Getting there:
From Highway 101 in Marin County, take the Highway 1/Shoreline Highway exit. After about 0.5 mile, turn left onto Tennessee Valley Road. Go about 1.5 miles to the parking lot at the end of the road.

Trailhead details:
There is ample parking (still gets full on weekends). No entrance or parking fees. Maps are sometimes available at the information signboard near the start of the Tennessee Valley Trail, where there's a map under glass. Pay phone and portable toilets available. No designated handicapped parking spots, but one trail is wheelchair accessible. No drinking water. Gas, restaurants, and stores in Tam Junction, about 2 miles east along Shoreline. The Buckeye Roadhouse, adjacent to the 101 southbound entrance ramp, is a good, convenient after hike food stop if you're headed back into San Francisco. There is no direct public transportation to this trailhead, but Golden Gate Transit bus lines 3 and 4 stop on nearby Shoreline Highway. From the bus stop it's almost 2 miles to the trailhead.

Distance, category, and difficulty:
This 3.1 mile loop hike is easy. Trailhead elevation is around 200 feet. The high point of the hike is around 1008 feet. Miwok has a few steep sections, but this is a short hike, and should be manageable for most.

Rules:
Most trails are multi-use. Some are open to hikers and equestrians only. Dogs are permitted on a few Headlands trails: as of this writing (August 2006), the only trail departing from this trailhead on which dogs are permitted is Miwok (north). Dogs are not permitted on Tennessee Valley Trail. Check the Headlands map (link below for current dog info).

The Official Story:
NPS's GGNRA page.
Marin Headlands Visitor Center 415-331-1540

Map Choices:
• Map from NPS (download Marin Headlands Trail Map).
• A Rambler's Guide to the Trails of Mt. Tamalpais and the Marin Headlands, by Olmsted Bros, is the essential Headlands map (order this map from Amazon.com).
• Hiking Marin, by Don and Kay Martin, has a good map and brief trail descriptions (order this book from Amazon.com).
• The Bay Area Ridge Trail, by Jean Rusmore (order this book from Amazon.com), has a decent map and trail descriptions.
• 101 Great Hikes of the San Francisco Bay Area, by Ann Marie Brown (order this book from Amazon.com) has a simple map and descriptions of a featured hike.
• Use AAA's San Francisco Bay Region map to get there.

• View photos from this hike.

Tennessee Valley is the Headland's most popular trailhead: so prone to crowds that I usually avoid it in summer. One time I arrived at the parking lot around 10 am on a weekday, and did a mental double take; there were so many cars already there I thought maybe I'd missed a day or two and it was the weekend! There is a lot of activity here; great mountain biking on the fire roads, horses on most trails, group camping, dogwalking, and hiking. Because of the stables located on site, you'll probably see more equestrians than hikers. There are a few trails designated hiking only, but you'll be sharing the trails a good bit.
        Tennessee Valley Trail curves along the valley floor to the ocean. It's an easy 4 mile out-and-back hike, and a great place to head for a picnic with friends. For more serious hiking, you'll head uphill on one of the trails starting near the parking area. Miwok Trail (north) switchbacks up through eucalyptus trees to the ridge line and then meets up with Coyote Ridge Trail. Turn south on Fox Trail and then left at Tennessee Valley Trail for a nice loop of about 4 miles, with sweeping views of the ocean and Mount Tam.
        The trails at the western edge of Tennessee Valley Trail are the steepest of the trailhead. Coastal Trail heading north is a real psych out, as it seems to stretch straight up in dry, rocky sections. Coastal Trail heading south is sometimes scary to descend, it's so steep and rocky.  It's good to have a trekking poll for descending these trails during dry months. It's easy to have your legs slide out from under you! Coastal Trail allows varied loop possibilities, and is quieter than the other ascending trails.
        My favorite loop begins near the portable toilets at the edge of the parking area. Walk south, toward the stables. After about 200 feet, Marincello Trail, a wide fire road, begins on the left.(NOTE:  there are two possible trails to take uphill, depending on trail conditions. If it's wet or during the springtime, Miwok Trail may be overgrown and/or muddy and rutted. The alternate route is to take Marincello Trail to the junction with Miwok at the top of the hill, then follow the directions for the rest of the hike.) Continue straight. At about 420 feet, Miwok Trail sets out on the left side of the trail. (It's actually easier to spot this junction when you're coming from the stables.) If you reach the stables you've gone too far. Turn left.
      This portion of Miwok Trail, from the trailhead to the top of the hill is closed to cyclists. It is probably the least-travelled trail at Tennessee Valley. While running roughly parallel to Marincello Trail, Miwok is carved from the hillside on the south, rather than the north side of this ridge. So while Marincello is noisy from 101's traffic, Miwok is mostly peaceful. Miwok is shorter than Marincello, but steeper. The trail climbs through coyote brush and grassland. You might see blue-eyed grass, cow parsnip, California poppy, and California buttercup in spring. Miwok passes a clusters of big rocks, as it follows along, and at times is overcome by, what is essentially a runoff channel for winter rains. The grade is steady, but the toughest part of hiking this trail is navigating the deep ruts. Along the way there are nice views of Tam to the north, as you look back over your shoulder. You may catch a glimpse of Marincello Trail on the left side of the slope, and hear some traffic noise from 101. The trail meanders through a jungle of French broom, then widens and steeply climbs to a junction at the top of the hill, at about 1.20 miles. Turn right.
     After just a few steps, at about 1.21 miles, turn right on Miwok Trail as an unmarked fire road continues straight to a gate and an FAA antenna, and another road heads south. Miwok runs just beneath the ridge line, featuring pretty views south to the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco, and north to Tam. A spur trail continues straight uphill as Miwok curves downhill. Remain on Miwok as it descends sharply. GGNRA installed water bars (AKA those clumps of dirt that would make awesome speed bumps) in 1999 on this section of trail. Although not indicated on the GGNRA map, the stretch of Miwok from the junction with Marincello to the junction with Old Springs is now signed as closed to bicycles. Coyote brush dots the grassland, where you might see sunflowers and paintbrush in spring. There are also a few out-of-place-looking huckleberry shrubs. At about 1.82 miles, Miwok meets Old Springs Trail at a signed junction. Turn right.
        The multi-use trail heads down to the valley floor. Take care to look behind you frequently, as cyclists can zip down the hill pretty fast on this narrow path. There are numerous wooden bridges across springs and seeps, where almost any time of year there is something lush and green and/or blooming. Look for lupines, checker-bloom, blue-eyed grass, California poppy, and California buttercup in spring. Water from a horse watering trough on the side of the trail hosts a show of common monkeyflower and watercress in spring and summer. It is very common to see deer munching on the sides of the trail, and down the hillsides. You might also see cottontails, jack rabbits, quail, and snakes. The trail passes a rocky outcrop, a good place to sit and enjoy the views of Mount Tam, the ocean, and pretty much the entire Tennessee Valley. As you descend you'll see some old growth blackberry bushes, flanked by fennel, lizardtail, sagebrush, and sticky monkeyflower. Old Springs Trail takes a sharp turn left and then descends through horse stables. Follow the gravel road to the north (left), past the junctions with Miwok Trail and Marincello Trail, and back to the parking lot.

Total mileage:  about 3.11 miles if you take Miwok (about 4 miles if you take Marincello)
Last hiked:  Tuesday, April 24, 2001

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