7/29/2019 Bay Area Hiker_ Matt Davis-Steep Ravine Loop
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Matt Davis-Steep Ravine Loop (Stinson Beach Trailhead),
Mount Tamalpais State Park,
California State Parks,
Marin CountyIn brief:7.3 mile Mount Tam loop from Stinson Beach to
Pantoll and back, through gorgeous woods,
high grassy slopes, and a lush steep ravine.
Matt Davis Trail is a Bay Area Ridge Trail
segment.
Distance, category, and di fficulty:
This 7.3 mileloop hike is moderate, with about
1600 feet in elevation change. Trailhead
elevation is around 75 feet. The featured hike
climbs to about 1600 feet, then descends back
to the trailhead. Some sections of Steep Ravine
are well, steep, but the other trails are moderate,
with long easy stretches.
Exposure:
More shade than sun.
Trail traffic:
Moderate-hea vy (near Pantoll ).
Trail surfaces:
Dirt trails.
Hiking time:
4 hours.
Season:
Nice any ti me, but best in early spring.
Getting there:
From US 101 in Marin Cou nty, exit CA 1/Mill
Valley/Stinson Beach and drive on Shoreline
Highway to the junction with Almonte, abou t 1
mile. Turn left, remaining on S horeline, anddrive about 2.5 miles to the junction with
Panoramic Highwa y. Turn right on Panoramic
and drive about 1 mile to the junction with
Muir Woods Road; stay straight on Panoramic
(right lane). Continue about 7 .5 miles (past
Pantol l) to the junction with CA 1, just before
the town o f Stinson Beach. Turn right, drive
about 0.2 mile, then turn right (at the fire
station) on to Belvedere Avenue. Look for
park ing on the left side of the road b efore the
"do not enter/wrong way" signs.
Get driving or public transit d irections from
Transit and Trails:
http://www.transitandtrails.org/trailheads/437
GPS coordinates* for trailhead:Latitude 3753'58.61" N
Longitu de 12238'14.42"W
(* based on Google Earth data, shown as
degrees, minutes, seconds)
Gas, food, and lo dging:
Restauran ts, motels, and stores in St inson
Beach, along CA 1 just past Belvedere. More
store and restaurant option s, as well as gas,
are available in Mill Valley at the junction of
Panoramic and Almonte. There is a small,
walk-in campground a few feet from the
Pantol l trailh ead, with very nice shaded sites,
unfortunately situated close to Panoramic
Highway and the Pan toll parking lot .
Trailhead details:
This popular hike departing from the town of Stinson Beach,strung together from Matt Davis, Steep Ravine, and Dipsea trails,
is probably my favorite Mount Tam hike, and is right up there on
my bay area top ten list. The 7 mile loop features a bit of
everything, with waterfalls, redwood, Douglas fir, and oak forests,
grassland, canyons, and views galore. These three trails are some
of Tam's best, and combining them into one hike intensifies their
pleasures. Matt Davis is a masterpiece of trail construction -- the
perfect trail through a spectacular landscape. The entire
experience, from Stinson Beach to Pantoll (and back), is a joy.
Steep Ravine starts out in a pretty redwood canyon and gets
better with each step, as you descend past waterfalls and down a
famous ladder. The hike only spends a short time on historic Dipsea, but this segment showcases fabulous, gasp-worth
views of Stinson Beach, the Pacific coastline, and Point Reyes.I would recommend this loop for any season but summer.
Since Steep Ravine and Matt Davis are accessed by the popular
Pantoll trailhead, these trails are crammed during tourist season,
although you will find more peace early on a weekday. The first
few weeks of spring are just about the perfect time, for that's wh
the waterfalls are still dramatic and wildflowers sprawl through
both grassland and forest.
Begin your hike on Stinson Beach's Belvedere Avenue
just up the street from the fire station (although you could start a
end at Stinson Beach). A few steps past a "wrong way" s ign
Matt Davis Trail begins on the right, clearly signed. This hik
only trail immediately steps onto a bridge and crosses a creek,
where alder, thimbleberry, and buckeye thrive in damp conditions. Multi-trunked California bays shade the narrow pat
and an invasive ivy greedily hugs the ground. You might also notice cottoneaster, a non-native shrub with red berries, asome poison oak. At about 0.14 mile, you'll reach an unsigned junction. The path to the right heads to Panoramic
Highway. Bear left to remain on Matt Davis Trail. The trail crosses the creek again, then reaches another junction
0.16 mile, this one signed. Turn right and continue on Matt Davis Trail.
