3 campsites perched high in the Marin Headlands, with incredible views.
Days/Nights - 2/1
Miles - 7.54
Elevation Gain - 1,312
Starting Elevation - 20
Ending Elevation - 20
Highest Elevation - 1,041
Trail Type - Out & Back Dirt/Fire Road See AllTrails here
This hike is basically on the doorstep of San Francisco in the Marin Headlands. A tiny campsite sits on the top of a hill looking west towards the ocean, as the headlands fall away from you. Be warned, this site is not immune to the fog or winds that come in from the coast, making for chilly evenings and mornings most days, but the hike up and down offers world class views that will ensure a memorable trip.
The 3.5 mile hike up begins at the lagoon located just before Rodeo Beach. You begin along a wide well travelled trail used by bikers and day hikers called the Miwok Trail and about a half mile in take a right at the junction of the Bobcat Trail which climbs for about 922 feet over the remaining 3 miles along a fire road for most of the way. Enough gain to get you breathing hard with a pack on your back, but non-technical, beautiful along the way, and relatively easy.
You reach a junction near the top and veer left towards a short steep climb to the site, where 3 separate sites, each with a bench, bear box, grill (may no longer be allowed due to fire danger) and an established site. The two upper sites are alongside each other with no privacy, the lower site is more private with unobstructed views. Coyote sightings are quite common, bobcat sightings rare, and rabbits almost definite if you are up early enough. On one of several trips up there, I had a gear failure and decided to leave at sunset rather than stay overnight. I misjudged the rapid onset of darkness and spent about 40 minutes in pitch black. My Peztl Tikkina (reviewed here) picked up the reflection of a lot of eyes looking back at me from the brush, which was unsettling to say the least!
The hike down loops around in the opposite direction with wonderful coastal and mountain views. Again predominantly on fire roads, of which some get washed out during the rains, so watch your step. The hike down is again about 3.5 miles, with about 400 feet of gain between mile 0.5 to 1.5. The rest is all downhill and if you are feeling energized, a slow jog with the pack on will burn a few extra calories.
Reservations are required on Recreation.gov and like all the sites in Marin, book out fast on weekends. So it requires pre-planning, unless you decide to go mid-week in which availability is better.
This was a bucket-list trip for me, that having done it once, made me want to do it more often. So easy, so accessible, and outstanding scenery. Like any of the camps in GGNRA, you can make most hikes in/out longer/shorter given the network of trails available.
