Mount Tamalpais State Park

Phone Number

(415) 388-2070

Park Hours

Daily: 7:00 a.m. to Sunset, year round.

Dogs Allowed?

Yes
Dogs allowed only in developed areas. Dogs not allowed in the following areas: trails, dirt roads, and backcountry areas.

Driving Directions to Mount Tamalpais State Park

The park is located North of San Francisco's Golden Gate. From Highway 101 take Highway 1 to the Stinson Beach exit and follow signs up the mountain. See Park Brochure Map for other entrances.

View on Map

Visitors will be able to reserve campsites and lodging six months in advance from the current date. Bookings may extend from the arrival date to the desired departure date – based on availability and the park’s maximum stay rules.

Online Reservations

Upcoming Park Events

OVERNIGHT FACILITIES
Environmental Campsites
Family Campsites
Group Campsites
Hike or Bike Campsites
Alternative Camping
TRAIL USE
Hiking Trails
Horseback Riding
DAY-USE ACTIVITIES & FACILITIES
Historical/Cultural Site
Picnic Areas
Env. Learning/Visitor Center
Exhibits and Programs
Fishing
Guided Tours
Interpretive Exhibits
Scuba Diving/Snorkeling
Beach Area
Swimming
Vista Point
Nature & Wildlife Viewing
Windsurfing/Surfing
Museums
Family Programs
Geocaching
OTHER FACILITIES & VISITOR INFORMATION
Parking
Restrooms
Drinking Water Available

Welcome to Mount Tamalpais State Park

Just makin up poems in my head as I climb toward Mount Tamalpais.
See up there, as beautiful a mountain as you’ll see anywhere in the world,
 a beautiful shape to it, I really love Tamalpais.

                   – The Dharma Bums, by Jack Kerouac  

 

Tri-County Partnership to Create a Cleaner Coast

MARIN, SONOMA AND MENDOCINO COUNTY PARTNER TO CREATE A CLEANER COAST Teaching Leave No Trace Practices to Growing Visitor Audiences in Coastal Communities. Learn more by reading the Tri-County Partnership Press Release (6/15/2022).

Just north of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, Mount Tamalpais State Park rises majestically from the heart of Marin County. Its deep canyons and sweeping hillsides are cloaked with cool redwood forests, oak woodlands, open grasslands, and sturdy chaparral.

The breathtaking vistas from Mount Tamalpais’s upper mountain include the Farallon Islands 25 miles out to sea, the Marin County hills, San Francisco Bay and City, the East Bay, and Mount Diablo. On rare occasions, the snow-covered Sierra Nevada Mountain Range can be seen 150 miles away.

The park offers superlative hiking, picnicking, wildlife watching. Up top, on most weekends volunteers at the East Peak Visitor Center provide information, sell merchandise and snacks. Volunteers at the nearby Gravity Car Barn relate the stories of the old Mount Tamalpais Scenic Railway. A couple of miles below, a beautiful outdoor theatre, the Mountain Theater, hosts outdoor plays and astronomy programs.

First-come/first-serve camping is available at Pantoll or Bootjack Campgrouds. Visitors can also reserve a group campsite at Alice Eastwood Group Camp or a rustic cabin or seaside campsite at the Steep Ravine Cabins and Environmental Campground thorugh our agency Reserve California.

Arrive early to avoid heavy weekend and holiday traffic. Better yet, take the West Marin Stage Coach. 

Weather

Spring and summer temperatures are warm, with average highs in the 80s and 90s. Fall and winter can be cool, with temperatures in the 50s. Fog is common.

Important Rules

DRONES are prohibited at Mount Tamalpais State Park per Superintendent's Order 22-660-002.

Mushroom collecting is not allowed at Mount Tamalpais State Park. All natural and cultural park resources (rocks, flowers, wood, animals) are protected by law and must not be disturbed or removed. 

Dogs (except for service animals) are ONLY allowed on paved roads, Old Stage Fire Rd, Verna Dunshee Trail, in developed areas, campgrounds, and picnic areas.  Pets must remain on leash at all times.

Bicycles are allowed only on fire roads and Coast View Trail.

Be alert for: poison oak, rattlesnakes, mountain lions, and ticks.

Smoking, camping and fires are never permitted in the upper mountain. If not under red flag alert, fires are permitted on the lower mountain only in provided firepits.

Horses are allowed only on fire roads and where specifically posted.

Camping in vehicles is PROHIBITED in all parking lots.

Accessibility

Some of the park’s wheelchair-accessible features include: 

  • The accessible 0.75-mile-long Verna Dunshee Trail at East Peak has fantastic views. Accessible tables, restrooms and drinking fountains are nearby. :
  • Spectacular vistas may also be seen from an accessible 0.4-mile portion of the Old Mine Trail from Pantoll Station.
  • Pantoll and Bootjack campgrounds each have accessible camping, restrooms and parking.
  • Cabin #1 and environmental campsite #7 at Steep Ravine are accessible.
  • The Mountain Theater has a wheelchair platform on the right side of the theater. The Mountain Play Association offers signed performances and descriptive services during the first three play performances each season. For more information, call the Mountain Play Association at 415-383-1100.

Visitors with disabilities who need assistance can contact the Pantoll Visitor Services Kiosk at 415-388-2070 before their trip.

Special Event Permits

Weddings and athletic events please contact: dkopler@parks.ca.gov.

Trail Updates

RED ROCK BEACH TRAIL
Parts of the trail to Red Rock Beach are CLOSED AND IMPASSIBLE UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE due to severe winter storm damage. 

LOWER FERN CREEK TRAIL
The section of the Lower Fern Creek Trail between Plevin Cut and Lost Trail is CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE due to hazardous conditions. Please see map below. If you have questions regarding the trail closure, please contact the Pantoll Kiosk at (415) 388-2070.

Lower Fern Creek Trail Closure Map

 

MUIR WOODS NATIONAL MONUMENT

Many trails in Mount Tamalpais State Park connect with trails in the neighboring Muir Woods National Monument. Please check their alerts page for information on any trail work or trail closures there.