Pantoll
Trailhead, Map Choices:
• Use AAA's San Francisco Bay Region map to get there.
• Download the park
map pdf from CSP's website.
• Barry Spitz's Tamalpais Trails (order
this book from Amazon.com), a book with a pullout map of Tam, is
a great guide.
• Olmsted Brothers' map, A Rambler's Guide to the Trails of Mt. Tamalpais
and the Marin Headlands (order
this map from Amazon.com)
is useful.
• Mount Tam Trail Map, published by Tom Harrison Maps (order
from Tom Harrison Maps). Comparable to the Olmsted map.
• Afoot and Afield: San Francisco Bay Area, by David Weintraub (order
this book from Amazon.com) has a great map and descriptions of a southside
hike.
• North Bay Trails, by David Weintraub (order
this book from Amazon.com), has a detailed map and descriptions of some
southside Tam trails.
• Hiking Marin by Don and Kay Martin (order
this book from Amazon.com) has a good map and descriptions of most trails
departing Pantoll.
• The official State Park map is available (for a fee) at the ranger station.
• View photos from this hike
Mount Tamalpais 
sometimes
feels like the bay area's Yosemite National Park. Awe inspiring, beautiful and
all that, but most of all, crowded! I prefer to hike Mount Tam when it's
relatively quiet, so in the summer I stay away from the heart of Tam, and hike
around the edges, selecting trails on the north slope near the lakes, and the
harder-to-get-to neighborhood trailheads in Mill Valley. Most visitors
seem to focus on the trails right off Panoramic, near Pantoll, and around the
summit. When autumn rolls around, I itch for the south slopes of Tam, and
it's a wonderful time of year to hike here. Golden light filters through the
trees onto fallen pine needles, the breeze is soft, and views are often clear.
The only difficulty you may have is choosing a hike;
there are so many loop options it can be mind boggling. My Olmsted Brothers'
map, with the trails I've hiked highlighted, looks like a flower in bloom, with
Pantoll at the center, and loop hikes radiating in every direction. 
If
you don't mind an "upside down hike," (downhill first; return trip uphill) a
loop combining Old Mine Trail, Lone Tree Fire Road, Rocky Point Trail, and Steep
Ravine Trail is a winner. It takes you through grassland, near the ocean, and
along a stream. It's not for the out-of-shape, though, as the hike is about
6 miles long and has several steep sections. You can shorten the loop by
using Dipsea Trail as a connector between Lone Tree Fire Road and Steep Ravine
Trail. Another dramatic loop takes you from Pantoll up to Rock Spring via
Old Mine Trail, then follows a creekbed on Cataract Trail, and brings you back
on Coastal Trail, which features great views of the ocean as you hike across
grassy slopes. The trails around Pantoll can be rocky, so make sure you
have sturdy hiking boots.
Except for the crowds 
(on
the roads to the park and on the trails), Tam is generally pleasant in summer,
cooled by ocean breezes. Spring is a good time to hunt for wildflowers, both
in the woods and grasslands. A winter hike is best if you're a waterfall fanatic;
there are lots of small falls all over the mountain, including the south slope
trails accessed by Pantoll Trailhead.
This featured hike starts at the parking pullout
on Pantoll Road. Matt Davis Trail sets out on the north side of the hill. Walk
up the steps and then to the right. This narrow path, crowded with
coyote brush, crosses the hillside under a few Douglas fir and meets Old Stage
Road at about 250 feet from the trailhead. Turn left. (If you've
parked at the Pantoll lot, carefully cross Panoramic and look for a paved fire
road to the right of Pantoll Road; this is the start of Old Stage Road.)
You may feel you headed the wrong way, for although
a sign proclaims this a trail, it's a wide, paved road here. This fire
road provides access to the West Point Inn, so heads up for cars. 
It
is a bit noisy, as it parallels Panoramic Highway for the first stretch, but
at least Old Stage Road is well-shaded from tanoak, California bay, and coast
live oak trees. At 0.11 mile, Old Mine Trail begins on the left side of the
road at a signed junction. Turn left onto Old Mine Trail.
Old Mine Trail, initially a hiking only path,
begins an easy ascent through tanoak, madrone, and Douglas fir. Squirrels are
common. At 0.23 mile, Old Mine Trail meets Riding and Hiking Trail at a signed
junction. Bear right onto Riding and Hiking Trail.
The equestrian and hiking trail adopts a gentle
uphill pace as it leaves the woods. Look to the south for great views of the
Headlands and San Francisco. With grassland on the left and a row of coast
live oaks on the right, the narrow path shows off a view to Tam's summit. Riding
and Hiking Trail curves to the left, 
bisects
a grassy slope, and then heads back under tree cover. At 0.36 mile, the trail
reaches an unsigned junction. Bear left, and at 0.38 mile, you'll reach a signed
junction with Easy Grade Trail. Bear left on Easy Grade.
Hiking only Easy Grade becomes more rocky; large
boulders creep up the crest of a hill on the left side of the trail. The slopes
on both sides of Easy Grade Trail are choked with downed tree branches
and dead vegetation, and tall Douglas fir and tanoaks block the sun, permitting
no undergrowth. The grade, as promised, is reasonable as the trail climbs. At
0.80 mile, Easy Grade Trail ends near the Mountain Theater, just steps beyond
a signed junction with Bootjack Trail.
