Creekwalk Tour Resources | Turtle Island Restoration Network

Creekwalks are Back for the 2025-26 Winter Season

Laurel Irvine — Tue, 23 Dec 2025 21:08:56 +0000

The fish are running! Salmon have returned to the creeks of the Lagunitas watershed, and now is the time to see this remarkable migration firsthand.

Turtle Island Restoration Network’s SPAWN program is offering expert-led creek walks where you can observe spawning salmon, learn about their natural history, and hear directly from watershed experts about the conservation work protecting these fish and their habitat. These guided walks take place in the Lagunitas Creek watershed, one of California’s most important remaining coho salmon strongholds. You’ll learn why this watershed matters, what salmon are up against, and how conservation efforts are making a difference.

FREE w/ family memberships (of $50 or more) for up to 5 people.
$15 per person for non-members
Dress for cold and wet weather
Bring binoculars if you have them
Register soon — maximum 15 people per tour – waiting list after that (events may be cancelled if less than 10 registrants.)
Email KBouley@tirn.net to reserve your space!
Large groups please contact for private tours.

Space is limited, and salmon runs are short-lived. Visit our events calendar to see all dates and details: https://seaturtles.org/events/

To register, email kbouley@tirn.net.

Media Advisory: Coho and Chinook Salmon Spawning in Marin County

Laurel Irvine — Sat, 23 Nov 2024 15:26:15 +0000

For Immediate Release, November 23, 2024

Contact:

Todd Steiner, 415-488-7652, tsteiner@tirn.net

Ayano Hayes, ahayes@tirn.net

Coho and Chinook Salmon Spawning in Marin County

Recent Atmospheric River Rain-Storm Bring Endangered Salmon Back to Creeks in West Marin

Olema, Calif. (November 23, 2024)

WHAT: Critically endangered Coho salmon are spawning in Marin County now! These large, two-foot-long, beautiful red fish return from the ocean to small creeks to spawn each winter. Once numbering in the thousands, only a couple of hundred now return. This Saturday, Coho were spotted jumping at Inkwell, and both Coho and Chinook salmon were seen spawning at Leo T. Cronin. One of the best runs left in California is right here in the Bay Area in Marin County.

WHO: SPAWN, a project of Turtle Island Restoration Network, can provide opportunities to interview biologists and naturalists, as well as chances to film/photograph fish spawning and leaping through waterfalls.

WHERE: San Geronimo Valley and Olema, CA, in Marin County (approximately 5 miles west of Fairfax, CA)

WHEN: November 2024 through January 2025 (estimated).

WHY: Endangered Coho salmon are on the brink of extinction, yet one of the largest populations left in California occurs within 35 minutes of the Golden Gate Bridge.

The Salmon Protection And Watershed Network (SPAWN) is a program of the global ocean conservation non profit Turtle Island Restoration Network that protects endangered, wild coho salmon and the forests and watersheds they need to survive in West Marin County, California. Learn more at www.seaturtles.org/salmon.

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Media Advisory: Coho Salmon Spawning in Marin County

TIRNADMIN — Tue, 04 Jan 2022 18:45:22 +0000

For Immediate Release, January 4, 2022

Contact:

Todd Steiner, 415-488-7652, tsteiner@tirn.net

Benedict Tagle, 415-663-8590, btagle@tirn.net

Coho Salmon Spawning in Marin County

Rains Bring Endangeed Salmon Back to Creeks in West Marin

Olema, Calif. (January 4, 2021)

WHAT: Critically endangered Coho salmon are spawning in Marin County now. These large, two feet in length, beautiful red fish return from the ocean to small creeks to spawn each winter. Once numbering in the thousands, only a couple hundred now return. One of the best runs left in California is right in the Bay Area in Marin County.

WHO: SPAWN, a project of Turtle Island Restoration Network, can provide opportunities to interviews to biologists and naturalists, as well as chances to film/photograph fish spawning and leaping through waterfalls.

