The Coastal Trail is Marin County's longest, stretching 17 miles from the Golden Gate Bridge to Fairfax-Bolinas Road. A 5.9 mile segment connects Rodeo Beach with Muir Beach, a challenging route with exceptional views, variation, and destination points throughout.

A crimson columbine on the descent into Tennessee Valley

Ice plant has been used to treat accumulation of fluid in the abdomen, dysentery, and liver and kidney ailments

Longs views of the ocean from high points on the Coastal Trail

The Coastal Trail crests over Pirates Cove with good views up the coast

Succulents in the bluffs over Rodeo Beach

A short detour to Pirates Cove leads to turbulent waters and picturesque sea stacks

Introduced to help stabilize coastal areas, ice plant has become invasive and harmful to native species

Tennessee Beach is an easy 1.2 mile roundtrip excursion from the Coastal Trail

Social trails split from the Coastal Trail over the bluffs of Rodeo Beach

Thistle can be found on drier slopes between Rodeo Beach and Muir Beach

The coastal wetlands of Tennessee Valley provide important food and fresh water sources for the area's diverse wildlife

Silver Bush Lupine

Ceanothus, part of the buckthorn family

Banana Slugs are common in damp, shady areas of the Marin Headlands

A not-so-tidy Tidy Tip

Wildflowers peak April - May, but some appear sooner and last well into the summer

Some flowering plants produce edible bulbs

Overlooking Tennessee Valley from the Coastal Trail

The Coastal Trail climbs out of Tennessee Valley on a steep fire road