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Trail Guide to the Marin Headlands

New to the Marin Headlands and want a few family friendly trail recommendations?  Been to Headlands Institute and want to bring your family back to share your experience?  Well look no further.  

Below you can find directions for several amazing adventures that educators at the Headlands Institute commonly share with visiting student groups.  
 

Lagoon Trail

Length of Hike:  1.9 miles, 2-3 hours
Rodeo Beach → South Lagoon Trail → Visitors Center → Rodeo Beach
Reviewed by: Ben Graves, Field Science Educator


View South Lagoon Trail-1.89 miles in a larger map

Rainbow sands, a plethora of birdlife and relatively flat terrain make this half-day excursion excellent for families with small children!

Begin this coastal adventure at the end of Bunker road at Rodeo Beach. As you depart from the parking lot, head south along the “rainbow-sands” of Rodeo Beach. Make your way to the southern end of the beach. This is a great spot to hunt for the famed carnelians, a brilliant orange stone that was formed in pockets of molten magma millions of years ago. Be sure to leave all your treasures on the beach as you head east up the South Lagoon trail. 

This path weaves through rolling hills of coastal-scrub. In the spring, be on the lookout for the gaudy orange blossoms of the Sticky-Monkey Flower. As you climb, you will find evidence of the coyotes and bobcats that prowl this terrain at dusk each night. Soon you will come to a number of centenarian eucalyptus trees, planted by the Portuguese dairy farmers who settled in this valley in the mid-1800s. 

As you descend to the shore of the lagoon keep your ears open for the chorus of songbirds living amidst the willows. As you reach the fern-filled gully at the far eastern end of the lagoon, turn right up the hill for a quick peak at the Golden Gate National Recreation Area Visitors Center to learn more about the diverse human and animal inhabitants of this beautiful valley. 

Make your way back to the lagoon for the final leg of your journey. Cross the bridge marking the freshwater inlet to Rodeo Lagoon. The bridge is an excellent spot to watch diving river otters, prowling great blue herons or brilliant white egrets that call this brackish lagoon home (“brackish” means a mixture of fresh water and salt water.) Trace the northern end of the lagoon along the trail that parallels Bunker Road. The picnic benches in front of the Headlands Institute campus provide stunning views of the lagoon’s diverse birdlife as well as a great lunch spot. End your adventure back at the beach.

 

Hill 88 Loop

Length of Hike: 5 miles,  4-6 hours
Rodeo Beach →Coastal Trail → Hill 88 →Wolf Ridge Trail →Miwok Trail → Rodeo Beach
Reviewed by: Ben Graves, Field Science Educator 


Note this hike does not actually enter Mt. Tam State Park, Google maps has labeled the state park in the incorrect place as of 11/20/09.

View Hill 88 in a larger map in a larger map

Ready for a true wilderness experience just footsteps from the hustle and bustle of the city?  This moderately strenuous full day adventure takes you past stunning ocean-side cliffs, a serene creek filled valley and into the realm of soaring hawks. 

Depart for this 5.5-mile exploration at the end of Bunker Road at Rodeo Beach.  Top off your water bottles at the restroom and ascend the bluffs on the Coastal Trail (use either the steeper dirt path or moderate paved trail).  At the top of the first short climb you can explore the gentle sloping bluff called “Scotty’s Bluff” by Headlands educators.  Watch for diving Brown Pelicans and Harbor Porpoises in the surf bellow the towering cliffs.

Keep climbing up the paved trail, past WWII-era Battery Townsley, where on clear days you might spot the Farallon Islands, lingering 26 miles in the distance.  From here the Coast Trail continues to the left, climbing abruptly to the top of the 800’ ridge where astonishing views of the rugged Marin coastline await intrepid visitors. 

At this point, begin heading inland on the Wolf Ridge trail.  The old military road to the summit of Hill 88 leads to a number of dilapidated structures and some of the best views in the park.  Many of the structures are extremely unsafe so please keep your distance.  The entire Marin Headlands lay before you at the top of this 880’ peak: to the north, the highest peak in Marin County, Mt. Tamalpais dominates the skyline, while to the south the towers of the Golden Gate and the skyscrapers of San Francisco rise above the bay. 

Retrace your steps down the old road back onto the Wolf Ridge trail. Descend this sinuous path past lichen covered trees and boulders to the junction with the Miwok trail.  Turn right onto the gently sloping fire road, which carries you into the wilderness of the Gerbode valley.  Keep on the look out for migrating raptors in the fall and glorious displays of wildflowers in the spring.  At the bottom of the valley stay to the right, passing two different trail junctions, as you follow the creek back to Rodeo Lagoon.  Coyotes and bobcats are often spotted prowling this stretch of trail. 

Soon, you will intersect with Bunker Road.  Follow the trail that skirts the north side of the lagoon back to Rodeo Beach, where you can sink your toes into the sand and relax after your fantastic journey. 

 
The hike descriptions listed on this website are a community resource intended to help  plan  day hikes.  Trail conditions may change, please check with the National Park Service Visitor Center for the latest weather and trail conditions.   Always stay on trails and follow all National Park Service regulations.  Individuals using these descriptions are wholly responsible for anticipating potential hazards and assessing their physical ability to follow these descriptions.