Rolling meadows, stunning ocean views, and majestic redwood forests make this one of the most spectacular walks in the world.
This lovely walk takes you down the coast through Point Reyes National Seashore, up into the foot hills for a walk among the giant redwoods in Muir Woods National Monument, back down to the sunny meadows of Marin Headlands and finally you stroll across the Golden Gate Bridge to San Francisco.
View Inn to Inn Marin in a larger map
 Day 1: Fly to Oakland and take train & bus to Inverness. Take Bay Area Transit to San Rafael Transit Center then take Marin Transit from San Rafael to Inverness. Walk one mile north to the Inverness Valley Inn . No food is available at the Inn although they do supply fresh eggs for you to cook in your room for breakfast.
Day 2: Walk to Olema (16 miles). Stay at the Olema Inn. They have 6 rooms. Restaurant is open for dinner and an excellent breakfast is included.
Day 3: Walk to Bolinas (23 miles). Stay at the Blue Heron Inn. This is a B&B with 2 rooms over house. Breakfast is included and they will pick you up or drop you off at the trail head if you ask.
Day 4: Walk to Stinson Beach (16 miles). Stay at the Sandpiper Motel. Several restaurants in town within a few blocks.
Day 5: Walk to Muir Beach via Redwoods National Monument (12 miles). Stay at Pelican Inn. Restaurant open for dinner and excellent breakfast is included.
Day 6: Walk to San Francisco (15 miles) then take a bus to the airport and fly home.
On the first day of walking, when you walk up Mount Vision, you can see the entire trip ahead of you -- all the way south to the skyline of San Francisco.
I have walked this route in both directions and I prefer starting North at Inverness Valley. It is a nice feeling to get off the bus and know that all you need to do is walk 83 miles back to San Francisco. No worries about catching the bus at the right time (it does not run often). But otherwise, it makes no difference which direction you go.
The trip is flexible. You can cut it short or spend two nights in some stops. There are some options on places to stay, but I have my recommendations for what I think are the best accommodations.
Trails along this route are well maintained and there are excellent maps available. Some specific junctions don't have signs, and some segments are not well travelled. Just follow my notes and your maps and you will not have any trouble.
You will have lots of privacy on this walk. Some days I did not pass other walkers for hours. The towns you stay in are very small and undeveloped. This is surprising considering how close these towns are to a large metro area. There are numerous lodging options in the Inverness area, but the other stops have very few options.
Resources:
Golden Gate National Recreation Area
Point Reyes National Seashore (to check for trail closures)
Marin Transit Stagecoach
Bay Area Transit
Day by Day Route
Day 1:
Fly, then take public transit and finally walk one mile to Inverness Valley Inn. See How to Get There (below) for directions.
Mount Vision Road, not one car!
Day 2:
From Inverness Valley Inn, walk through back of property past chickens and goats to a trail that runs roughly parallel to Mt Vision Overlook Rd. Turn right just before a series of steps in the trail then continue past the sign that says "Area Closed". Trail turns into a road with a sign that says "Private Drive". NOTE: this first section sounds complicated but it is easy. You might like to ask the owners to explain it to you when you arrive. Next, follow up hill to Mt Vision Rd, 2 miles (40 minutes) from Inn. Mt Vision Rd is a one lane paved road with no traffic. Continue for 2.5 miles (60 minutes) South past Pt Reys Hill. Turn south on Bucklin Trail, continue for 2.3 miles, turn left on Muddy Hollow Road Trail for 0.9 miles, continue straight 0.8 miles to Clem Miller Environmental Education Center (8.5 ST). Take Laguna Trail south 0.8 miles then Fire Lane Trail north (all up hill) 2.3 miles. Connect through 0.5 miles to Ranch Trail. Water at Sky Ranch Campground. Follow south 0.7 miles to side trail up Mt Wittenberg (optional, not recommended 0.8 loop with no view at all). Take Mt Wittenberg Trail east 1.8 miles. Turn left on Bear Valley Trail for 0.2 miles then right on Earthquake Trail for 0.7 miles. Turn left on driveway then road 0.3 miles to Olema Inn (7.3 ST, 16 miles T)
