Verissimo Hills is a 115-acre preserve in western Novato that gives you several ways to explore depending on how much time you have and what kind of terrain you want. The main draw is the Verissimo Hills Trail itself, which runs along a ridge between two developed valleys and climbs to the top of the easternmost hill. It’s a solid workout with good views, and the mix of grassland and oak-bay woodlands keeps things visually interesting as you go up.

Dogs on leash are always welcome on the trails here. If your dog has solid voice control, you can let them off-leash on the fire protection roads, which gives you more flexibility if you’re out for a longer hike. Just pay attention to the posted rules since they do enforce the voice control requirement.

The trailhead is straightforward to find—from Highway 101 in Novato, take the Atherton Avenue/San Marin Drive exit and head west on San Marin Avenue. The road becomes Sutro Avenue after you pass Novato Boulevard, and you’ll turn right onto Oak Valley Drive and follow it to the trailhead at the end.

What makes this place worth a trip is how it connects to other preserves. The Stafford Lake Trail, which is part of the Bay Area Ridge Trail, runs along the west boundary and links to Little Mountain Preserve just north and Indian Tree Preserve across Vineyard Road to the south. So if you want a longer loop or prefer easier terrain, you have options without having to drive somewhere else. The ridgeline location means you’re away from the neighborhoods but not so far that you’re in real wilderness, which is a nice sweet spot if you want an uncrowded hike without too much drive time from the freeway.