I first visited Hippie Tree a few years ago, and I remember there were two swings. Parking is…read morepretty easy as just park on the street along the residential area. Today I visited this spot again, and I got to park much closer than the previous time as I passed the entrance to the trail to Hippie Tree last time. The trail to the Hippie Tree has a slight incline, but pretty short hike. This time, there was just one swing. The swing was also pretty high so it was a bit difficulty to get on. The two girls who were there were not able to climb on. Then I tried to climb on, and I was able to do it. :D I showed them that using one leg to hook on the seat and holding onto the ropes to pull yourself up while swing the other leg onto the swing worked for me. This spot is truly a hidden gem, and I just felt pure tranquility when I was swinging there. :) The view is amazing even though today it was a bit foggy over in SF area so couldn't see the city and bridge as much.

Definitely a hidden gem in Tiburon! The entrance is at the end of a residential area. There are a…read morefew spots to park on the side of the streets. It's a bit of an uphill walk towards the tree but once you get up there, it's to your left. We were there on a Saturday afternoon and it was empty so we got to enjoy the views and swings to ourselves. Check the weather prior before going because it can be cloudy and the view won't be as great.

Marin Headlands is one of the best regional parks in Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA)…read more It is one of the best places to not only hike but to take pictures. This is also great for photographers. Pretty much the hills, grass, trails, rocks, and trails are amazing! This is also a great place for photographers. There are other places like those Battery ones and Hill 88, but my friend and I didn't really get a chance to go there since we pretty much missed the path and we didn't want to turn around. Honestly, it's really hot here and thank goodness that I bring water and snacks in case I'm thirsty or hungry. Most importantly, bring water! You'll need it if you're ever going to hike here. The trip is short in my opinion since I'm used to hiking for a long time. In the future, I am planning to come back here to revisit scenic spots that we missed. The hike might be longer since I enjoy hiking at regional parks.

My buddy and I love doing challenging long hikes and today we did 31 miles at Marin Headlands. It…read morewas an amazing hike full of different terrain and sightseeing opportunities. It was overcast when we hiked, but I like it this way only because it was very cool and the exposure to the sun was limited. We saw so many unique historical sites also, which I did not expect. The route we took had a lot of elevation gain and I had to put on some gloves for rock scrambling, but there are so many easy trails also. We also crossed the Golden Gate Bridge also, which is a first for me! Please come and create your own adventure.

I just hiked most of this trail yesterday, and it was lit…read more I hiked the section from Pantoll Ranger Station to Dipsea, and to Stinson Beach from there. I looped back up on the Matt Davis Trail. Steep Ravine is famous, or at least locally famous, for its ladder up the side of a waterfall. On this occasion, it was slippery and wet, and was missing two of its rungs. Last time, I went up, but this time, I went down, which I think was way scarier. I would definitely not want to do this in the rain. As it was, I clung to the ladder with my whole body, and still felt like I was gonna slip. I became covered in mud, as a warning to all the other hikers passing in the other direction of what was to come. There are so many gorgeous little waterfalls on Webb Creek on this trail. Hiking through this forest almost feels like traveling back in time. It's so beautiful. I thought a heard a few fish splashing up the creek, but didn't see any. It looks like a salmon paradise, with hundreds of shallow pools connected by tiny cascades. Very hard but very rewarding trail. Make sure to bring food and water, since there isn't any water on the trail, and the only food is in Stinson Beach.

This time we started with the Steep Ravine and came back via the Dipsea Trail- great choice! Beauty…read moresurrounds you the entire hike. Be prepared to hike up many, many steps on Dipsea. So many gorgeous spots for photos and a lunch break. Fantastic map of area at the Pantoll Ranger Station (he was super nice & kind of cute). The entire area is very well maintained (Support your Parks!). Next time I think we shall start our hike at Stinson Beach.

