Muir Woods is a must-see oasis in the midst of the Bay Area! Arriving to this specific National…read moreMonument is no easy fiat; it requires you to go thro some windy ups-and-downs to eventually reach the spot. If you suffer from motion-sickness, just drive slowly and mindfully. After arriving, there are several parking lots in which workers will guide you. ATTN: THERE IS NO CELL SERVICE IN THIS AREA & YOU WILL NEED A PARKING RESERVATION BEFORE COMING. Once you past all that --- the best part: the quietness of nature! I was informed the entire trail is about 1 1/2 miles around --- and that if you truly took your time, you could spend 1h30min+ here. I DID! There's something so soothing about the stillness of nature against the backdrop of the busyness of the city just below it. Looking at how grand these Redwoods are, make you realize how small "we" are in the grand scheme of things. It's a perfect visual and reminder that we are part of the great ecosystem of life, and should play our role in it --- to help preserve them & maybe ourselves in the process as well. Definitely recommend!

From city noise to ancient redwood silence in under an hour…read more You'll find flat boardwalks winding through the groves and longer hillside trails if you want a bit more adventure. Redwood Creek runs through the canyon, home to salmon and trout. You can see the highlights in a few hours or stay longer. I always recommend exploring Canopy View to Lost Trail, and Fern Creek for quieter, less-traveled pockets of forest. How lucky are those who live anywhere near this place. I love driving up early in the morning for the most magical fog. Arriving always feels like stepping into a living time capsule from the Middle Ages. Some of the tallest trees on Earth stand here, roughly 1,000 years old and rising over 250 feet. The air shifts as you enter: cooler, darker, scented with earth, cedar, and rain. Standing beneath trees that have survived centuries of storms, wars, fires, and human chaos makes your own worries feel smaller. It's humbling and grounding. Things to know before you go: You need a parking reservation, no exceptions. Entrance and parking fees apply (America the Beautiful Pass is accepted). A shuttle from Sausalito is an option if you prefer not driving on narrow roads. Cell service disappears, so save anything you need beforehand. It's always cooler here, usually 10-20 degrees, so bring a layer. Bathrooms are only at the entrance. Food is extremely limited (one small cafe) so bring water, snacks/lunch. Pets aren't allowed. And always take a moment by the creek, it's the quiet heart of the entire ecosystem.

This exhibit is located in Sausalito, near the Marine Mammal Center, surrounded by trees, a few…read morepicnic tables, and a very narrow road. For actual parking, I'd say the Marine Mammal Center lower lot is probably the closest and most reliable, but it would be a bit of a walk. I just parked on the narrow road (Kirkpatrick Street) after visiting the MMC, as there didn't seem to be anyone using the road to Fort Cronkhite. The display is set up nicely to get a sense of the size and shape of the creature, even without all the bones. It's worth making a stop to check it out if already visiting the marine mammal hospital, but I wouldn't recommend going out of your way for this.

near to the marine mammal center. this giant blue whale…read moreskeleton is a must to visit or just to take photos.

Beautiful overlook of the water and rocky landscape. It was really windy when we visited, so we…read moredidn't stay long, but it was absolutely worth the drive. The coastal views are stunning, and the scenic drive getting here makes the whole experience even better.

We stopped by Good Earth Natural Foods Market for to go from the hot deli first, picked up some…read morefresh baguette, cheese, and hot sandwich before picking a spot at Muir Beach outlooks for light hiking and picnic. There is plenty of parking and the scenery is simply beautiful. California coast at its best.

Hiking leads you to discover so many interesting areas that are natural and man-made. Mother Nature…read moreprovides so many places with wonderful views and man makes structures that are significant and have historical importance; Battery Townsley has both. There are so many batteries built along the California coast that I've explored during my hikes and this is one of my favorites. It's located on a side of the hill in Marin Headlands heading towards Hill 88. The one huge difference between this battery compared to the rest is the size of its guns...and they were big. Even the barrel of the gun is on display outside the battery for everyone to admire. Most of the batteries that were constructed along the coast were WWI era, this one was constructed during WWII. Construction started in January 1938, completed in July 1, 1940 and transferred to the Coast Artillery for use on July 24, 1940. It is a reinforced concrete, casemated battery with two gun emplacements mounted with 16" guns that was part of Fort Cronkhite. It's named after WWI veteran and superintendent of the United States Military Academy, Major General Clarence P. Townsley. The two massive 16" guns were mounted on steel carriage on heavy-duty rollers that enabled the guns to pivot 140 degrees. The whole assembly weighed over a million pounds, which required lots of practice to ensure it operated smoothly, which the crew drilled repetitively. Each gun was capable of shooting a 2,100 pound, armor-piercing projectile with a range of 25 miles. That's as far as the Farallon Islands with that range. One of the guns eventually made it to the U.S.S. Missouri, which is now permanently docked at Pearl Harbor. This is the battleship where Japan officially surrendered to end WWII. The size of this battery was also massive that included bunk room for 150 soldiers, 2 powder rooms, 2 shell rooms, 2 powder service rooms, 4 storerooms, power room, radiator room, latrines, a shop and storeroom. A large reserve magazine room was also built in about 2500 feet southeast of the gun emplacement # 1 on the reverse slope that is not visible as it was surely heavily fortified. There's also a long tunnel from the entrance leading to the gun emplacement # 1 that is very cool to walk through. It reminded me of 'Walking Dead' every time I walk through this cool tunnel. On a nice clear day, the views from this battery provides a gorgeous backdrop of Rodeo Beach and Marin Headlands nearby, as well as the Golden Gate Bridge, the city and the Peninsula Coast in the distance. But Karl visits this area a lot, especially in the early mornings. He tends to dissipate in the afternoon and you're rewarded with clear skies. Next time you're hiking towards Hill 88, stop by this battery and check out the big gun. #YelpChallenge2020 review No. 84

