Alice Eastwood Camp Hike-Muir Woods
(scroll to bottom for photo gallery)
Starting Point:
Ridgetop start: Parking area across the road near Mountain Home Inn, 810 Panoramic Hwy, Mill Valley, CA 94941
Location: The ridge top parking areas near Mountain Home Inn are the starting point for numerous hikes. To get to Mountain Home Inn, from US-101, Exit 445B connects to CA-1 N, which then connects to Panoramic Highway. Watch for the signs where Shoreline Highway (1) and Panoramic Highway split off. Panoramic Highway turns right up the hill, curving along a beautiful stretch of mountain ridges.
Mountain Home Inn is on the uphill side of the road, and the parking areas are across the road along the ridge edge leading downhill. If you find yourself at the Throckmorton Fire Station, you’ve overshot Mountain Home Inn and trailhead parking.
For all web links, if a link doesn’t jump directly, copy and paste into browser. (Information links may change. We do our best to update.)
Muir Woods National Monument info link (National Park Service):
https://www.nps.gov/muwo/index.htm
Muir Woods National Monument visit/reservations link (National Park Service):
https://www.nps.gov/muwo/planyourvisit/reservations.htm
Muir Woods National Monument trail options (National Park Service):
https://www.nps.gov/muwo/planyourvisit/hike.htm#:~:text=Muir%20Woods%20National%20Monument%20contains,surrounding%20Mount%20Tamalpais%20State%20Park
Things to Do, Mount Tam (California State Parks:
https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=28465
Mount Tamalpais State Park info link:
https://www.parks.ca.gov/pages/471/files/MountTamalpaisSPFinalWebLayout110816.pdf
Maps with trails:
http://www.friendsofmttam.org/wp-content/uploads/map-Mt-Tam-topo-600.png
http://www.onetam.org/map-and-trails
(The following link is the same link as the info link above: scroll to the bottom for a trail map.)
https://www.parks.ca.gov/pages/471/files/MountTamalpaisSPFinalWebLayout110816.pdf
Other good resources:
Mount Tamalpais Trails by Barry Spitz, a book including a description of every trail on Mt. Tam.
Any good old fashioned paper map of Marin and Mt. Tam that includes trail names and distances. I have multiple Mt. Tam maps and switch between different versions depending on the hike.
Distance:
It’s approximately 2 miles along the Alice Eastwood Camp Road and Trail between the trailhead parking near Mountain Home Inn and Muir Woods and Bridge 4, which is the bridge closest to where the Alice Eastwood Trial connects along the main Muir Woods loop. We shortened that distance by 0.3 miles by taking the 0.2 mile Plevin Cut Trail which cuts through the redwoods more directly near the camp. Hikers have the option of doing this as one leg of the hike, and using another route for the other leg. See Fern Creek Trail-Muir Woods and Muir Woods National Monument.
Note on Muir Woods parking restrictions: Muir Woods parking now requires reservations at all times, and there is a time limit. For those capable of doing a hardier hike, hiking in from above is a great option that does not have a time restriction.
Considerations:
• For those visiting from the parking area: Make sure to make your reservations and follow instructions on time limits (see visit/reservations link above).
• There are toilet facilities before the park entrance/visitor center, and also near the gift shop a short distance in from the entry gate.
• For those hiking in from the ridgetop: Maps, both for the roads and the hiking trails, are highly recommended for any Mt. Tam hikes. Hikers can get lost, and trails are steep. Rangers will search for a lost hiker if they know someone is missing, but lone hikers don’t have a way of letting someone know if they’ve slipped down a steep ridge or ravine.
• There is often little or no cell phone service in this area.
• The trailhead parking areas are in close access to multiple trail starts. I have been thrown off more than once starting this hike because I forget you have to walk about 0.2 miles on the road, backtracking south from the parking area. Keep an eye out along the right side of the road as you walk south on the shoulder of the road for some wooden structures that mark the start of the zigzag connection starting this hike.
• There are rustic toilet facilities at the trailhead parking areas.
• Mt. Tam is a popular spot for hikers. Trailhead parking is typically easier on weekdays or by getting an earlier start on weekends.