My room at Olema Inn
Day 3:
Form Olema Inn, retrace route 1 mile to Bear Valley Trail (take first right off highway, cross over bridge then take a right on Rift Trail and follow to Bear Valley Trail). Follow 4 miles south to Arch Rock (optional side trip 0.4 mile loop to Arch rock). Just before Arch Rock, head south on Coast trail 9.2 miles to the Point Reyes National Seashore entrance (14.2 ST). There is water at Wildcat Campground. Leave the park and follow the road 2.5 miles (45 minutes) to a gravel road on your right. Rather than following road to Bolinas, take the trail the back way, 4 miles (80 minutes). Pass through gate with trail sign and follow the gravel road through the cow pasture to the cliffs of Bolinas Point. Follow vague trail along cliffs toward Bolinas passing through two eucalyptus groves. In the second grove, trail leads to the beach where you immediately follow a series of steps back up to the top of the bluff and over to the residential streets. Follow your way through streets to town Blue Heron Inn (many streets on the map do not exist, so just work your way over to Elm street). (21 miles T)
For a shorter route: 6 miles less, follow Rift Zone trail to the left instead of right to Olema Valley Trail to McCurdy and Hwy 1 to Bolinas Rd to Bolinas. You can also make arrangements in advance for the owners of Blue Heron Inn to pick up up at the entrance to Point Reyes National Seashore for a total walk of 14 miles.
Spectacular secnery in Point Reyes National Seashore
Day 4:
From Blue Heron Inn, follow Olema Bolinas Rd 4.1 miles to McCurdy (This is not a nice walk along a busy road and I got a ride from the owners of Blue Heron Inn on my 2009 trip). Turn right on McCurdy Trail and go steep up hill 1.9 miles (50 min). Turn right on Bolinas Ridge Trail and follow 3.3 miles where you cross Bolinas Farifax Rd. Continue 4.7 miles on trail which is now called Coastal Trail. Turn right on Matt Davis and follow steep down 1.6 miles to Stinson Beach (16 miles T). Actually, I took Willow Camp Road which is terribly steep and 1 mile shorter.
The Bobcat I spotted on the hills above Stinson Beach
Day 5:
From town follow Dipsea trail past Cardiac Hill (3 miles), turn left on short connector trail 0.2 miles to Ben Johnson Trail, turn right and follow 1 mile. Turn left on short connector trail 0.1 miles and walk the Fern Creek loop trail 2 miles. Follow main Muir Woods trail 1 mile past park headquarters. To avoid walking on the road, turn right in the parking lot on a connector trail leading to the Dipsea Trail where you turn left on the Fire road which connects after and 0.5 miles back to Muir Woods Rd. Continue across road and walk .5 miles then right on Redwood Creek Trail 1.5 miles to Shoreline Highway. Walk 0.3 miles along road to Pelican Inn. Walk 0.5 miles down to beach and then back to Inn (11 miles T). Can easily walk more loops in Muir Woods.
Beautiful Muir Woods
Day 6:
From Pelican Inn, follow the Coastal Trail south. At 2.5 miles take side trip to Tennessee Cove (1.4 loop). Continue 2 miles on Coastal Trail which becomes Wolf Ridge and turn right on Milwok Trail. In 1 mile Take Rodeo Valley Trail 0.5 miles and cross two roads to pick up Coastal Trail. In 1.6 miles jog left at the road and follow SCA trail for 0.6 miles. Turn right on Coastal Marine Gate trail for 1.0 miles to Golden Gate Bridge. (ST 10.6 miles). Cross bridge 2 miles then follow Golden Gate Park trail 2 miles East to Broderick St & Jefferson St. Take bus from here (15 miles T).
Muir Beach
How to Get There
Starting Point:
Inverness Valley Inn
13275 Sir Francis Drake Blvd
Inverness, California 93937
By Air and Bus:
I recommend flying in to the Oakland Airport instead of San Francisco. The distance from OAK to Inverness is about the same as from SFO. OAK is smaller, so you waste less time getting in and out. Check the schedules carefully. You will probably need to arrive in OAK by 3pm if you want to get to Inverness Valley Inn the same day.
