall route as it zigzagged upward on the only real climb of the hike. At the top, we could see vistas of the Bel Marin keys and hints of Pacheco pond through the trees as we began our descent. Skirting the pond, we caught sight of yet more herps, in this case a pair of small pond turtles sunning themselves, taking advantage of the ongoing restoration project at Pacheco.
From here, the Pacheco Pond Trail leads straight downhill back to the Indian Valley Trailhead, where our final herp sighting of the day capped a fabulous outing: two tiny frogs, possibly Sierran tree frogs, which quickly decamped into the grass before we could get out our cell phones. It was the perfect hoppy ending to the day.
Getting there: Take the Ignacio Valley exit from 101 and cruise down Ignacio Valley Road until it ends in the College of Marin Indian Valley Campus. Keep straight through the campus until you arrive at the parking lot next to the ball fields. Parking here is $4, payable at the pay station. The trailhead is behind the fields. Immediately at the start, swing right onto the Ad and Gloria Schwindt Trail. From there, merge onto Indian Valley Trail again, which loops back toward the trailhead. Take the clearly signed Kent Harth Waterfall Trail right and follow it to where it merges with the Pacheco Pond Trail skirting the eponymous pond, which takes you back to the Indian Valley trailhead. Dogs are allowed on leash on trails and under voice command on fire roads. There are toilets and water fountains at the ball fields.
Emily Willingham is a Marin science journalist, book author and biologist. You can find her on Bluesky @ejwillingham or Instagram at emily.willingham.phd.