5 Stars as one of the Bay Area's hidden geological wonders. This is an hot spring on the Marin…read morecoast at the end of the Dipsea Trail. There are cool cabins to be rented from Mt Tam State Park up on the plateau above the springs. Parking is possible, but kinda scary. There's a fairly comprehensive description by the Bay Guardian at: http://www.sfbg.com/nudebeaches/marin.php Important to note is the information that this hot spring is only available at low tide and, therefore, you've gotta think about the tide changing if yer "chilin'" in the spring! If you consider yourself an adventurer, don't be off-put by the Guardian's "D" rating, this hot spring is an adventure!

It isnt hidden by any means... describing this spring as a…read morewonder is a gross exaggeration. recently it has become overcrowded and disgusting. the locals have become extremely and hostile towards outsiders. dont even consider going unless you know someone who is a local. parking is sketchy and you risk getting cited. the trail down is treacherous and is covered with posion oak. even at low tide the springs are barely accesible due to the rising tides. the water isnt even warm and its smells like rotten eggs. this place isnt worth your time or effort to get to...

Lots of details about this interesting corner of the Bay Area provided by our guide Dan G. He was a…read morewealth of information, pretty funny and as a local was able to share a lot of perspective on the islands changes. Great day trip and I wish we had more time to poke around.

Wonderful tour led by Jim. History + nature! A great morning spent on the island…read more For people who are looking to visit the Naval Museum on the island, it is no longer open, but this tour is operative and you get to see the naval chapel and walk around the area. I was originally looking for information about the museum and arrived at this page: https://www.mihpf.org/tours. I hope this will help you find their tour options and dates! All digitalized, no fuss. And it turns out I was the only who signed up for today's tour, and they did not cancel on me because of that. I really really appreciated it. One last thing, the money you spend on the tour goes into helping this foundation : ) Yay!

Just past SF this park has so many different trail options perfect for all hiking levels. The…read moredownside is this place gets PACKED! My sister and I arrived before 8am at the Watershed parking lot and barely found a space. We did the trail that took us to the West Point Inn for the pancake breakfast and round trip was close to 5 miles so it was a great workout. There's gorgeous views and well! On the way back to the 101 however it's a mess. The road on the way down is crowded with parked cars, which makes driving through challenging. That's the only thing about this park, other than that I'd love to come back in spring when everything is green and vibrant!

My first association of Mt Tam is from Cowgirl Creamery's best seller, Mt Tam Triple Cream with…read moreHeart cheese. Ever since then, I've wanted to hike this peak, today I have achieved my wish. Early June with mild coastal temp, 50s-60s. Started up Matt Davis Trail in the foggy forest, to Pantoll Campground, to West Point Inn where we can look down to the top of the fog layer, to the Fire Lookout building at the Peak. Then we came down reverse but split off to Steep Ravine and Dip Sea trail after the campground. I've also always wanted to climb that ladder. This hike provided views of the Pacific ocean on the West as well as views of Richmond-San Rafael Bridge on the East side. I thoroughly enjoyed the cool lush forest, but actually my favorite section was the single track along the slope of the open area after the Mt Tam State Park sign.

On Easter, I was up in the north Bay and looking for a church to celebrate. I drove over to Mission…read moreSan Rafael for the first time when a beautiful church an amazing history. I set a free prayers in the side chapel just after their service they had quite a community buzz going on as they had live music for the service. Just being on the grounds of Mission San Rafael brought a calmness to me. If you be looking for a spectacular place to pray or reflect. I highly recommend visiting Mission San Rafael.

Nice to be back ..church is the last resort haha ...saloon de Jesus ..don't forget ...get outread more

Cute mini museum/exhibit on the side of the Mt Tamalpais East Peak Visitor Center…read more The barn doors only open on the weekends, but the signs are informative enough that, even on a weekday, you can pretty much get the gist of it. This is the site of what used to be the Crookedest Railroad in the world, with something like 237 turns. The tracks were ripped out decades ago, after the rides declined in popularity. The gravity cars seem like they were such a fun, wholesome, unique attraction. It's hard to believe there's not enough demand for them to be running anymore. I wouldn't go out of my way to see this, but it could be a fun place to visit with little kids, especially if you come on the weekend between 12-4, when it's open. For those of us children who are a little too old for this, there are plenty of cool hiking trails originating from the same parking lot at the visitor center. Parking is $5 unless you have a pass from camping.

If you go to the trouble to make it to the top of Mount Tam, you should definitely check out this…read moreMuseum. This was actually quite a famous location a few generations ago. Movie stars and other famous people came to this location to ride the famous gravity car, and stay at some of the famous hotels around this area. Mount Tam has some of the most well-known, fun trails in the entire San Francisco Bay Area. Did you know that Marin County is the birthplace of mountain biking? That's absolutely true. Some of the most famous mountain bikers and race winners live right here. I highly recommend biking or hiking the old gravity car road. Don't miss the West Point Inn, another famous stopping point for travelers. It's fun to imagine what it must have been like going down on one of those gravity cars. They have a gravity car that you can visit here, but don't try taking it down the mountain, since the tracks are all gone now. It would be a wild ride. I always wonder what would happen if the brake man fell asleep or went unconscious for some reason. Would the gravity car just keep on going?