GOLDEN GATE NATIONAL RECREATION AREA, Tennessee Valley Trail, Marin County, California

The Tennessee Valley Trail is among many in the Marin Headlands. 

A short drive over the Golden Gate Bridge brings you from the city of San Francisco to the hills of Marin County, and to the Marin headlands, which line the passage from the Pacific Ocean to San Francisco Bay. One of my favorite places to hike in the Marin Headlands is the 1.7-mile Tennessee Valley trail that leads to Tennessee Beach. 

Tennessee Beach.

The beach gets its name from the wreck of the steamship S.S. Tennessee, which ran aground in heavy fog in 1853, with all 550 passengers and crew safely reaching the shore. At low tide you can still see the remains of the ship in the water.

The gravel trail is mostly level.

In late December, I went with my family for a hike on the Tennessee Valley trail. (The trailhead is about a 35-minute drive from our house in Oakland.) It was a beautiful sunny day--welcome after a week of steady rain. Many other people had the same idea, but the trail did not seem crowded despite all the hikers.  (At the trailhead there is a parking area and toilets and picnic tables.)

Boulders composed of sedimentary rock can be seen along the trail.

The trail is wide and mostly level, suitable for families with small children and even strollers, gradually sloping downhill from the parking area to the beach. Dogs, even on leashes, are not allowed, although we did see one man who was taking his cat for a walk. (The cat was eager to explore and did not seem too happy about being restrained on a leash.)

Because of the recent rains, we had to dodge a few puddles.

The rain had made the hills green and lush and we could hear the gurgle of small streams along the path. We did spot a few flowers, but it was a bit early in the season for spring blooms. We kept our eye out for wildlife, but except for two vultures circling on updrafts, we didn’t see much. On an earlier trip to Tennessee Valley we had spotted a doe and her fawn in a field being stalked by a bobcat. It was only when we put the long lens on the camera (we had forgotten our binoculars) that we saw the bobcat perched on a rock on the hillside above the field where the deer were grazing.

Tennessee Valley is part of the huge Golden GateNational Recreation Area, operated by the National Parks, that includes a wide variety of sites ranging from Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay, to Point Reyes National Seashore to the north and beaches and historic sites to the south of San Francisco. 

A sign in the picnic area near the trailhead tells how close the beautiful hills of Tennessee Valley once were in danger of development, before they became part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Thankfully, the project was halted and the beautiful hillsides are now preserved for wildlife and hikers like me.

STORY WALK: Reading is Fun Along the Trail, Marin County, California

 

Story Walk, Tennessee Valley, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, CA

Reading a book about taking a hike is one way for children to learn about nature.

Taking a hike on an outdoor trail is another.

At Tennessee Valley near Mill Valley. California, families with children can do both at the same time. (Even if you are not accompanied by children, you can still enjoy reading the story.)

Tennessee Valley is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. An offshoot of the Golden Gate Headlands, Tennessee Valley is a large undeveloped area of coastal hills and a variety of hiking trails, formerly used for ranching. The main trail leads from the parking lot to the beach, a distance of about 1.75 miles. I have taken this hike numerous times through the years, often spotting deer, soaring hawks, and once even a bobcat!

"We are going on a hike."

On a recent visit to the Bay Area, I went again to Tennessee Valley. I was intrigued to see something new-- a series of signs at the side of the trail (reminiscent of the old Burma Shave signs on the side of the road but closer together.) On closer look I discovered that these signs were the pages of a picture book mounted on boards, just the right height for a child to read. The book was The Hike by Alison Farrell (Chronicle Books, 2019.) Each panel showed a page spread as well as a guide to what to look for in the surrounding area.

"It's our favorite thing to do."

Altogether there are 19 panels stretched over a half mile near the beginning of the trail. It is a perfect activity for families as they start out on their hike. Here are a few sample panels:

"Wren's sketchbook."

"In no time, we get back on track."

"A deer walks past. Bean sneezes."

"A light rain comes and goes. The birds are happy. We listen to them cheep and chatter in the trees."

Story Walk is a cooperative project of the National Parks, Marin County Library, Mill Valley Public Library, Sausalito Library.

After reading the story we continued down the trail to the beach. It was a beautiful day to be out in nature!

End of the story. Continuing on the trail to the beach.

End of the trail. My brothers at the beach.

UNDER THE GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE and A WALK IN THE REDWOODS: Marin County, CA

View of the Golden Gate Bridge from Fort Baker, Sausalito, CA

If there is one image that symbolizes San Francisco it is the Golden Gate Bridge, the soaring metal structure that connects the city with Marin County to the north. During the recent Christmas holidays, which we celebrated in Oakland, we had a guest who had never been to California. The Golden Gate Bridge was a must-see on our list of things to show her.

Round safety mirrors mark sharp turns in the hiking path so that bicycle riders–and pedestrians-- can check for oncoming traffic.

So, on a bright sunny day, we headed across the Richmond Bridge from the East Bay to Marin County, where we planned to hike to the north end of the bridge. In Sausalito we took the road to Fort Baker and parked at the end of the road near the fishing pier. Although there were quite a few fishermen, we didn’t see anyone actually catch a fish.

Hiking and biking path from Fort Baker to the north end of the Golden Gate Bridge.

We then proceeded on foot along the path as it wound its way under the bridge and up the hillside to the visitor area on the west side of the bridge. It took us about fifteen minutes to get to the top.

There a series of information signs explain how the bridge was built. On a previous visit with another guest, an engineer, this was his favorite part of our excursion to the bridge.

The Golden Gate Bridge is painted red.

A fenced walkway under the bridge allows pedestrians to cross from one side of the roadway to the other. As we walked under the road we could hear and feel the roar and vibration of the traffic above us as we got a close-up of the giant steel beams that support the bridge.

Lone Sailor Memorial

The visitor area on the east side, called Vista Point,  provides spectacular views–of the bridge, the city, and surrounding San Francisco Bay. In the middle of the parking area stands a large monument–the Lone Sailor Memorial, honoring the people who serve in the Navy, Merchant Marine, Coast Guard and Marine Corps.

View from the Lone Sailor Memorial. In the background is a classic car filled with stuffed teddy bears, apparently also enjoying the view!

After admiring the view along with dozens of other tourists and taking numerous photos, we retraced our steps back to our car at Fort Baker. We had brought a picnic lunch which we ate at one of the picnic tables along the road into the fort.

Redwoods in Mill Park, Mill Valley, CA.

Our next stop was to another classic tourist sight for visitors to California–the giant redwoods. We didn’t have time to go to Muir Woods, the national park famous for its trees, even though it was just a short drive away. Instead, we went to Mill Park in the nearby town of Mill Valley, where a beautiful redwood grove is a city park next to the public library.

Downtown Mill Valley

My parents lived in Mill Valley for thirty-seven years and although I never lived there  I often visited, so, for me, this trip to the redwoods and the Golden Gate  Bridge brought back many memories. 

Enjoying Peet's Coffee, Mill Valley, CA

For the final event of our day’s outing, we stopped for coffee at a shop in downtown Mill Valley. Then we headed back to Oakland as the winter sun set beyond the Golden Gate on the other side of the Bay.