This next section can be tricky. Walk
to the right towards the Theater, and then straight across the "stage"
area, aiming for
the walkway at edge of the seats. Walk halfway up the stairs and
then turn right onto a spur trail near the 2 water fountains. After a
few feet, at a signed junction at 0.85 mile, head to the right on the Rock Spring
Trail.
The hiking only trail immediately steps out from
tree cover and reaches a clearing surrounded by chamise, toyon, and buckbrush.
The trail widens and it's tough to follow. Stay to the left, then skirt
the large boulder to the right. Soon the trail wanders back into the woods,
and a sign marks your entrance into Marin Municipal Water District land. Rock
Spring Trail has some ups and downs, but is mostly level, and narrow, as it
passes under California bay, Douglas fir, tanoak, and a variety of evergreen
oaks. The trail emerges into chaparral from time to time, where you can admire
the views. Several small bridges ford seasonal streams where you might see elk
clover in summer. 
When
the trail cuts through sunny chaparral, lovely chamise, manzanita, and toyon
bushes emit a wonderful spicy aroma. Serpentine, a striking green-blue
rock, is common along this side of Tam, and the trail crosses through an open
slope of it before rejoining the chaparral. One day on an autumn hike I witnessed
a dog fight between two vultures in the skies over the trail; they swooped
and soared in a remarkable recreation of a Blue Angels' practice I'd seen the
day before in the skies above San Francisco. As the trail progresses east, chaparral
begins to dominate, with fewer Douglas fir and more interior live oak at the
creek crossings. Rock Spring Trail clings to a slim contour on some stretches,
where a drop off to the right and short shrubby manzanita and chamise offer
no resistance to long views past San Francisco all the way to Montara Mountain.
At the 1.90 mile mark, a signpost records the mileage to West Point Inn. You
may notice, 
on
further inspection of the post, that the front face has been covered over with
a board. Look past the post through the manzanita to get a peek of the
(no-longer maintained) Alice Eastwood Trail, which cuts straight up the hill
to Ridgecrest Boulevard. Only about 0.5 mile long, it makes up in drama for
what it lacks in length. It is a narrow channel, seemingly chiseled from
the rock, steep and rutted, and thickly lined with manzanita. I hiked down
the trail once, and may never do it again (escpecially now that it is returning
to the wild), but it was definitely unforgettable. Back on the Rock Spring Trail,
continue through the chaparral, enjoying sweeping views south and east that
include the towers of the Golden Gate Bridge and Mount Diablo. The trail
ends at West Point Inn at 2.20 miles. Turn left if you want to use the restrooms,
otherwise, turn right.
Walk downhill to 
the
right, circumventing the Inn, to a flat spot with shaded picnic tables, a great
location for a break with unobstructed views. To the left you can see Old Railroad
Grade and the fire lookout on Tam's summit. After climbing from Mill Valley,
Old Railroad Grade makes a long turn around the Inn and then continues uphill
to Ridgecrest Boulevard, ending between the middle and east peaks (continuing
uphill on Old Railroad Grade is an option to extend this hike). Nora Trail
heads downhill from the picnic area to connect with the Matt Davis Trail
(an option for returning to Pantoll: take Nora to the junction with Matt
Davis, turn right to return to Pantoll). Look for the signed start of the broad
Old Stage Road (it's dirt here) to the west (right as you're standing facing
south). Head out on the mostly unshaded Old Stage Road.
You will notice more blue-green serpentine on
the surrounding hillsides in spots, as the fire road crosses over swales previously
bisected on Rock Spring Trail. Multi-use Old Stage Road affords views to the
south, and also to the forested slopes to the west. Trailside vegetation
is much the same as on Rock Spring Trail, with Douglas fir and California bay
lingering near creek crossings, and coyote brush, monkeyflower, 
California
coffeeberry, ceanothus, manzanita, chamise, goldenfleece, and toyon occupying
the sunnier regions. A few cypress and pine line the fire road on one stretch.
At 3.81 miles you'll reach a signed junction with the Bootjack Trail. Continue
straight.
The trail becomes pavement, marking the transition
from Water District lands back into the State Park. The paved road to the
left is an access road, so stay straight on Old Stage Road, past a little
building on the left side of the trail, and a junction with Riding and Hiking
Trail to the right. Fully under tanoak, coast live oak, and Douglas fir
canopy again, Old Stage Road meets a spur to Easy Grade Spur Trail on the right
at 4.00 miles. Continue straight. Traffic noises get louder as you draw
near the end of the Old Stage Road. At 4.19 miles, Easy Grade Trail sets
out on the right. Continue straight. A few steps further, at 4.22 miles,
you'll reach a previously encountered junction with Old Mine Trail. Continue
straight. Then finally, at 4.26 miles, look for Matt Davis Trail on the
right before Old Stage Road meets Panoramic Highway. Turn right on Matt Davis,
or if you parked in the parking lot, carefully cross Panoramic to the lot. Retrace
your steps back to the trailhead.
Total distance: 4.31 miles
Last hiked: Tuesday, August
21, 2001
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