MOUNT TAMALPAIS

Known locally as Mount Tam, there are abundant hiking and biking trails and beautiful 360° views at the peak from the Pacific Ocean to the San Francisco Bay.

You can also visit the majestic old growth redwood trees in the Muir Woods National Monument located just outside the city limits (reservations needed). You can your toes in the (very cold) Pacific Ocean at Tennessee Beach (a 4 mile 15 minute drive from the town center to the parking area and a level 1.5 mile one way walk).

THE GGNRA + MARIN HEADLANDS

The iconic view of the Golden Gate Bridge with San Francisco in the background is taken from the Marin Headlands. This is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA) (U.S. National Park Service). The GGNRA, at 75,000+ acres, is one of the largest and most popular urban national parks in the world, extending for miles on both the north and south sides of the Golden Gate, including the entire southern end of the Marin County penninsula, with a plethora of recreational activities, viewpoints, and miles of hiking and biking paths.

You might enjoy walk across the Golden Gate Bridge, which offers spectacular views. It is 1.7 miles across in one direction and it can be windy, so bundle up. There is limited parking at either end. There is a coffee (local brand Equator Coffee) and gift shop at the southern (San Francisco) end.

NEARBY TOWNS

Sausalito is on San Francisco Bay, 5 miles south of Mill Valley. It is a popular spot for visitors from San Francisco, many of whom come over on the ferry. There are many shops and restaurants, places to stay. An easy walking and bike path connects Mill Valley and Sausalito. Nearby, is the Bay Area Discovery Museum, located at the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge on 7.5 acres of National Park land in the GGNRA, features outdoor and indoor exhibition spaces and daily programs for children 6 months of age to 8 years.  It is adjacent to Cavallo Point, a fabulous resort hotel and restaurant.

Tiburon is also nearby.  Located at the end of a peninsula jutting into San Francisco Bay, there are stunning views from every spot in town. An upscale small town with waterfront restaurants, shopping, hiking, biking, floating. There is a 25 minute ferry to San Francisco. For history buffs, an interesting thing to do is a visit to Angel Island (by a 10 minute ferry) which was the “Ellis Island” of the Pacific, for generations of Asian immigrants.

Corte Madera, Larkspur, San Rafael, San Anselmo, Fairfax are other nearby towns each with their own character, and with shops and restaurants to enjoy. There are 2 malls along the freeway in Corte Madera where you will find Macys, Nordstrom, the Apple Store, Barnes and Noble and other shops and restaurants. The best bookstore in the area is Book Passage in Corte Madera (not in the mall). There is a small but nice bookstore at The Depot in Mill Valley.

SAN FRANCISCO

San Francisco is one of the world’s great cities and within its 49 square miles, you could visit and recreate and play and feast there for a long time. Some of our favorite things to do include strolling through Golden Gate Park, including visiting the Japanese Tea Garden, the De Young Art Museum and its sister museum The Legion of Honor near Sea Cliff, and the SF Botanical Gardens. We also love the Exploratorium Science Museum at Pier 15 on the Embarcadero, the Asian Art Museum, the Contemporary Jewish Museum, walking along Union Street and Filmore Street and other neighborhoods. Many people love the SF Museum of Modern Art which has recently undergone a large expansion, or going to see a Giants baseball game at Oracle Park.

COASTAL MARIN AND BEYOND

California Highway 1 is a stunning ride north along the Pacific coast. Muir Beach is a 6 mile (20 min drive) and Stinson Beach is 14 miles away (half hour drive) on a beautiful winding cliffside road.

An alternate route to the coast is along Sir Francis Drake Blvd, from San Rafael. After 15 miles (30 min) you come to Samuel Taylor State Park. Continuing on, you intersect the coast road, CA Hwy 1, at Olema. Turning right (north), you come to the Point Reyes National Seashore a prominent cape and popular Northern California tourist destination on the Pacific coast. It is an hour north of Mill Valley. The nearby town of Point Reyes Station is a charming stop with shops and restaurants and the Cowgirl Creamery cheese factory. This is just one of the many small towns in West Marin.

There are many other lovely areas, things to do, and towns to visit in the San Francisco Bay Area. In Sonoma and Napa Counties, we love to go the towns of Healdsburg, Sonoma, Calistoga and others, and as well as further north to the town of Mendocino. Berkeley is 45 minutes away in the East Bay. Palo Alto, San Jose and the Silicon Valley area are about 50 (about 70-80 minutes depending on traffic) miles south.