The trail begins a moderate ascent, guided occasionally by wooden fences. Buckeye and California bay offer shade
and a creek provides soothing aquatic murmurs. You might see iris, forget-me-not, milkmaids, buttercup, and vetch
blooming in early spring. Matt Davis Trail draws near the creek, then turns left and winds back uphill to cross the strea
on a bridge. After a few more tight switchbacks you'll emerge in
chaparral,
where you
can enjoy
an initial
view west
to theocean.
Shrubs of
silver lupine,
toyon,
sagebrush,
broom,
poison oak, and coyote brush crowd the trail. Enjoy the sunlight
while you can, for the trail quickly heads back into the woods. Big-leaf maple and buckeye trees grace another bridge
where cascades of water rush downhill in winter and early spring. A series of steep steps curve uphill, reaching a pretty
spot with giant rocks and lichen draped trees. Stone steps continue the climb, finally ending as the trail levels off to a m
moderate ascent. At the Bischof Steps the trail curves right, under the shadow of a massive boulder, Table Rock. The
creek is just a few feet off the trail to the left here, and shows off a pretty cascade. Matt Davis Trail keeps ascending,
zigzagging up the side of the mountain through a wide canyon. At the top of the boulder, look for a small sign pointing le
to Table Rock. Duck under some bucke e to emer e at the to of
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Side of street parking. No entrance or parking
fees at this trailh ead -- if you start at Pantoll
the day use parking fee is $8. No designated
handicapped parki ng, and trails are not
suitab le to whee lchai rs or strollers. Maps
available (for a fee) at the Pantoll Ranger
Station. Restrooms and water at the beach, a
few blocks west. Pay phone a t the fire station,
and the Pantoll trailhead. West Marin
Stagecoach offers public transportation to this
trailhead.
Rules:
Park is open from 7 a.m. to sunset (hours
fluctuate slightly during the year). Bikes and
horses are permitted on some trails; Matt Davis
and Steep Ravine are hiking only t rails. Dogs
are not allowed in the state park.
The Official Story:
CSP's Mount Tam page.
Pantoll Ranger Station 415-388-2070
Map/bo ok ch oices and more in formation:
Use AAA's San Francisco Bay Region map to
get there.
Download th epark map pdffrom CSP's
website.
This hike is described and mapped in 60
Hikes with in 60 Miles: San Francisco , by Jane
Huber (yup, that's me, the creator of this
website). Order this bo ok from Amazon.com.
Redwood Hikes has a great map and
descriptions of this hike, with gorgeous ph otos.
Barry Spitz's Tamalpais Trails (order this bo ok
from Amazon.com), a book with a pu llout map of
Tam is a great guide.
Olmsted Brothers' map,A Rambler's Guide to
the Trails of Mt. Tamalpais and the Marin
Headlands (order th is map from Amazon.com) is
useful.
Mount Tam Trail Map , published b y Tom
Harrison Maps (order from Tom Harrison
Maps). Comparable to the Olmsted map
Hiking Marin by Don and Kay Martin (order
this b ook from Amazon.com) has a good map
and descriptions of this hike.
101 Great Hikes of the Sa n Francisco BayArea,by Ann Marie Brown (order this boo k
from Amazon.com) has a simple map and
descriptions of a featured hike.
The official State Park map is available (for a
fee) at the ranger station.
Matt Davis/Steep Ravine/Dipsea Loop in a
nutshell -- a printable, text-only guide to the
featured hike.
View photos from this hike.
Table Rock, a perfect rest or lunch stop with excellent views to
Stinson Beach. Back on Matt Davis Trail, Douglas fir are
prominent on the hillsides, standing ramrod straight while California
bays often arch themselves across the trail. You might also notice
tanoak, huckleberry, poison oak, a variety of ferns, and in spring,
trillium. Although those grueling sets of steps are now just a
memory, there is one harsh 2-foot high step formed in the root of a
Douglas fir. Eventually the trail crosses over to the western slope
of the mountain, continuing to ascend in broad switchbacks. I saw
lots of coralroot under the trees in March. Finally, Matt Davis Trail
steps out into grassland. The hillside rolls steeply toward
Ridgecrest Boulevard, but the trail curves right and keeps a
thankfully easy pace as it angles east. The ocean is visible back to the west. Twice you'll step into the shade when Matt
Davis Trail passes through creases in the hillside, then pops back out into the sunshine. This grassland fosters blue eyed
grass, California buttercups, filaree, and bluedicks in early spring. At 2.53 miles, Matt Davis Trail meets Coastal Trail a
signed junction. Bear right to continue on Matt Davis Trail (the following stretch is a Bay Area Ridge Trail segmen
The trail lingers for a few steps in the upper reaches of a wooded narrow ravine. A small seasonal waterfall descend
from the left in winter and early spring. Back in grassland, the trail climbs very gently to a somewhat signed junction at
2.73 miles. Hawks are commonly spotted hunting near here. The path to the left climbs steeply to the ridgeline, while th
path to the right ascends a few feet to a viewpoint. Even from the junction a view south emerges, encompassing the Ma
Headlands, San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge, and the coastline well into San Mateo County. Continue straigh
With one last sweep through grassland, the trail heads into a woodland of Douglas fir, California bay, redwood, and
canyon and coast live oaks. In late winter and early spring a few seasonal waterfalls trickle down small gulches where
maples benefit from damp soil. You may see beautiful pink calypso orchids nestled close to the ground in late March.
