Best Trail Running Trails in Mount Tamalpais State Park

There is a lot of things to see right here. We enjoyed hiking and we're gonna go back here sometime. The trail has a lot of things to enjoy. The vegetation changes as you go further.

A really great trek to go to. It's quite a workout going uphill and a comfortable walk downhill. 7.2 miles in total. Things to remember - loads of poison oak along they way so make sure to cover yourselves completely. - The environment changes suddenly from woods to meadows to ravines so dress in layers. - We did not encounter any wildlife along this trek - Parking is available at Stinson beach. It's a good place to start and end the trek. You can use the restrooms and/or buy some food from the snack bar (they have amazing sandwiches, a perfect lunch at the summit)

Nice varied trail with good views but be prepared. Wore tennis shoes since we weren’t planning on hiking and was bleeding near the end. Very steep incline with lots of stairs, significant leg workout. But worth it. Good wildlife spotting — we saw a snake, some birds, a friendly vole, tons of lizards. Make sure to layer — even on a chilly day it gets very hot when you make it out of the fog and into the open fields.

Great hike! For me, the hike up was pretty hard. Constant climb and steeper. Awesome workout though!! We came down Matt Davis, it was so long, pretty much downhill the entire 4 miles, super easy. Beautiful views! Plan to go up Matt Davis next time.

Amazing trail!

Pure excellence. Beautiful and varied terrain. Amazing ocean views, waterfalls, bridges, fern lands, everything you could want. Easily one of my top favorite hikes in the Bay Area.

Wonderful hike in Mill Valley. We went up Matt Davis trail first and thought that was the prefect route to take. Beautiful views throughout!

Such an amazing trail. I am very picky with trails and usually get bored quite easily, but I definitely recommend this one. Every mile is unique and beautiful.

I really enjoy this hike and have done it twice, once starting going up Steep Ravine and today starting with going up Matt Davis Trail. I prefer going up Steep Ravine first for two reasons- that part of the trail has a wood ladder, and going up a ladder is vastly preferable. Matt Davis has more stairs, and I’d rather go down stairs than up :)

There aren’t a ton of signs but there are very few forks. The hike is well shaded except for one exposed section in the middle with gorgeous sea views and one at the beginning of Steep Ravine.

A moderately challenging hike with a few nice views and some good spots to sit and relax. There is quite a lot of poison oak, so something to be aware of!

Beautiful hike, a good variety of wildlife: saw deer, butterflies, banana slugs, and many types of birds. Beautiful variety of terrain, especially liked the lower creek part of the trail and ladder which adds some fun to the hike. Make sure to bring layers and temperatures can change from warm to cold quickly. The town at Stinson beach is great for a post hike celebratory drink.

Top 5 Bay Area Hike - I start with Matt Davis since it has more switchbacks. Not easy to get to if you start at Stinson Beach- As Laura says below some Oak but not too bad but enough to wear long sleeve shirts and pants. First 2.5 miles will push you but after that not too bad. First 4 or so miles pretty quite then gets busy

Began at Pantoll Station and descended through the redwoods and ferns following the stream until the scenery opened up to coastal brush before arriving in town. From the fire station headed up the Matt Davis trail which was steep and consisted of well maintained switchbacks. The trail levels out at the top and opened up to rolling hills with no coverage and completed the loop back to Pantoll Station. This is the harder option, as the uphill on Matt Davis trail is greater over a shorter distance than ascending up Dipsea trail. Moderate through most of the hike. Get their early to avoid the crowds. Parking at Pantoll is limited and cost $8. Pay to support the trails and people who keep it going. Don't be cheap and park on the road.

My favorite hike in the Bay Area. I liked that almost the entire Matt Davis trail was protected from the sun. The railroad grade trail was about 50% shade. The views are incredible and the elevation is gradual enough to not be too difficult for the amount you are climbing. I went down the Fern Trail on the way back as a shortcut it's steep enough to consider trekking poles and would be a really hard trail to go up.

Lots of signs to keep your dog leashed. We had a coyote come right up to us although it was much smaller than my dog so I wasnt too worried. Dog didn't have any ticks after this hike which hasn't been the case with other North Bay hikes.

Wonderful! There was poison oak but not too much. The trail is a touch overgrown in places. Great wildlife - pleased to see a number of bee nests up high, tons of birds, and a few small snakes along the path. This is obvious, but we saw a few folks struggling - make sure to bring water and wear proper footwear. This is not something to do in flip flops, après swim.

a favorite of mine. Can't wait to go again.

POISON OAK! POISON OAK! POISON OAK! Going up the Matt Davis from Stinson Beach is very stressful if you're uncomfortable with poison oak. The rest of the loop is fine, but avoiding poison oak on the first leg is quite challenging. It is beautiful for sure. We usually stay away from Matt Davis and do the Ravine/Dipsea loop which is lovely and not stressful in that regard.

