you come to a junction marked by a trail post, where the route forks. The Matt Davis Trail heads left across a bridge over the creek, but your route, the Nora Trail, goes straight and begins a relentless climb via switchbacks to West Point Inn.
Soon the trail turns left, crosses Laguna Creek on a wooden bridge, and then veers right and resumes its uphill course, steep in places, through a forest of spindly redwoods. As you get farther from the creek, the redwoods give way to tanbark oak, toyon, huckleberry, and poison oak. Dark-eyed juncos — small black-headed birds with a pink bill and white along the sides of their tails — may be flitting through the trees in noisy flocks.
A clearing with picnic tables and a water fountain signals your arrival at West Point Inn, a wonderful place to stop, rest, and enjoy the view. Restrooms are on the Inn’s east side; find them by walking through the covered deck area.
West Point Inn
From the deck West Point Inn, you have fine views that range from Mt. Diablo to the Pacific Ocean. Drinks and snacks are available when the Inn is open. Rustic overnight accommodations are available here at $25 per person per night for adults, $12 for children under 18, free for children under 5. For reservations, call (415) 646-0702, Tuesday through Friday, 11 A.M. to 7 P.M.
To resume hiking, follow Old Railroad Grade uphill, around the west side of the inn. After about 125 feet, turn left onto the Rock Spring Trail, a single track, and follow it on a level grade through a corridor of chaparral. At about 2 miles, you step across Spike Buck Creek, only a foot or so wide, and then begin to gain elevation over rocky, eroded ground.
Soon you reach a junction, right, with the Alice Eastwood Trail. The trail name honors noted botanist Alice Eastwood (1859–1953), who for 57 years was curator of botany at the California Academy of Sciences. The naming of Eastwood manzanita, a local species, and the designation of Camp Alice Eastwood, which lies just north of Muir Woods, were two more honors bestowed upon the woman whom author Dorothy L. Whitnah called “the patron saint” of Mt. Tamalpais.
West Point Inn is a popular spot on the south side of Mt. Tamalpais.
Continuing straight on the Rock Spring Trail, you walk on the edge of a steep drop-off, left, high above Old Stage Road. After crossing Rattlesnake Creek on rocks, you follow the trail as it bends left and begins a gentle, then moderate, ascent. (Rattlesnakes are found on Mt. Tamalpais and have been seen in this area.)
The route traverses an outcrop of gray-green serpentine, then passes a seasonal creek, bends left, and enters a wooded area. Just as you emerge from the trees, you may notice a rock bearing a plaque with the inscription: TO JOHN M. COLIER, A LOVER OF NATURE. Colier, an eccentric Scot and one of the early Mt. Tam trail builders, has two features on the mountain’s north side named for him, a spring and a trail.
The trail descends, crosses more seasonal creeks, and then climbs past a rest bench to a fork. Here the Rock Spring Trail goes right, but you continue straight, passing two water fountains, left, at the edge of the Mountain Theater.
Just past the fountains, turn left and walk down a series of stone steps, toward the stage area. Once at the level of the stage, continue behind it. When you are directly behind the center of the stage, you turn left and descend a few more steps and then walk down a path that connects to the Bootjack Trail. About 150 feet from the back of the stage, you reach a T-junction with the Bootjack Trail. (Restrooms are about 100 yards uphill and right.)
Here you turn left and follow the Bootjack Trail as it switchbacks downhill on a moderate grade, past little streams that gather to form the headwaters of Redwood Creek. Continuing downhill through a small ravine, you finally emerge from the forest into a grassy area dotted with California poppies, blue-eyed grass, and false lupine. A final descent on wooden steps brings you to a T-junction with Old Stage Road, at about 4 miles.
Mountain Theater
Dramatic productions have been given almost every summer since 1913 on Mt. Tamalpais, except during wartime, most of them at Mountain Theater, a large amphitheater with stone seats. Most of the construction on this impressive venue, involving about 5000 massive stones moved into position by cranes and derricks, was done during the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps.
Here you turn right, walk about 40 feet to a paved road, and then turn left. After 50 feet or so, you turn right onto the continuation of the Bootjack Trail, a single track. Now, at first with the aid of a few wooden steps, you pursue a moderate downhill grade through forest, with the creek you have been following since just below the Mountain Theater on your right. A short descent puts you at the Bootjack picnic area, where trails sprout in all directions.
From here, both the Bootjack Trail to Muir Woods and the Matt Davis Trail to the Pantoll Campground head right. Your route, the Matt Davis Trail to Mountain Home, a single track, goes sharply left. Alternating between sun and shade, the trail finds a rolling course over ridges and into gullies, including one that holds bridged Rattlesnake Creek. Crossing Spike Buck Creek via a bridge, you contour across a ridge and then enter the canyon holding Laguna Creek. Close the loop at a T-junction with the Nora Trail, then turn right and retrace your route to the parking area.
TRIP 13 Pine Mountain
| Distance | 4.7 miles, Out-and-back | |
| Hiking Time | 2 to 3 hours | |
| Elevation Gain/Loss | ±1000 feet | |
| Difficulty | Moderate | |
| Trail Use | Mountain biking allowed, Leashed dogs | |
| Best Times | All year | |
| Agency | MMWD | |
| Recommended Map | Trail Map of Mt. Tamalpais and the Marin Headlands (Olmsted) |
HIGHLIGHTS This out-and-back route, using Pine Mountain Road and a short trail atop Pine Mountain to its summit, takes you to one of the best vantage points in the Bay Area, where your efforts on a clear day will be rewarded by fantastic views. Pine Mountain’s name refers to a nearby grove of bishop pines — a coastal, two-needled species.
Along the way, plant lovers will stay busy identifying a variety of trees and shrubs, some found only on the locally prevalent serpentine soil. This area is also a favorite with mountain bikers.
DIRECTIONS From Highway 101 northbound, take the San Anselmo exit, also signed for San Quentin, Sir Francis Drake Blvd., and the Richmond Bridge. Stay in the left lane as you exit, toward San Anselmo, crossing over Highway 101. After 0.4 mile you join Sir Francis Drake Blvd., with traffic from Highway 101 southbound merging on your right. From here, it is 3.6 miles to a stoplight at the intersection with Red Hill Ave. From the intersection, stay on Sir Francis Drake Blvd. as it goes straight and then immediately bends left.
At 5.5 miles from Highway 101, in Fairfax, turn left at a stoplight onto Claus Dr., jog left onto Broadway and right onto Bolinas Road, which is heavily used by bicyclists. After 0.4 mile, you pass an intersection with Cascade Dr., where you bear left. (Bolinas Road soon becomes Fairfax – Bolinas Road.) At 3.9 miles, turn left into a gravel parking area. (Fairfax – Bolinas
