Bodington Photography

The Dipsea Trail - Mill Valley to Stinson Beach

Marin County, California

One of the most beautiful trails in the USA. It passes over two high ridges, giving views of San Francisco, Mount Tamalpais, the nearby Pacific Ocean coast, Marin Headlands, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, and Point Reyes National Seashore. It passes through Muir Woods National Monument, one of the most popular scenic treasures in the USA.

The photographs below show the route of the trail, in sequence, from Mill Valley to Stinson Beach. Most intersections with other trails or roads are shown to help the hiker or runner avoid wrong turns. The route depicted is the one on maps, and described in guide books. Racers doing the annual Dipsea Race may or may not follow the route shown. Experienced racers know many secret shortcuts; these are not recommended for hikers anyway. Two well known short-cuts are indicated in the photographs: one that drops rapidly into Muir Woods, aptly named "Suicide", and one that bypasses a section of trail by using Panoramic Highway, named after Russ Kiernan (A several times winner and a regular top finisher of the race). The approximate mileage from Mill Valley for some of the scene locations is shown in a corner. There are 78 photos in all. Enjoy!
Note that this is a work in progress. The page will be continually improved until I get tired of doing it.