Mount Tamalpais West Point Via Nora Trail and Railroad Grade is a 4.7 mile moderately trafficked loop trail located near Mill Valley, California that features a waterfall and is rated as moderate. The trail is primarily used for hiking, running, and nature trips and is accessible year-round. Dogs are also able to use this trail.
Beautiful moderate trail with lots of variety. There’s a mix of sun and shade—but on a sunny day, take caution as the heat means business and bring water or a hat. Visitors report that biking is not allowed on the south side of the trail.
This cut through cuts off about 150 feet of elevation and one mile from the planned trail.go counterclockwise for better views on the way down
No parking! The Mountain Home Inn parking lot is relatively small and was completely full (after we had driven 45 minutes to get here!). There is parking alongside of the highway up the road but we didn't see any spots. We continued up to the Rock Springs Trailhead, which has a much larger lot.
Take Nora trail shortly after hike up the fire road, much more scenic and won’t bump into many mtn bikers
Great views - love others’ suggestions to go left at the water tower to Matt Davis ...nice trail break from fire road. Incredible views on our clear day. Great for leashed pup accompaniment too!
Definitely go clockwise (left at the water tower via Matt Davis) and go up and back. The other way is the fire road the entire way.
Beautiful trail with so many things to see (and lots of microclimates). We went at 8 in the morning and finished by 10:30, saw a few people and bikers but really quiet in the morning. We did the trail clockwise (took a left after the water tank). Plus nice water/snack break at West Point inn, where I think there would be really pretty views but we saw a lot of fog. Definitely a moderate trail - steady elevation, tight trail path in the middle, but the end is a little rough... it’s a dirt road so recommend wearing hiking shoes or tennis shoes with thicker soles (not running sneakers like we did).
Awesome loop trail. Trail up is covered but trail down switch back and forth from trail to fire road. There are some very technical scrambling on rocks on the way down. Overall beautiful hike through the redwood forest.
Amazing views, steep beginning, great through trees, nice loop, great drive
Medium trafficked loop we took CW. Matt Davis trail is absolutely gorgeous to the mount view Inn/overlook which has a perfect spot to picnic. The creek was a great addition.
One of my favorite hikes! Starting at the fire station, I do this trail clockwise. It’s the perfect mix of shade and no shade, great view for lunch at the West Point inn. Beautiful trees and waterfalls along the way.
The hike up was awesome! It was shady most of the way to the top. Downhill was mostly open dirt road without much shade.
Amazing trail with lots of variety—beautiful redwoods, lots of waterfalls, arid portions, all without much traffic. Accidentally did it backwards by going right at the first fork. Ended up enjoying doing the steep portions up hill at the beginning and cool down on the leisurely descend.
Sweeping views of Tiburon, Richardson Bay, and SF/fog. Lots of trail variation (fire roads, redwood groves, and creekside scrambles). I went counterclockwise and highly recommend going clockwise instead. Nora Trail was beautiful, shady and mild — would’ve been a lovely ascent. The stretch of Miller Trail was creekside and buggy as hell, and ascending it was not fun. Next time I’ll cut out Miller and will hike Old Railroad Grade to Fern Creek Trail.
Some truly stunning views that only Marin can offer. There’s a mix of sun and shade—but on a sunny day, the heat means business. Bring water, hat, etc. The Miller trail that cuts down to Old Railroad Grade is rocky and a bit overgrown, hence a bit of scrambling but nothing intense. Our small dog managed fine. It’s lovely to stop for a snack at West Point Inn—the picnic tables offer amazing views and a good breeze. We did the trail as marked at it was exactly 4.7 miles