Hiking Trails

Marin offers some of the best trails and vistas to hike.  To make the bounty of the beauty of Marin accessible to you, we offer fanny packs to borrow during your visit that include a water bottle, the Map Adventures waterproof trail map, first aid kit and this trail guide to help you venture throughout the Marin Headlands or Mt. Tam.  The Marin Interactive Association offers free guided tours of Mt. Tam. Schedules are included in the pack.  Below are a six selected hikes from easy to moderate places to hike today! Complete hiking descriptions and directions on how to get to the trailhead are provided on Map Adventures’ maps.

Owl Trail    
Difficulty: Easy
Distance: 2.5 miles out & back
Elevation: Gain 500’
From the Muir Beach Overlook, walk the Owl Trail north through open fields to Slide Ranch. The trail is spectacular, hanging hundreds of feet above the rocky coastline. Slide Ranch is an environmental education center that offers children’s programs and facilities for group camping. From the ranch, short trails lead to North and South Beaches, great spots for tidepooling amongst the rocks.

 

Muir Woods National Monument
Difficulty: Moderate
Distance: 6.6 mile loop
Elevation: Gain 1200’
Muir Woods is known for its dramatic stands of redwood trees. Many people just explore the visitor center and only venture along the boardwalks that go a short distance into the forests. For a longer loop, walk the Main Trail along Redwood Creek. About a mile beyond the entrance gate, the crowds thin out, and the Main Trail becomes Bootjack Trail.

Cataract Creek
Difficulty: Moderate
Distance: 5 miles out & back
Elevation: Gain 1300’
Spring-fed Cataract Creek rises from the mountain meadows around Rock Spring. The Cataract Trail follows the creek, as it descends into Alpine Lake. The first half of the trail to Laurel Dell is a relatively easy ramble. Around Laurel Dell, the trail descends rapidly toward Alpine Lake. The creek flows off the tablelands, growing stronger as it tumbles over giant boulders and rocks in a procession of waterfalls and cascades. The waterfalls are at their best after the winter rains. On hot summer days, the creek canyon is a cool and fragrant retreat with its many ferns, green mosses, and wildflowers.

Point Bonita Lighthouse 
Difficulty: Easy
Distance: 1 mile out & back
Elevation: Gain 110’
Built in 1855, Point Bonita was the third lighthouse built in San Francisco. A short hike, with occasional steep sections crossing bluffs and cliffs, leads you to the lighthouse. The lighthouse is open to the public on Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays from 12:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.  You can also drive to the lighthouse parking lot.

Wolf Ridge and Tennessee Valley 
Difficulty: Moderate
Distance: 6.3 mile loop
Elevation: Gain 1340'
From the Tennessee Valley trailhead, hike up the fire road, known as the Marincello Trail, to the north of the Miwok Livery Stables. At the ridge crest, head south on the Miwok Trail, Old Springs Trail, and Wolf Ridge Trail to the short spur going up Hill 88. Take the time to climb Hill 88. You’ll find the sweeping views rewarding.

Tennessee Valley and Beach
Difficulty: Easy
Distance: 3.8 miles out & back
Elevation: Gain 200’
Tennessee Valley is a green vale tucked between Coyote Ridge to the north and Wolf Ridge to the south. From the trailhead gate, walk or bicycle south along the old paved Tennessee Valley Road that follows the course of a wooded creek. The small sandy beach is tucked between towering bluffs and is a perfect place to have a picnic and watch the birds.