WHERE: San Geronimo Valley and Olema, CA in Marin County (approximately 5 mi. west of Fairfax, CA)

WHEN: Throughout the next 10 days

WHY: Endangered Coho Salmon are on the brink of extinction, yet one of the largest populations left in California occur within 35 minutes of the Golden Gate Bridge.

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Creekwalk Tours Are Back

TIRNADMIN — Wed, 08 Dec 2021 22:38:02 +0000

For Immediate Release, December 8, 2021

Contact:

Ayano Hayes, ahayes@tirn.net, 916-216-8355

Creekwalk Tours Are Back

SAN RAFAEL, Calif.—After a year hiatus, Creekwalk Tours are back! Don’t miss the opportunity to join us on a Creekwalk Tour to witness a tradition that goes back thousands of years. Coho salmon swim hundreds of miles from their ocean feeding grounds to return to their birthplace and continue the survival of their species.

Join Salmon Protection and Watershed Network (SPAWN) in partnership with Samuel P. Taylor State Park for a leisurely-guided tour through the diverse Lagunitas Watershed. Led by SPAWN-trained naturalists, you’ll witness endangered coho salmon at the peak of their spawning season, learn about native plants and animals, discover the history of the watershed, and anything encountered along the way.

Tours are offered at Samuel P. Taylor State Park at 8889 Sir Francis Drake Blvd, Lagunitas. Dates for this season are:

December 11, 2021
December 12, 2021
December 18, 2021
December 19, 2021
January 9, 2022
January 15, 2022
January 16, 2022
January 22, 2022
January 23, 2022
January 29, 2022
January 30, 2022

Tours will meet at Samuel P. Taylor State Park near the entrance kiosk, near the bathrooms in the picnic area.

After an introduction, we’ll take the group to one of many sites throughout the State Park and the larger watershed. These different legs of the tour are a combination of short walks or drives to the most ideal viewing sites. While we will be standing in search of salmon for most of the tour, the combined distance walking at different sites is no more than 1-2 miles. Please check with your leader when you arrive if you have any detailed questions about the sites we are visiting for that day. The walks occur rain or shine, as rainy days can often be some of the best viewing opportunities. Please dress in warm layers, as it can be cold in the redwoods. We also recommend bringing waterproof jackets or an umbrella, hiking boots, and snacks.

A $15 donation per person is suggested on our public tours. Children five years of age and under are free. Registration for the tours and dates will be done through Eventbrite.

Private tours are also available, please email (Ayano Hayes, at ahayes@tirn.net) to discuss your group’s needs. A $200 donation for private tours is typically requested or an exchange for a group volunteer project.

More information can be found on our website, https://seaturtles.org/creekwalk/.

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Where to See Salmon Spawn in Marin County, California

TIRNADMIN — Tue, 24 Nov 2020 22:31:09 +0000

Despite being listed as critically endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, coho salmon and steelhead trout are still found in Marin County, California. The largest run of coho salmon in the Central California Coast are found in Lagunitas Creek. Salmon and steelhead spawn (build nests) in Lagunitas Creek, San Geronimo Creek, Olema Creek, and several other tributaries.

Coho salmon are an anadromous species, meaning they migrate from the ocean to their freshwater natal streams to spawn, or build nests (called redds). Salmon spend two to seven years in the ocean before returning to the freshwater streams and rivers where they first emerged as fry to build redds in an area of coarse gravel. As a female discharges her eggs into the redd, a male fertilizes them. All coho die after spawning—the dead and dying fish are a valuable source of nutrients for plants, insects, birds and mammals, and are a vital component to the structure of this fascinating ecosystem.

When to See Spawning Salmon and Steelhead

Coho are typically sighted from November to February, with spawning normally peaking in December and January in the Lagunitas Creek Watershed. Steelhead trout spawn later, usually between January through March.

Coho salmon and steelhead enter the freshwater streams through Tomales Bay after the first heavy rains of autumn allow enough water to pass over riffles and waterfalls. They also spawn in Redwood Creek (Muir Woods), entering directly from the Pacific Ocean.