From OAK, take the Bay Area Transit to San Rafael Transit Center. It takes about 1:45 with departures about every hour. There you pick up Marin Stage Coach Route 68 and follow to the last last stop in Inverness. This takes about 1.5 hours and there are only a few runs per day (as of this writing there were afternoon departures at 3:13pm and 6:30pm only. From the bus stop (where there is a small grocery store and nothing else), you need to walk one mile north on the highway to get to the Inn.
By Car from San Francisco:
Take Highway 101 north across the Golden Gate Bridge to Sir Francis Drake Boulevard. Head west and travel about 20 miles to Highway One. Turn right (North) and go slightly less than two miles to the continuation of Sir Francis Drake Blvd. Turn left, following Tomales Bay through Inverness Park and Inverness (approx 5 miles). Inverness Valley Inn is on the left immediately before the turn off to Heart's Desire Beach, about a half mile after the road turns away from the bay.
Lodging
Below are my recommendations for lodging. I have stayed in these at least once. I will also list some alternates that I have tried and don't recommend. You can easily search on maps.google.com for other options as well. Please let me know your lodging experiences so I can update this listing.
Day 1: Inverness Valley Inn
13275 Sir Francis Drake Blvd
Inverness, California 93937
1.800.416.0405
Base Price: $139 + tax
Amenities: 20 rooms, small saline pool, hot tub, stream
Food: No food served. 10 minute walk from two restaurants and the Inverness General Store.
Located one mile from the last bus stop on bus #68. Call and they will pick you up at the bus stop.
Day 2: Olema Inn
10000 Sir Francis Drake Blvd
Olema, CA 94950
(415) 663 9559
Base Price: $165 + tax
Amenities: 6 rooms, elegant
Food: Full service elegant dining, dinner by reservation, breakfast included 8-10am
Day 3: Blue Heron Inn No web site, but here is a review
11 Wharf Rd
Bolinas, CA 94924
(415) 868-1102
Base Price:
Amenities: Only 2 rooms
Food: Full service restaurant, breakfast included
Day 4: Sandpiper Motel
1 Marine Way
Stinson Beach, CA 94970
877-557-4737
Base Price: $120 + tax
Amenities: 10 rooms, 80 years old but newly renovated
Food: No food. There are 4 small restaurants very close by in Stinson Beach
Day 5: Pelican Inn
10 Pacific Way
Muir Beach 94965
(415) 383-6000
Base Price: $190 + tax
Amenities: 7 rooms, rustic yet clean with lots of charm
Food: Old English style pub and restaurant, breakfast included
Preparation
 Plan public transportation and print timetables
If you will rely on public transportation, plan this out first because there are only two afternoon buses to the starting point of this trip.
Make reservations at all inns
There are very few rooms at most of these inns, so before you settle on exact dates or purchase plane tickets, be sure you can get a room on the nights you need and secure your reservations. I recommend you call all of the inns on one day to inquire and then call them back again to reserve if it will all work out. Be prepared to change your dates or look for alternate lodging.
Prepare all walking routes and maps, make copy for home
I recommend you purchase the maps listed and highlight your routes along with alternate routes. It is easy to lengthen or shorten each day and if you prepare this in advance, your walk will be much more care free. Take photographs of your highlighted maps to leave with someone at home -- especially if you are traveling alone.
Confirm all reservations 1 week in advance
Don't rely on email confirmations. These inns are really small and my experience has been that they loose reservations. You will not be able to call a taxi if your reservation is mysteriously missing.
Mail liquids package to first stop
If you are flying in, I recommend mailing a small package with any sensitive materials. For example, I like to have a small knife in my emergency kit. Here is what I mailed last time:
- Personal Locator Beacon (not sure if airport security will know what it is)
- Mace (I carry this on solo walks for safety)
- knife
- matches & fire starters
- Bug repellent, sun screen, soap (liquids)
- Nuun tablets (electrolytes for water)
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