A drive or cycle up Mount Tamalpais (locals call it Mount Tam) is superb. The rolling fog and rolling hills make for spectacular scenery with the ocean on your right and views of the Bay and San Francisco on your left. Bring a picnic, your camera, and rest and relax and just enjoy the views. Photos of and from Mount Tamalpais: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mcgrayjr/sets/72157624317542948/ And it’s just a short ride to Stinson Beach, which is probably the most quintessential California surfer town there is. These two spots, along with Suasalito, Cavallo Point, Muir Woods and the Marin Headlands, give you an unforgettably peaceful day surrounded by some of the most beautiful scenery all within a 30 minutes drive from the metropolitan city of San Francisco.
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Rolling hills and Views!
A drive or cycle up Mount Tamalpais (locals call it Mount Tam) is superb. The rolling fog and rolling hills make for spectacular scenery with the ocean on your right and views of the Bay and San Francisco on your left. Bring a picnic, your camera, and rest and relax and just enjoy the views. Photos of and from Mount Tamalpais: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mcgrayjr/sets/72157624317542948/ And it’s just a short ride to Stinson Beach, which is probably the most quintessential California surfer town there is. These two spots, along with Suasalito, Cavallo Point, Muir Woods and the Marin Headlands, give you an unforgettably peaceful day surrounded by some of the most beautiful scenery all within a 30 minutes drive from the metropolitan city of San Francisco.
Sunset Hike on Mt Tam
The Verna Dunshee Loop around the East Peak of Mount Tamalpais (or Mt Tam as locals call it) provides some of the best views of any trail in the Bay Area. The is paved, although it narrows as you go up. From the summit on a clear day, you can see the Marin County hills, San Francisco and the bay, hills and cities of the East Bay, and Mount Diablo.
Hiking Mt. Tam leads to stunning views of SF
Head north to Marin Country from San Francisco and take the Southeast Trail up Mt. Tam to the East Peak. On a clear day you can see San Fran from the 2,500-foot peak.
Above the Clouds on Mt. Tam
As mountains go, Mount Tamalpais isn’t particularly grand in size, but it looms large for those lucky enough to live nearby and access its miles of trails and open space with expansive views of the entire Bay Area. It’s an escape, a refuge, a playground that feels so far away in spirit but can be reached in in less than 30 minutes from the Golden Gate Bridge. Mt. Tam beckons daily, never more so than during the golden hour before sunrise or sunset, when light and shadow do a slow dance across the landscape. On those days when fog blankets the Bay, that beauty becomes sublime: standing above a sea of clouds, Mt. Tam can feel otherworldly, like a fairy-tale realm that exists only in dreams. Sometimes, for a few moments, it can seem like a glimpse of heaven on earth.
