INDIAN VALLEY Open Space in the Ignacio neighborhood of southern Novato features a variety of trails in a rather compact space. Wildflowers, cascading creeks and a waterfall are some of the highlights along the trails.

Most of the 5.5-mile trek is moderately strenuous, but there are a few steep sections along the way. If you have a hiking stick it will be helpful at creek crossings.

You may need a notebook to list all the trail names, but the area is well-signed. For this interesting hike, string together the Indian Valley Fire Road, Ad Schwindt Trail, Buzzard Burn Road, Wildcat Trail, Hill Ranch Trail, Waterfall Trail and Pacheco Pond Fire Road.

The main access to this open space is through the parking lot at College of Marin's Indian Valley campus. Drive into the campus and follow the main road until it dead-ends at the Campus Security Office near the ball fields. Stay to the right and walk past the baseball diamonds and continue through the open space gate. Turn right and walk up the Ad Schwindt Trail. This path provides a nice warm-up as it winds through a forest of bay trees with maidenhair ferns and mushrooms popping up in response to the recent rain.

Walk briefly on the Indian Valley Fire Road, then turn right, cross the stream and hike up Buzzard Burn Road. This is a steep section. Along the way, watch for dark red Indian warriors, white milkmaids and yellow buttercups.

Continue on the Wildcat Trail lined with madrone trees and manzanita. Turn left onto the Hill Ranch Trail. This is a beautiful winding path that meanders through forest, along ravines and crosses small streams. Ferns and mosses are lush in the moist shaded ravines.

Cross the footbridge, turn right and walk briefly on Indian Valley Fire Road, then turn right again and cross the footbridge on the Waterfall Trail.

The stream above the waterfall channels into a narrow shoot and slides in a frothy sheet as it slips and then tumbles over a boulder into the catch pool.

Continue uphill on the Waterfall Trail as it parallels a swift creek. Buckeye trees are just leafing after their long slumber. Watch for newts and slugs on the trail. In a few weeks, irises and mission bells will be blooming along the upper zigzags.

Crest the hill and head down the winding path to Pacheco Pond. Open areas on the hillside are sprinkled with pink shooting stars and milk maids.

To reach Indian Valley Open Space, leave Highway 101 at the Ignacio Boulevard exit. Follow Ignacio Boulevard west into the Indian Valley campus. Continue to the end of the main road and park near the Campus Security Office.  Special thanks to Tracy Dunham from the Marin IJ for her "hike of the week!"

The Deer Camp loop, a moderately strenuous, 3 1/2-mile hike up Mt. Burdell's western flank offers a variety of wildflowers including patches of fiddlenecks.

Start at the open space gate on San Andreas Drive and follow the San Andreas Fire Road up a steady grade to a wide meadow. You may see cattle grazing in the meadow or on other sections of Mt. Burdell. They serve the function of trimming the grasses and reducing fire danger.

Walk briefly on the Middle Burdell Fire Road and then veer left onto Deer Camp Fire Road. Large old oak trees dot the hillside. Some of the buckeye trees are sporting their showy cone-shaped white blossoms. If the air is still, you can smell their sweet scent.

The Deer Camp area, named for an old hunting camp once located here, is often lush green when the grass around it is brown. This is the site of a natural spring, one of about a dozen on Mt. Burdell.

Late spring is a transition time for wildflowers. The early spring flowers have faded and the summer wildflowers are beginning to bloom. Orange California poppies and yellow Mariposa lilies stand out. Watch for the tiny orange fiddleneck blossoms curled like the end of a violin. Purple brodiaea and magenta colored vetch vines are also in bloom. Pink farewell-to-springs are just opening which means summer is not far off.

This is a busy time for birds. Some are still building their nests, while others are already feeding their youngsters. Swallows swoop and dart as they catch insects mid-air. They are always a welcome sight not only for their amazing stunt flying, but also because they devour large numbers of mosquitoes.

Heading along the Cobblestone Fire Road, at the junction of the Middle Burdell Fire Road is the swampy area known as Hidden Lake. It is slowing becoming a meadow as water only pools there after heavy rains. Each year the pool grows smaller as the encroaching grasses become thicker. Some day it may be named Hidden Meadow.

Descending Middle Burdell Fire Road, the view extends over the town of Novato to Big Rock Ridge and east to San Francisco Bay.

To reach Mt. Burdell, leave Highway 101 at the San Marin Drive exit in Novato. Follow San Marin Drive, turn right on San Andreas Drive and park near the open space gate.