The hilly property, just below Oak Springs Drive and adjacent to Fairfax, is contiguous with the 22-acre Hawthorne Canyon Open Space Preserve, owned by the Town of San Anselmo. This town preserve was protected in 1999 when neighbors and town residents contributed funds toward its purchase. The Town owns two other adjacent open-space parcels to the east of the Upper Hawthorne Canyon property; with the preservation of Upper Hawthorne Canyon, 45 contiguous acres would be forever protected.

Two dirt roads descend the Upper Hawthorne Canyon property’s grassland, connecting Oak Springs Drive with the lower preserve. Many people use these paths and assume the property is public open space. Oak woodland covers the land’s lower slopes and ravine. The outstanding view from the property encompasses the scenic hills of San Anselmo and Fairfax with Mount Tamalpais beyond, and San Francisco in the distance.