I had forgotten just how gorgeous this hike is--the scenery is incredible the entire way. Be…read moreprepared for a steady climb through most of the route, with plenty of wooden stairs, gnarly roots, and rock steps, but the stunning views make every bit of effort worth it. There are many great spots to stop for photos, take a break, or enjoy a picnic--we did all three. Thanks to the recent rain, there was still plenty of water flowing, which made the trail even more beautiful. The picnic area at Laurel Dell is especially serene, with a babbling brook nearby. There's even an outhouse, which is always a welcome sight. I actually found climbing up much easier than descending as one has to really pay attention to their footing. We were happy seeing Alpine Lake again knowing we were close to end of hike.

A scenic trail, the winding uphill drive to reach the trail sets the mood and makes one start…read morefeeling the adventure even before one gets on the trail. The Cataract trail is medium difficulty level so one must be geared up well especially wearing the right shoes. It's along the stream of water and is quite narrow, has nice views. We were there before the sunset and the colors around looked so pretty! Quite close to the Fairfax downtown. There was no parking near the trail so people mostly park along the road.

An awesome place to hike! This open space has good trails featuring views of the Civic Center and…read moreMt. Tam. Some of the trails connect to China Camp State Park and Harry Barbier Park. The preserve is pretty heavily forested by oaks, bays, madrones, and a few redwoods, which keeps it nice and cool while you're working up a sweat. The trails are not heavily trafficked in my experience, and dogs (on leash) and horses are allowed on trails and the fire roads. Bikes are not permitted on some of the trails, but it's not uncommon for mountain bikers to come bombing down the hill with no warning, on trails where they're not supposed to be. Other than that occasional surprise, hiking here can be quite peaceful. If you're looking for a good workout out in nature, San Pedro Ridge is a nice option. I wouldn't recommend hiking here for absolute beginners, as some of the trails can be a little challenging even for experienced hikers.

Outdoors lovers like me look at that big hill west of 101 in the Dominican area of San Rafael, and…read morethink "I wonder what is up there." Thankfully, you can find out. Why? Because it's there. When I lived in San Rafael, I did find out. I started at the trailhead near Dominican University, and did the slow incline up the fire road. It's a dense wooded forest of oaks, very shady. If I remember right, I made it to the top a few times. The big surprise: I looked down the hill, and saw the remains of a car that didn't quite get the curve right, and now it's rusting 40 feet down from the fire road! I don't know if it's there anymore, but it was in the last millennium. Today, I found out more. This time, I started at a trailhead near the Civic Center. Now there is manzanita along with the oaks, alternating between shade and open space. And views, first of the Terra Linda area, then of the neighborhood west of downtown SR and also Mt. Tam. Names of parkland, depending on where you are: Harry Barbier Memorial Park, City of San Rafael; San Pedro Mountain, Marin Open Space; China Camp State Park, Land of Fruits and Nuts. You don't just happen upon the trailheads, you need to know how to get to them. This is not an easy place to hike. If you get winded on hills, you'll have trouble on these trails. It's enough of a challenge to give experienced hikers a good workout. Dogs love it too. Several single-track trails, and mountain bikes are allowed on them. NO WATER. San Pedro Ridge is not a unique place, but it is a very nice getaway when you're tired of being cooped up in your too-expensive Marin shack. The big thing about San Pedro Ridge is not the destination, but the journey. And what a good little journey it is.

This scenic drive is pretty neat. You can see the whole city from the top of this hill. The walk…read moreisn't long but the view is worth the hike. The drive is short, not much to see but trees. It's the hike that counts.

What a great find. I was driving along the Robert Dollar scenic drive enjoying the beautiful view…read moreand saw a fire road so I decided to explore. This hike is only about 25-40 minutes down and back so it's great if you don't have a lot of time but incline levels are good so you'll definitely still get a workout. What amazed me was the numerous views. It was so beautiful, you saw Mt Tam, the bay, San Rafael, Dominican Hills, Sleepy Hollow hills, the city, even the Transamerica Pyramid at the top of the hike. I would come for the view and glute workout. I didn't see too many people either but there were a couple of benches here and there where you could enjoy the view and chill out.

