Steep Ravine & Dipsea (Mt. Tam to the Sea)
Mount Tamalpais State Park (Marin) · near Stinson Beach / Mill Valley · SF Bay Area
Hiking
At a glance
- Difficulty
- moderate
- Route type
- loop
- Distance
- 7.5 miles
- Elevation gain
- 1,600 ft
- Time needed
- day
- Best season
- Year-round (lush in winter/spring)
Permits and booking
- Permit required
- No
- How the permit works
- No permit; parking at Pantoll (state park fee). A classic Marin loop linking redwood canyon, a ladder waterfall, and the coast at Stinson Beach.
- How hard the permit is to get
- 1 of 5
What is here
- Features
- Iconic wooden ladder by a waterfall · Redwood-lined Steep Ravine creek · Dipsea Trail to Stinson Beach · Mt. Tam & ocean views
Worth knowing
- Dogs
- Not permitted
- Good for a first timer
- No
Hiking detail
- Intl tip
- Go down Steep Ravine (to enjoy the ladder and waterfall on the descent) and back up the Dipsea for the ocean views on the climb. The Pantoll parking lot fills on weekends — arrive early. In winter and after rains the creek and waterfall are at their most beautiful, though the ladder can be slick.
The guide
This loop is one of the finest day hikes in the Bay Area, linking three classic Mount Tamalpais trails into a circuit that runs…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Steep Ravine & Dipsea (Mt. Tam to the Sea) — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 37.901, -122.644