Matt Davis–Steep Ravine Loop
Mount Tamalpais State Park · near Mill Valley / Stinson Beach · SF Bay Area
Trail Running
At a glance
- Difficulty
- moderate
- Distance
- 7.5 miles
- Elevation gain
- 1,650 ft
- Best season
- Year-round · magical after winter rain
Permits and booking
- Permit required
- No
- How the permit works
- No permit. Mount Tamalpais State Park — free trail access; Pantoll parking lot is $8/day.
What is here
- Features
- Cascading Steep Ravine waterfalls · Redwood forest + coastal meadow + ocean bluff · Wooden ladder down Steep Ravine · Fantastic flowing singletrack throughout
Worth knowing
- Dogs
- Not permitted
- Good for a first timer
- Yes
Trail Running detail
- Surface
- singletrack
- Intl tip
- Start from the Pantoll Ranger Station on Panoramic Highway — it sits mid-mountain and makes the loop symmetric. The Mountain Home Inn nearby does a good post-run lunch with a Tam view. Combine with a drive to East Peak (the summit) for the full mountain.
The guide
If the Dipsea is Marin's rite of passage, the Matt Davis–Steep Ravine loop is its finest single lap — widely considered the bes…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Matt Davis–Steep Ravine Loop — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 37.9016, -122.6236