East Peak, Mt Tamalpais CA


• 4-star hike
• 1 mile out-and-back
• Moderate | Gain 190 feet
• Mill Valley, CA | San Francisco Region
.
The image shows two people standing on a rocky outcrop, looking out over a scenic landscape. The person on the left is wearing a backpack and a cap, while the person on the right has long hair and is wearing a white shirt and shorts. The view in front of them includes a vast expanse of greenery, a body of water with islands, and a distant city skyline partially obscured by haze. The scene is framed by trees on either side, adding to the natural beauty of the setting.
Enjoying the Marin County views towards San Francisco.

Hikes don't get much shorter or much better than this half-mile round trip trail to top of Mt. Tamalpais, just North of San Francisco. Known to locals simply as Mt Tam, Mt. Tamalpais State Park is the perfect day-trip and once you're here it's hard to believe you're just a stone's throw away from the second biggest city on the West Coast.

The trail to the peak begins on an easy boardwalk and continues up timber steps before leading to a more rugged and rocky path towards the summit. We've labeled this as an easy hike, though there are some occasional isolated steep steps and scrambles which may challenge the less mobile.
⬤ 4★ East Peak Trail   0.6 mi out & back, moderate, gain 190 ft
AllTrails · GPX File · Directions GPX?

The views are what make this such a highly rated hike in our opinion, which stretch out across the entire northern part of the San Francisco Bay area in good weather.

Be sure to leave enough time for the free Gravity Railroad Museum which memorializes the historic scenic mountain railway and the free-wheeling return journey back to Mill Valley. It's nice to have the moutnain free of heavy industrial equipment, but at the same time it must have been fun to coast down the mountain on a gravity train. We've included a link to a YouTube video at the foot of this page which shows a 1917 movie of the gravity cars in action.

The image shows a gravity car barn with a gravity car in front of it. The barn has a sign that reads 'Mt. Tamalpais Gravity Car Barn' and features a logo with a winding path. The gravity car in the foreground has the text 'MT. TAMALPAIS and MUIR WOODS GRAVITY No. 22' on its side. An American flag is attached to the car. The setting is outdoors, with a hillside covered in trees and shrubs in the background.
Former gravity train station under the East Peak lookout tower.

Tangents:
• Official: Mt Tamalpais State Park
• YouTube: 1917 Gravity Train Movie
• AllTrails Public: East Peak
• Facebook Group: Comment, Follow Us

Best hiking trails and rail trails in California
Best Trails of California
See our favorite hiking trails for each region of California.
San Francisco Bay's Best Trails
For great hiking trails throughout the Bay Area check these out.
Lake Tahoe's Best Trails
All-year-round fun at this Northern California landmark. Trailspotting has Lake Tahoe hikes for everyone.
Bluesky Icon   Facebook Icon    Flipboard Icon   Instagram Icon   Mastodon Icon   Share on Reddit   RSS Feed Icon   Threads Icon
Subscribe for new trail reviews weekly

Built for fun, Trailspotting is non-commercial and ad-free. Copyright © 2024 Stuart Green all rights reserved. Content provided without warranty of accuracy. About Trailspotting