Hound's
tongue and
milkmaids
are more
common.
The trail
makes
steady
progress at
a nearly
level grade,
toward
Pantoll.
Although the forest blocks all views, cars are audible as they drive along nearby Panoramic Highway. Matt Davis Trailleaves the woods for a rocky stretch of grassland, dotted with ceanothus and coyote brush. I perched on a trailside roc
for a snack along here, not realizing there was a bench nestled in a cluster of chamise just around the corner. At 4.20
miles, you'll reach a signed junction near a small parking pullout on Pantoll Road, which runs here to the left of the trail.
Bear right, descend and then carefully cross Panoramic Highway . A few steps drop down to the Pantoll Parking
lot (this is a large lot next to the ranger station). Veer right across the upper lot, and look for the signed start of
Steep Ravine, off a paved service road, at 4.25 miles.
Hiking-only Steep Ravine begins a descent along a canyon wall. Fences herd hikers down a string of switchbacks t
the canyon floor, where the trail joins a modest stream as it trave
toward the sea. While the stream is still small the trail skips over
the channel a few times, winding through redwoods like a slalom
course. But before long, Webb Creek feeds into the canyon,
transforming the stream to a more formidable waterway. Bridge
ford the creek, which is lined with huckleberry, California bay,
tanoak, and Douglas fir. Some good-sized redwoods loomoverhead, and litter the canyon, necessitating a few ducks here a
there. Look for trilliums, milkmaids, hound's tongue, and stream
violets in spring. Suddenly you'll arrive at the top of the ladder,
right beside the drop of a waterfall. I suppose some people
descend it face first, but the wood is usually pretty slippery, so
take it slow. At the base be sure to pause and look back at the
falls. The trail, influenced by all this moisture, takes on a slippery texture, so use caution descending rock steps. A giant
redwood which had fallen, blocking the trail, is notched with a square cut large enough to squeeze through. Steep Ravin
Trail keeps descending, along the way passing another memorable waterfall, with a pretty pool at the base. At 5.95 mil
Dipsea Trail heads left over a bridge, departing from a signed junction. Continue straight, past an old dam, to anothe
junction (this one unsigned) with the other leg of Dipsea, at 6.00 miles. Turn right. The trail ascends, following a small
pipeline, and reaches another junction, this one signed. Continue straight on Dipsea Trail.
Dipsea rises through a jumble of plants, with Douglas fir and coyote brush prominent. At 6.06 miles, you'll reach yet
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. . ,
little, crests, then descends easily. The initial view after the crest is breathtaking -- the ocean, Stinson Beach, Bolinas
Lagoon, and the mountains of Point Reyes sprawl at your feet. At 6.18 miles, Dipsea crosses Hill 640 Fire Road.
Continue straight.
Springtime flowers include checkerbloom, wild radish, blue and white lupine, and California poppy. The trail dips in
a damp area where you might see or hear quail. Traffic on nearby Panoramic squelches the mood a bit. Dipsea begins
descending at a more moderate grade, through shrubs of coyote brush and purple bush lupine. Suddenly the trail turns
into the woods, with a creek on the right. Some gnarled buckeyes stand along the trail, along with California bay,
hazelnut, and currant. A boardwalk ushers you through a sunny spot where willow and twinberry bushes grow. At 7.07
miles, Dipsea approaches Panoramic Highway. Carefully cross, then pick up the signed trail again on the oppos
side.
Cottoneaster overwhelms the sides of the trail. At 7.19 miles, Dipsea plops you out on the side of CA 1. With
caution, walk along the side of the road to Belvedere Avenue. Turn right and return to the trailhead .
Total distance: 7.30 miles
Last hiked: Tuesday, July 6, 2004
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