It was going to be high 90’s but I still wanted to get some miles under my feet! I had book marked a nice page on hikes with shade. Spruce mountain looked like a pretty decent hike, some nice shade and a good parking lot! It is located in Larkspur which can be known for more than just the Renaissance Fair!
We decided to go very early to stay ahead of the heat of the day. We got to the trail ahead around 6:30 or so. There were just 3 other cars in the lot!
We followed the tips from All Trails and took the straight version of the bottom loop and the left side of the second loop.
There was a nice breeze as we started out! The first portion is in the sun, but you hit the tree line pretty quick. The overhead canopy is quite nice!
The trail is well maintained, the views are wonderful, there is a bit of road noise, but getting on top of the butte and looking out over Windy Point is delightful!
Verdict:
2 loop hike, so those that don’t like out and back get something different for most of the hike.
Miles 5.5 or so.
Shady for most of it.
A little over the 2 hours mark is spot on.
The 600 foot elevation gain is across different parts of the trail. 300-400 in the first portions, the last 200 in the second loop.
Would recommend early on a hot day, might also be fun in the winter.