A hidden gem perfect for your next hike 👇
Have you ever been to the top of Mt. Tamalpais (Mt. Tam) in Mill Valley, CA?
The summit, which sits at a towering 2571 ft, used to be the destination for the world’s crookedest railroad.
Built in 1896, the track had 281 curves in just over 8 miles!
You can still see the old gravity train cars on the weekends and now the summit is host to one of the last active fire lookout towers and a magical hiking trail that’s friendly for both people and dogs of all ages - here are the details:
🥾 Trail: Verna Dunshee Trail & Plank walk trail
📏 Distance: 0.8 miles for the Verna Dunshee trail loop, ~ 0.5 miles up and back to to the plane walk trail (fire lookout tower)
🅿️ Parking: $8 for this California state park.
⛰️ Features: If able, I doing the Plank trail first (harder up hill). It’s rocky and not accessible, so proceed with caution.
Check out the heart shaped rock near the top!
Then do the Verna Dunshee trail.
Gog north/east first (away from San Francisco, towards the gravity car house), where you can pause at benches and take in the views of SF in a breathtaking manner.
The drive up here is windy - just like the train tracks that used to be here - so make sure you plan enough time to get here, leave no trace, and watch out for bikers.
****
I’m here to inspire people to spend more time outside by sharing the best California & beyond places to explore - follow for more!
