Mt Tamalpais
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Trails in the Mt Tam region
Muir Woods to Stinson Beach to Mt Tam
This route (that i first experimented in january 2007) combines the Matt Davis, the Steep Ravine and the Dipsea trails, three of the most popular trails of Marin County, with the 360-degree view from the summit of Mt Tam and a stroll through the giant sequoias of Muir Woods. This allows for an unusual diversity of landscape, vegetation and views. Trailhead: Mountain Home Inn on the Panoramic Highway. From 101 north of the Golden Gate Bridge take the Hwy 1 exit and follow the signs to Mt Tamalpais till you see the Mountain Home Inn on your right handside. The parking lot is on the left. Route. The beginning is downhill along the Panoramic trail, right into the Ocean View trail, on to the headquarters of Muir Woods. In the parking lot of the park (right handside), take the Dipsea trail up to the Pantoll parking lot. This is mostly uphill. Cross the paved road and take the Steep Ravine trail down towards the coast (this goes through the ladder) and then turn right into the Dipsea trail towards Stinson Beach. Once in Stinson Beach, the trail crosses the paved road. You can follow it to downtown or keep walking on the paved road to the beach. Eventually look for Belvedere Ave (the fire station). Walk up Belvedere Ave and the parking lot for the Matt Davis trailhead is right there on the right. Follow the Matt Davis trail from Stinson Beach up to Pantoll (past the junction with the Coastal trail). Initially it winds its way up into the forest, and it is quite steep. Then it emerges into grassland with terrific views of the ocean and of San Francisco, and it proceeds relatively flat to the Pantoll parking lot. When you reach the Pantoll parking lot, cross the street and take the Stage Road (which is paved at the beginning) right after the new trailhead for the Matt Davis trail. This is a gradual ascent with more views of the ocean and the Bay. At the West Point Inn, turn sharply left (uphil) into the Old Railroad Grade. This ends at the bottom of the parking lot for the East Peak summit. When you reach the East Peak parking lot, you still have to climb about 10 minutes with all the tourists to reach the very summit of Mt Tamalpais. After enjoying the 360-degree view (fog permitting), descend back to that parking lot and look for the Fern Creek trailhead on your left handside (southern side of the parking lot). Descend on the very steep Fern Creek trail, left (east) on Old Railroad Grade and after 500m right (south) on Hogback (extremely steep and slippery). At the fire station a sign sends hikers left into a narrow trail but if you just continue straight through the fire station you reach the Mountain Home Inn parking lot in five minutes. Milestones and distances (does not include breaks):
Three-lake hike to Mt TamalpaisReturning can be done faster via a straight trail that goes down directly to Lake Lagunitas. Walk back down from the parking lot to the gate of Lakeview Trail. Walk down Lakeview Trail to a sharp left curve. It is not marked, but on your right-hand side there is a narrow trail that goes down almost vertical. That is the Lagunitas trail. It is very steep. Do not make any turns. If you make any turns (or if the trail is no longer steep), you lost the Lagunitas trail. The correct trail goes down along almost a straight line all the way to the bottom. From the gate it takes about one hour to reach Lake Lagunitas. (If you are looking for this trail from the bottom, look for the sign "DOMESTIC WATER SUPPLY": the trailhead is opposite that sign, but, again, it is not marked). To reach the parking lot, you have to walk around the lake, which is best done counterclockwise. The total time is about 6.5 hours: 5 hours to reach the top, and 1.5 hours from the top to the parking lot. Another fast way to get down (or up) is to take the Collier trail, possibly my favorite trail on Mt Tamalpais. From the top, walk down the parking lot on the paved road to the second gate on your right handside. This is the Lakeview trail that coasts the paved road. Continue on this trail (or, better, fire road) until a sharp left switchback (that would take you to the mid peak). On the right handside of this switchback is a much narrower trail that takes you to the paved road. Walk 20 meters on the paved road to the trailhead for the International trail (don't ask me why you have to walk 20 meters on the paved road...). Take that one downhill, but after a short distance turn sharply right into the Collier trail. This trail coasts the creek all the way down to Lagunitas Lake. It intersects the Northside trail at a picnic area. Just continue straight downhill on the left handside of the creek (eventually it will cross to the right handside of it). Directions: On the northern side of Golden Gate Bridge, take the Francis Drake exit (San Anselmo exit) and go west (as if you are going to Pt Reyes). Be careful at the main intersection in San Anselmo, which is kind of messy: try to go straight (although straight means "slightly left"), i.e. remain on the main road. When in Fairfax (about 3kms later), turn left (enter the town, right after the wooden FAIRFAX sign) and immediately right into Broadway (you should be in front of the Fairfax Theater). Turn left onto Bolinas Road (or just ask anyone about going to Lagunitas Lake, or just follows the signs "Lake Lagunitas"). Meet at the main Lagunitas Lake parking lot. Dipsea TrailTrailead: Old Mill Park in Mill Valley, CA. Directions: cross the Golden Gate bridge and continue north on 101. Take the Hwy 1 exit and go west. At the fork, bear right (Miller Ave). Turn left on Throckmorton to Old Mill Park. The trail begins at the base of the stairs (671 steps) in Mill Valley. At the top of the stairs, turn on Sequoia Rd and walk up Walsh Dr. Cross the Panoramic Highway which heads to to the lower parking lot of Muir Woods park. Or you can begin the hike from Muir Woods. To make it more interesting, one can also climb Mt Tam. Highly recommended. On weekend days, there should be bus service (Golden Gate Transit Agency) which takes you back to about 1 km from the original starting point. Mt Tam from the Temelpa trailCross the Golden Gate bridge and continue north on 101. Take the Hwy 1 exit and go west. At the fork, bear right (Miller Ave). Turn left on Throckmorton to Old Mill Park, right on Olive, left on Lovell and right on Summit. Drive to the end of Summit Ave, turn into Fern Canyon Road (Map) and meet at the trailhead of the Temelpa Trail (Picture of the trailhead). From there it is a short (1 km) ascent to Mt Tamalpais, which offers one of the greatest views in California. |
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