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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