Marin County

Martinelli Ranch
Parks
Marin County
Drink in a sweeping view of Tomales Bay from this 259-acre park overlooking grasslands, creeks, and tidelands, out to Point Reyes and the Pacific. A short 0.5-mile hike leads you to a dramatic promontory above the water.
Welcome to Olema Valley
Parks
Marin County
You're in another world here, a picture-perfect rural valley bordering both the Golden Gate National Parks and Point Reyes National Seashore. This pastoral landscape stretches for nine miles, its ribbon of Highway 1 unspooling between the slopes of Bolinas and Inverness Ridge. Here you have an opportunity to experience two...
Wildlife of Point Reyes National Seashore
Parks
Marin County
Endlessly explore the vast wilds here, one of the most stunning oceanfront parks in the world. This 70,000-acre peninsula north of San Francisco stretches from the wild and wind-chilled great beaches on the northwest side (where Sir Francis Drake landed in 1567) across forested ridges to the south. Find plentiful...
Fort Cronkhite
Parks
Marin County
Explore this remarkable environmental makeover near the Marin Headlands coastline. Formerly an army installation, Fort Cronkhite at the end of the Rodeo Valley is now a magnet for science and the arts.
Stinson Beach
Parks
Marin County
Amble along the alabaster sands here, one of the most perfect beaches on the California coast. Find it 35 minutes north of the Golden Gate Bridge via Highway 1, which unwinds atop heart-stopping cliffs. Stinson's long sandy strand is an outstanding spot for swimming and surfing (a wetsuit helps) as...
View overlooking Fort Baker and the Golden Gate
Parks
Marin County
Tucked almost directly beneath the Golden Gate Bridge, this former army post is on the threshold of the dramatic coastline of the Marin Headlands. Fort Baker now houses Cavallo Point (the first national park lodge of the 21st century).
Hiking in Tennessee Valley
Parks
Marin County
Offering more of a stroll than a hike, the two-mile trail that meanders through the meadows of this serene valley leads you to bluffs overlooking the Pacific. There you'll several fine sand beaches and the Pacific's shattering surf.
Marin Headlands
Parks
Marin County
It's hard to believe such a vast, beautiful, and diverse wilderness is so close to a major metropolitan area. The Marin Headlands is a crown jewel of the Golden Gate National Parks, abounding with places of natural wonder and beauty (Rodeo Valley/Lagoon, Gerbode Valley, Hawk Hill, Tennessee Valley) and remarkable...
Dias Ridge
Parks
Marin County
Start at the charming 17th-century-style Pelican Inn at Muir Beach in Marin and head up the chaparral-covered Dias Ridge. The five-mile trail loops across former dairy ranches and rises 700 feet. At every turn there is another dazzling panorama of the Pacific and the Marin Headlands.
Tour at the Point Bonita Lighthouse
Parks
Marin County
Yes, this lighthouse at the southwest tip of the Marin Headlands is still active and maintained by the U.S. Coast Guard. Getting there is a challenge. Parking is limited and the 0.5-mile walk is steep and precarious. This spot, at the "world's end," is ruggedly beautiful. Nearby, old army buildings...