Beautiful trail love it, 3mile incline be prepared,4 miles decline my legs were like jello after that, Good trail bein my first 7mile hike, quit a lot of stairs, good pace You should be good. Very proud of myself for doing that!.

HAPPY TRAILS EVERYBODY!!!

Great views, beautiful stream, and good distance. A few too many people though

This hike is perfect. We started at pantoll campground. And took matt Davis down to Stinson. Had lunch at siren canteen. And hiked up through steep ravine. Steep ravine had some nices to sit. And take in the nature. And the following water.

It was beautiful. I found the trail to be moderate plus with a few challenges. I took Dipsea to Steep and came back down Matt Davis. I like my uphill first. But that down hill was hard... a lot of steps. If you struggle with down hill I think poles or walking sticks would be perfect.

There are a lot of stairs on the uphill and the down hill. Beautiful 100% of the way..... Weather was 57-58 degrees while I was there with moving fog that was thick and made it seem like it was raining.

My head and mind was full of wonder.... I could have spent all day wandering in this little loop.

The ferns, redwoods, moss and Ivy kept me happy. It was enchanting hiking the fauna laden switchbacks. The fallen trees, and forest crackling sounds were amazing. You can hear the ocean in the back ground on the front and backsides of the loop and there are mini waterfalls, creeks and dripping foggy dripping sounds as well.

My fitbit logged 153 flights of stairs. If that helps anyone to gauge this climb. There are a lot of rocky path and a lot of thick roots.

You don’t have to travel all the way into see all beautiful things... you can climb into beauty the first mile or so and go back. But I assure mile after mile there are more rewards.

Great trail heads... easy to follow trail. There are lots of little surprises everywhere if you take time to notice.

The ladder isn’t hard... but it was challenging for me this day.
Trails app logged me in at 8 miles from Stinson Beach Parking and 2000 feet elevation gain.

The parking was free at Stinson. There are bathrooms at Stinson.... and then if you take Dipsea to Steep Ravine and end up at the ranger station there are bathrooms, warm air hand driers and seating to eat or rest.

A nice descent into Muir Woods, with some truly beautiful groves that you will have all to yourself (certainly in contrast to the trails along Redwood Creek in Muir Woods). The ascent is steep and not that interesting until the views return on the Sun/Redwood Trails. And if it is open to guests, the Tourist Club is a great spot for a beer and to relax.

This hike was a lot easier than I thought it would be based on other reviews, on the easy end of a moderate ranking, but I am a fit hiker. That said, this was one of the most enjoyable hikes I have ever been on. I took my mom for Mother's day and it was PERFECT for her. She loved how it had a little bit of everything in terms of habitat. There were people on the trail but not to the point where it felt overcrowded. We parked at the Stintson Beach parking lot and clocked about 8.1 miles from there and back. We went in the clockwise direction, starting with Matt Davis, as that is what people suggested since it is steeper than the Dipsea, but to be honest I think it would have been fine either way.

This trail had to be one of my favorite hiking experiences. I reserved my parking position ahead of time, and got there a little early (but they still let me in). I accidentally paid $10 to go visit the monument when I was only going there to hike the dipsea. Gladly they gave me a refund. Our hike towards Stinson Beach was pretty easy, but beware for the runners. If you come in the morning, there will be plenty of them so be ready to step to the side to let them pass. When I finally reached the beach, I stayed there for about 2 hours to rest, ate some food, and then headed back. The way back was sooooo hard. The stairs literally killed me, and I’m pretty fit. I have never sweated that much in my life. The hike took me about 3 hours and 30 minutes to finish (including time to take pictures). I recommend bringing a water bottle, a jacket (it gets cold), a towel (for the beat), and money to eat. AND MOST OF ALL BRING AN EXTRA PAIR OF CLOSE.

fantastic trail. not that crowded. did it counterclockwise and the last half got the heartrate up a little. perfect place

Wow.. Just wow

One of the best hikes I had in Marin so far.
I did not find it difficult at all. Finished in 3hrs and I had about dozen breaks as the hike goes along streams of water and redwoods and it is just hard not to stop and contemplate the beauty of this trail.

Very easy to follow trail.
Beautiful views!

Nice trail with pretty views of the ocean, forest, and rolling hills all in one. I started at Mountain Home TH and hiked to Stinson Beach and back. There’s quite a bit of stairs built into the trail. About 3,000 feet of elevation gain over 15 miles.

It was hard coming back to steep hills n steps but worth it!! Hiking with family is always fun. You definitely need to train for the steps your gonna take in the steep hills. But you can do it!!

This is a great hike with a nice variety of views and a good work out. I took the Willow camp fire road as another reviewer suggested, I glad I did as it gave some different coastal views but beware it is a bit steep.