Where to See Spawning Salmon and Steelhead

1) Leo T Cronin Salmon Viewing Area Marin Municipal Water District

Fish can be seen spawning in the creek directly below the parking lot and at several locations upstream as you walk along the fire road (about .5 miles in length) towards Peter’s Dam (Kent Lake). The dam spillway is the end of the road, blocking further migration for coho and steelhead. Shafter Bridge (on Sir Francis Drake Blvd., which crosses over Lagunitas Creek) is at the confluence of Lagunitas Creek and San Geronimo Creek. Fish can also be observed from Shafter Bridge jumping at the Inkwells, a series of natural small waterfalls in San Geronimo Creek. Please use caution when crossing this busy road!

Directions: Head west on Sir Francis Drake Blvd. (approximately 8 miles west of Fairfax). After passing through the town of Lagunitas, the second light-green colored metal bridge is Shafter Bridge. The parking lot of the Salmon Viewing Area is open to the public. If heading west, it is a left-hand turn into the parking lot immediately after the bridge. Please make sure that you park in legally-designated areas. There is no parking fee but parking is limited to one hour.

2) Samuel P. Taylor State Park Campground

Spawning fish can be observed by walking along the creek in the picnic ground and campground. One spawning site often used by fish is directly behind the headquarters building at the entrance. Other popular areas are at the vehicle bridge over the creek behind the bathrooms. The south creek and north creek trails are single-path dirt trails that offer good viewing. Pick up a park brochure from the kiosk to help orient you to the park.

Directions: Head west on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard (approximately 9 miles west of Fairfax) and the main entrance/campground is on the left (south). There is an entrance fee for driving into the Park.

3) Roy’s Riffles (formerly Roy’s Dam)

This site is an excellent place to see migrating coho salmon and steelhead trout after several long, steady rains. Since this is a recent restoration site (SPAWN completed the project in summer 2020 to remove a dam and major fish passage barrier so fish can swim through the new habitat structures) and the ground is healing from the construction, the area is wrapped in a chain link fence. However, fish can be seen from the bridge over the creek on San Geronimo Valley Drive.

Directions: Head west on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard (approximately 5 miles west of Fairfax). Turn left (south) at Nicasio Valley Road (first turn after entrance to SG Valley Golf Course entrance) and proceed one block to the end of the road. Turn left (east) onto San Geronimo Valley Drive and park along the road. The pools lie just beyond the chain link fence and can be viewed from the bridge. Please be careful and vigilant of automobile traffic!

4) Redwood Creek (Muir Woods National Monument)

Spawning coho can be seen here each year.

Directions: Muir Woods is located off of Highway 1, eight miles west of Highway 101 on Muir Woods Road.

How to Identify Salmon and Steelhead

Spawning coho salmon are seen much more commonly than spawning steelhead because they stay and guard their nesting sites until they die, sometimes for a week or longer. Steelhead spawn quickly and leave (some return to the ocean and come back to spawn in subsequent years).

Adult coho in the Lagunitas Creek Watershed are approximately 24 inches long. They enter Tomales and begin the incredible metamorphosis of changing color and shape as they prepare to journey upstream. Males turn bright red and grow a hooked jaw, called a kype. Females are dark red without the hooked jaw. The female’s tail (caudal fin) often looks white, as scales are scraped off during nest digging and fungus begins to grow as their bodies decompose. The dorsal fin along the backbone ridge of males also turns white. Jacks are small males (usually less than half the size of adults) that are sexually mature. Jacks are dark red or brown and return after only six months at sea (compared to nearly 18 months at sea for other adults).

Steelhead trout look similar to coho in that they, too, are large adult fish. Their color is lighter, often pink and olive with a bright pink lateral line along the side of their bodies. Steelhead spawn in late winter and only overlap with the last of the season’s spawning coho. Historically, 5,000 to 10,000 coho and steelhead returned to spawn in the Lagunitas Creek Watershed annually. Today, only an average of 500 return to spawn. Please be respectful while searching for spawning activity and do not further jeopardize their existence or the viewing pleasure of others.

