Mount Tam East Peak

     You see it everyday, it’s the backdrop of Marin and, along with the Golden Gate Bridge, it is a symbol for the Bay Area.  It is a popular place for hiking and sightseeing, although many people have never actually been to the top of Mount Tam. 

San Francisco in the distance

       There are a few ways to get to the mountain.  The easiest way involves going through downtown Mill Valley and then along a ridge road on Mt. Tam itself.  You’ll have to go past Tam High School then turn at a bar called the 2am Club to La Goma Street, then right onto Molina Street.  This eventually turns into Edgewood Avenue.  You’ll be on this road for about two miles then turn left onto Sequoia Road, and you’ll end up on Panoramic Highway.  This is a beautiful road, with the hills on either side of you with great views.  You can even take this road to Stinson Beach, if you wanted to.  After you’re on Panoramic for a few miles you will need to turn off onto Pan-toll Road, this is when you’ll begin climbing to the ridge.   The side roads that go up to the mountain though are very narrow.  Huge houses line each side and cars are parked all along the street.  You need  to be careful and not drive fast or else risk hitting something or someone.

The fire lookout

     The drive is one of the best parts of the trip.  The twisty road runs through the hills of Mill Valley, and then you're driving on the side of the mountain itself.  As you wind your way up to the top you’ll see stunning views of San Francisco and the bay.  The road then begins to climb to the top of the mountain and you start cutting through the trees as you get closer to the east ridge.  A word of warning though, bicyclists will be zooming up and down the hill and will not hesitate to yell and cuss at you if you get too close to them.

A view of the bay

      Once you reach the top, there is a parking lot where you have to pay.  But if you park just a before you get to the lot (there are faded lines to indicate where the spaces are) you don’t have to pay.  There is a  visitor and ranger’s station there, where you can buy souvenirs and drinks or talk to the ranger about where you should go or what you should do.  A cool thing to do is to hike up to the fire lookout.   A person will be stationed at the lookout year round to keep watch and call in any fires he or she sees.  Although you can’t go into the lookout, you can relax and sit around the base of it, and admire the amazing views.  You can practically see all of Marin from this one spot.  Mt. Tam offers many great things to do and is definitely worth the trip.