Location: County: Marin. Nearest City: Mill Valley.
Campsites, facilities: Pantoll Campground: There are
16 walk-in tent sites. Piped water, flush toilets, fire grills,
food lockers, and tables are provided. Firewood is available
to purchase. Leashed pets are permitted. Rocky Point-Steep Ravine
Environmental Campground: There are six environmental walk-in
campsites and ten rustic cabins on a bluff overlooking the Pacific.
The cabins do not have running water. Primitive toilets and piped
drinking water are nearby.
Reservations, fees: No reservations; $15-$16 per night,
$1 pet fee. Cabins and Environmental sites at this park can be
booked 10 days to 7 months prior to the arrival date. All other
sites at this park can be booked a day prior to the arrival date.
Contact: Phone 1-415-388-2070, or call District Headquarters
at 1-415-893-1580 or fax 1-415-388-2968.
Mt. Tamalpais SP
801 Panoramic Highway
Mill Valley CA 94941
Operating hours, seasons: Hours are posted at the Pantoll
Ranger Station and at various locations on the upper mountains.
The park is open every day at 7:00 a.m. and closes just after
sunset, with hours fluctuating with the seasons. During the winter,
the park is open until 6:00 p.m. daily, and during the height
of the summer, the park is open until 10:00 p.m.
Directions: From U.S. 101 in Marin, take the Stinson
Beach/Highway 1 exit. Drive west to the stoplight at the T intersection
(Highway 1). Turn left and drive about four miles uphill to the
Panoramic Highway. Bear to the right on Panoramic Highway and
continue for 5.5 miles (past the turnoff to Muir Woods). Turn
left at the Pantoll parking area and ranger station. A 100-foot
walk is required to reach the campground.
Weather, clothing: Summer and spring are warm, fall
and winter can be cool. Layered clothing is best.
Trip notes: Just north of San Francisco's Golden Gate
is Mount Tamalpais, 6,300 acres of redwood groves and oak woodlands
with a spectacular view from the 2,571-foot peak. On a clear
day, visitors can see the Farallon Islands 25 miles to sea, the
Marin County hills, San Francisco and the bay, hills and cities
of the East Bay, and Mount Diablo. On rare occasions, the Sierra
Nevada's snow-covered mountains can be seen 150 miles away. Coastal
Miwok In lived in the area for thousands of years before Europeans
arrived. More than 50 miles of trail are within the park and
connect to a larger, 200-mile-long trail system. Bicyclists are
challenged by the twisting road to the top of the park's summit.
When camping at Pantoll, you are within close range of the divine,
including some of the best hiking, best lookouts, and just plain
best places to be anywhere in the Bay Area. The camp is set in
the woods on the western slopes of Mount Tamalpais, which some
say is a place of special power. The Steep Ravine Trail is routed
out of camp to the west into a wondrous gorge filled with redwoods
and a stream with miniature waterfalls. After a good rain when
everything is oozing with moisture, this can be one of the most
romantic places on the planet Earth. Another hike, on the Matt
Davis/Coast Trail, provides breathtaking views of the coast.
Another must is the nearby drive to the East Peak Lookout, where
the entire world seems within reach.
© 2001, Miwok Lodge 439, Order of the
Arrow, Santa Clara County Council Inc., BSA
Revision 1.2