Salmon Viewing Tips

Coho salmon and steelhead trout are classified as endangered species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. It is illegal to capture, harm, harass or disturb these species. We encourage you to enjoy viewing the spawning fish without jeopardizing their existence. Be calm and quiet on the banks of the creek, do not approach the creek or attempt to get in the water.

Stay out of the water and on the trails. Stepping on a salmon nest (called a redd) can destroy the thousands of eggs that are buried in gravel beds located in the stream.

Please don’t disturb fish! Binoculars are a great way to get a closer look without disturbing them. Don’t approach so close that you cause them to head for cover. Don’t throw objects in the water.

Keep sediment out of the stream. Don’t do anything that will cause silt to get into the streams. Silt clogs spaces between gravel nests and robs the eggs of needed oxygen. By staying on trails and not blazing your own path, you prevent erosion and siltation.

Don’t pick or break any native plants. Plants provide cover and shade for fish and are a food source for insects that fish eat.

Keep children under parental view to ensure that their actions don’t harass or harm fish, this includes throwing rocks into the stream, which is always tempting for young children.

Keep dogs and horses out of the stream. Please leave pets at home.

About SPAWN

The Salmon Protection And Watershed Network (SPAWN) is a program of the global ocean conservation nonprofit Turtle Island Restoration Network. SPAWN protects endangered, wild coho salmon and the forests and watersheds they need to survive in Marin County, California. Our work is supported by thousands of individuals who join our network and make tax-deductible contributions. Please join us!

The Inspiring Lifecycle of Coho Salmon

TIRNADMIN — Thu, 31 Oct 2019 23:32:58 +0000

Coho salmon are an anadromous species, meaning they migrate from the ocean to their freshwater natal streams to spawn, or build nests (called redds). The anadromous life history of salmon plays a key role in bringing nutrients from the ocean back to rivers and the watershed wildlife community.

Stage 1: Eggs. Each batch contains 300 to 1,200 eggs. Eggs will usually hatch in early spring, and will take 50 to 70 days to hatch depending on water temperature.

Stage 2: Alevin. Embryos remain and develop in the gravel, consuming an attached yolk sac for the 35 to 45 days it will need to work its way out of the gravel bed.

Stage 3: Fry. Each tiny fish, called fry, emerge to live in shallow stream margins and once old enough, defend their territory. They live in ponds, pools in rivers and streams in quiet and calm areas. There they hunt insects.

Stage 4: Smolts. After surviving in the stream habitat for nearly 16 months, juvenile Coho begin a transformation to a life-stage know as smoltification, which enables them to move from freshwater to saltwater. The transitioning smolts begin downstream migration in March, peaking in May. They usually move downstream in schools of 10 to 50 fish. Upon reaching the saltier water, they undergo a physiological adaptation to the new environment.

Stage 5: Adults. Upon entering the ocean, juvenile Coho grow rapidly. The 5- to 6-inch smolts are known to grow over one millimeter per day in their first year as they feed on squid, crustaceans and small fishes. Coho adults typically remain in the ocean for about 16-18 months before returning to their natal streams. They weigh 6 to 9 pounds and usually span up to 24 inches in length. Their return to the spawning grounds is the completion of their life cycle.

Stage 6: Spawners. Salmon spend two to seven years in the ocean before returning to the freshwater streams and rivers where they first emerged as fry to build nests (called redds) in an area of coarse gravel. As a female discharges her eggs into the redd, a male fertilizes them. All Coho die after spawning—the dead and dying fish are a valuable source of nutrients for plants, insects, birds and mammals, and are a vital component to the structure of this fascinating ecosystem.

The Salmon Protection And Watershed Network has been dedicated to protecting California’s most important run of endangered coho salmon in West Marin County since 1990. Click here to support our work by making a tax-deductible donation today.

Watch Spawning Coho Salmon

TIRNADMIN — Tue, 02 Feb 2016 00:37:59 +0000

Watch stunning underwater video footage of coho salmon in Lagunitas, Calif. These salmon are endangered, and Turtle Island’s Salmon Protection And Watershed Network (SPAWN) program is working to protect these fish and restore their habitat. Learn more at SPAWNusa.org.