Secret Trail! This…read moreis one of my favorite areas for mountain biking. All of the lakes are are incredibly beautiful. You should know, however, that the parking is a real problem at Greene Park.. Even if you get there at 7 a.m. there are only a few spots left. Today, when I arrived promptly at 7 am, there were only two spots left. They were gone in a few minutes. The Coffin families have a great history in this area. If you get a chance you can research. It's a very interesting story. I recently discovered something unique about the Watershed. There is a secret way from this Watershed into the Cascade waterfall! Here's the secret way--please don't tell anyone else. Up above Concrete Pipe path, you can access Pine Mountain Tunnel Road. From there, there's a secret path--completely legal, to go to the Cascade Falls. There's one hitch however. You can't take your bike through Carey Camp Trail. You have to leave it there and hike in to go see the waterfall. Plan on an hour round-trip.

Great place to come on a bright sunny day. The parking lot is small but it didn't take long to find…read morea spot. Most of the hike is pretty exposed so if you are looking for a more shaded hike this is not the one. Still it's a great beginners hike made even more enjoyable by the lake which you can follow the trails around. The views are beautiful but as Janell mentioned, not so many high elevation views.

If you don't mind hiking between 12 and 14 miles in a day with some incline, this is well worth the…read moretrip from the parking lot. Great views along the way for the coastal trail and you could turn this into a loop trail if you take the unofficial shortcut. This is one of the beauties of California. Recommended activities: Hiking, Running, Walking Parking options: Free parking lot

People who have never been to Oregon will tell you that this is one of only two tidefalls (a…read morewaterfall that flows into the ocean) on the entire West Coast. People who believe AllTrails will tell you that this is one of only two tidefalls in California. (If you use Alltrails, you aren't allowed to hike with me, by the way.) Neither of these statements are anywhere close to true. As a matter of fact, there are at least two tidefalls on this one beach, and there are many more in areas that are not easily accessible to the public. Tidefalls are common along the coasts of Oregon, Washington, and Canada. There are several tall tidefalls in Cape Perpetua alone. That being said, Alamere Falls might be the biggest, prettiest publicly accessible tidefall in Northern California. I recently hiked Alamere Falls for the first time in nearly ten years, and I couldn't believe how much had seemed to change. First of all, the road to the Palomarin trail was hell in a compact vehicle. Even going like two miles per hour, I got a little motion sickness from the thousands of deep potholes. The road is so bad that it almost seems beyond repair. At this point, it's probably only suitable for high clearance vehicles, although I did not notice any signs warning of such. Secondly, I'm pretty sure I was the only sober person on the trail. The vibes were so, so weird. Consider packing your (legal) weapon of choice. Thirdly, I was certainly the only person to take the 'legal' trail down, although I gained some new perspective on this. While the trail that I took is ostensibly the trail recommended by NPS, one does have to wonder why it is so overgrown. It feels like, "Obviously, no one ever really hikes this trail," because it's nowhere near clear or well-trodden. Certain areas of the trail were so overgrown that it was impossible to see my feet, and difficult to find my footing. These areas were chalk full of poison oak, stinging nettle, poison hemlock, and a wide variety of (harmless) snakes. By contrast, much of the "social" trail was four feet wide, flat, and clear. Which made me wonder-- which trail is really safer? The cliffs at the end of the social trail are constantly crumbling. The risk of falling, breaking a leg, or at least spraining an ankle, seems high. But by contrast, the risk of spraining an ankle on the recommended trail seems high, too. And the stinging nettle hurt a lot, but only for a few hours. My personal recommendation is to take the recommended trail, but wear solid boots, long pants, and tall, colorful socks. Tuck your pants into your socks, or wear gaiters. Use permethrin or your tick repellant of choice. While the official Palomarin Trail may be very long and difficult, it's also worth the trouble. The ocean views and wildlife were unbelievable. I actually saw a mother deer nursing two spotted fawns in the middle of the trail. On the beach, I found agates, fossils, shells, giant bull kelp, snowy plovers, and lots of by-the-wind-sailors jellyfish in multiple stages of life and decomposition. The waterfall itself is pretty-- but make sure to check the tide!! I never do, and I almost always get stranded. The first time I ever hiked this trail, I actually had to climb up a cliff in terror and wait 3 hours for the tide to recede. But that doesn't need to happen to you if you remember to check the tide before you come out, while you still have service.