Summit Mt. Tamalpais, Visit The Gravity Barn, Identify Bay Area Landmarks From East Peak
One more landmark site to see the entire Bay Area from, this time from Mt. Tam’s East Peak.
This is part of a series of family-oriented day trip outings around the San Francisco Bay Area I look forward to enjoying once social distancing isn’t the norm any longer.
Photo by Michael Pujals on Unsplash
Social Isolation — Day 10
Yesterday Marin announced it was closing all their parks due to overcrowding. The weather has been good and with the current exception for shelter in place being personal exercise, everyone headed to the beach and parks. Later I saw a photo of Bolinas residents blocking the road to Bolinas with a makeshift blockade and signs saying Bolinas was closed due to Covid-19.
Continuing our tour of notable summits, Mount Tamalpais seemed like a good candidate for an imagined adventure today. Even without the reported crowds, I don’t feel comfortable traveling that far away from home right now.
I’ve spent quite a bit of time on and around Mt. Tam. Field trips in middle school, monthly backpacking trips with my Boy Scout troop when I was 11, hiking trips with friends and family over the years, and so much more. I still feel like there is much more to see, and I look forward to visiting again soon. Maybe I can talk the kids into a backpacking trip soon!
Destination Mt. Tamalpais
Visit the Gravity Barn
Summit East Peak
Identify Bay Area landmarks
Visit the Gravity Barn
Gravity Car Barn by Cody Tolmasoff
Mt. Tam was once home to the “crookedest railroad in the world.” This scenic tourist railway ran just over 8 miles with a spur extending into Muir Woods from 1896 to 1930. Starting in Mill Valley, a steam train would tow the gravity car up (almost 2500 feet) to Tavern of Tamalpais near East Peak which offered dining, a post office, and overnight accommodations.
Next to the Visitor Center at East Peak is a replica Gravity Car you can sit in and see some artifacts from this remarkable railway. A fun chance for a photo before you head on up to summit East Peak and enjoy the view from the fire lookout. Also, if you are feeling ambitious, you can hike part of the former railroad grade down the hill.
Summit East Peak
Fire Lookout East Peak by Cody Tolmasoff
There is a great loop around the summit, the Verna Dunshee trail, that is a great quick warmup before tackling the summit. Looping around the summit gives you some great views (on a clear day). Once you make your way past the Gravity Car Barn, you can find the spur trail to make you way up to the fire outlook. It’s not a long hike to the top, but it is steep and rocky. The Fire Lookout at the top is still active but is now manned with cameras primarily. If you can find a rock to sit down on, this is a great spot for a sandwich.
Identify Bay Area Landmarks
View from East Peak by Cody Tolmasoff
If the day is clear enough, you should be able to see all the way to Mt. Diablo and possibly even Mt. Hamilton. You can spend quite a while picking out landmarks around the bay. And, if the fog starts rolling in, this is a fantastic vantage point to see this layer of moisture cover everything up.
Cody Tolmasoff is an author and publisher for Adventuring.in. He is a recovering programmer and a San Francisco native, raising two daughters, and regularly finding new adventures around the SF Bay Area. This article is an excerpt from an upcoming book, 52 San Francisco Bay Area Weekend Adventures, Day Trips With Your Kids!
Find him on Twitter @codyo, and read his most recent title Adventures in Getting Out on Amazon, filled with advice on successfully getting your family out for day trip adventures.
Originally published on Medium on 23 March 2020