Contra Costa County, California

Enjoy the peacefulness of making it out to the lake for a quick hike without worrying too much about challenging climbs or difficult terrain. Take the wide fire road from the car uphill and then jump on the Phoenix Lake Trail. From here, you’ll combine this trail with the Gertrude Orr and Bill Wi...

Dipsea Trail to Steep Ravine Trail Loop via Coastal Trail is a loop trail that takes you past scenic surroundings located near Sausalito, California.

The Owl Trail runs between Slide Ranch and the Muir Beach Overlook and is a great way to take in the breathtaking views, flora and fauna of the Northern California coast.  The easiest way to access the trail is to park at the Muir Beach Overlook and to take the trail down to Slide Ranch and then...

Mt. Tam is a large park with plenty of amazing viewpoints, but the East routes and the East Peak are best for sunsets. Once you're at the top, it's an amazing spot to view a large number of Marin trails, which can help you can get a head start on planning your next adventure. At 2,570 feet, this ...

Rancho San Antonio Open Space Preserve has many beginner to intermediate hiking trails.  Deer Hollow Farm Trail Loop is a hiking trail for beginners, families, or anyone wanting to go on a short hike with nice views of the bay. The trail passes by a farm and deer can often be seen wandering arou...

This 7.2-mile loop starts by heading out of the parking lot and onto the Spring Ridge Trail. Head Southeast On Spring Ridge Trail until you connect with Hamms Gulch Trail. When you jump on Hamms Gulch, head southwest for ~3.4 miles as you circle the far end of the OSP. At this point, you will con...

Black Mountain via PG&E, Quarry and Black Mountain Trail is an out-and-back trail where you may see wildflowers located near Cupertino, California.

This San Rafael neighborhood trail is quite popular, but there is plenty of room for everyone and the parking is easy. After you park at the trailhead, you walk (or bike) up a relatively short and steep path that takes you to the beginning of the trail.  This hike takes you along a scenic ridge ...

This hike starts at the parking lot of the El Corte de Madera Open Space Preserve. The lot is located roughly a mile south on Skyline Boulevard from the Skeggs Point Vista. From the parking lot, take the Methuselah Trail for 0.3 miles until you reach the Timberview Trail. Take this trail for anot...

This trail is a short, easy, accessible and beautiful trail for a nice afternoon walk (or photoshoot).   I recommend the River Walk Trail (~3 miles).  It is flat and easy to walk.  There are multiple loops so you can turn back at any time. There are small bridges, access to the water, meadows, e...

Bootjack Campground is located within California's Mount Tamalpais State Park. There are a couple of campsites within the park, but if you are driving on the Panoramic Highway from Mill Valley, this will be the first campground you pass.  The fee is $25 fee to camp, but they have bathrooms and ru...

This hike is best done in the winter and spring in order for the creeks and waterfalls to be flowing. Park at the Bootjack Campground in Mount Tamalpais State Park. Cross the road to reach the Bootjack trail. Continue on this until you reach the Alpine trail. Go right towards the Pantoll Ranger ...

Getting permits into Muir Woods can be hard, but if you want to work for it, there's a much better way to visit the National Monument. To do this loop into Muir Woods National Monument, first drive to the Bootjack Parking Area in Mt. Tamalpais State Park.  The Bootjack Parking Area should be fou...

The trailhead Pantoll Station is easy to find on GPS and there are friendly rangers there as well to answer questions.Maps: Paper map are available at the trailhead Pantoll Station in Marin, CA.   For a moderate hike, I suggest going the one and a half miles down the trail to the ladder and retu...

Need an escape from SF, but can't seem to find an available campground, then head to Pantoll Campground in Mount Tamalpais State Park. If you get there early on friday (or even better Thursday afternoon), you should be able to lock down one of these first-come, first-serve campgrounds. Each of th...

This is definitely a worthwhile short hike, with views of the Bay Area, Marin Headlands, Golden Gate, and the San Mateo coastline. It's a 3.8 mile loop which takes you through forests of Redwoods and out to the coastline, even above the clouds on a lucky day. The trailhead begins at the Pantoll ...