The trail:
[Note: Some content overlaps with Muir Woods National Monument.]
There are so many trails cutting up, down, and sideways through Mt. Tam. I love the roots jutting out of the trail, patchy shadows of leaves, deep green moss and ferns, fallen trees, babbling creeks, steep ravines along narrow pathways, sharp turns in the trail, and then the occasional sudden open spaces. Starting at the top of the ridge you are under bright open sky, but as you get down deeper into the woods, sunlight has a harder time making its way past the dense canopy of redwoods and other trees. It’s always a surprise to hike back up to the top of a ridge and realize that it’s been sunny and bright all along.
The easy walk option of using the reserved parking or shuttle system is covered in Muir Woods National Monument. Steeper trail options from Mountain Home Inn to Muir Woods are covered in Fern Creek Trail-Muir Woods.
Some people I like to hike with do not do well with steep trails. I wanted to revisit the Alice Eastwood Camp trail and road option because I remembered that it was a shallower incline ascent up to the top of the ridge. After hiking down a steeper trail and doing the full Muir Woods loop, my hiking companion and I checked in at Bridge 4 and then backtracked a short distance to the Alice Eastwood Camp trailhead.
In our initial rise out of Muir Woods proper, a glance back showed the charming wood-fenced main loop trail beyond the green ferns lining our hillside. A moss-covered wooden fence led us up a dirt trail.
The dirt path woodsy trail vibe continued as we passed various trail signs indicating other trail options. The goal being to do the main climb through the Alice Eastwood Camp, our one sidetrack was to take the Plevin Cut, a 0.2 mile trail that passes takes hikers along a narrower trail through the redwoods that cuts 0.3 miles off the Alice Eastwood Trail.
After enjoying the trees along the Plevin Cut, the path led us up over a few wooden steps up to the campground. There are picnic tables, a covered structure, and cooking grills. I believe that toilet facilities are only accessible by those with camping reservations.
The next rise out of the campground took us to the paved road that goes up to the Panoramic Highway. I remembered this as the easy-grade section that might be easier for the people I know who do not like steep climbs.
We walked along the paved road, lined by redwoods with an occasional creek ravine or rocky structure breaking up the scenery. We walked, we turned, we walked some more. I remembered then that in the previous hike on this trail years ago, the paved climb up started to feel like forever. We walked and turned and walked some more.
Eventually breaks in the trees opened up to stunning views, and we reached the rustic old stairs that led back up to the trailhead parking near Mountain Home Inn.
I was glad to revisit the Alice Eastwood Camp trail and road, but was reminded that long and slow doesn’t mean easy and no-effort. Muir Woods is a great place to visit whether you go with reserved parking or shuttle, or by taking one of the many trails down from the ridge!
(Alice Eastwood Camp Hike-Muir Woods Hike Notes were originally paired with the “The Long Slow Road”Insights post.)
Check the Home page for the broader background story. Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes on the main Hikes page or on the Hike Search by Area page, and scroll to the bottom of each hike page to see full photo galleries.
If you’d like to support HikingAutism, check out the Support/Shop page! Check out selected articles and interviews under Media. Click World Walks to see or share favorite family-friendly walks! Stay in touch with Lisa Louis and HikingAutism via Contact. The Links page lists a loose collection of helpful information links. Feel free to share and follow on Facebook at HikingAutism, follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism and Instagram at lisalouis777
(scroll to bottom for photo gallery)
Starting Point:
Ridgetop start: Parking area across the road near Mountain Home Inn, 810 Panoramic Hwy, Mill Valley, CA 94941
Location: The ridge top parking areas near Mountain Home Inn are the starting point for numerous hikes. To get to Mountain Home Inn, from US-101, Exit 445B connects to CA-1 N, which then connects to Panoramic Highway. Watch for the signs where Shoreline Highway (1) and Panoramic Highway split off. Panoramic Highway turns right up the hill, curving along a beautiful stretch of mountain ridges.
Mountain Home Inn is on the uphill side of the road, and the parking areas are across the road along the ridge edge leading downhill. If you find yourself at the Throckmorton Fire Station, you’ve overshot Mountain Home Inn and trailhead parking.
For all web links, if a link doesn’t jump directly, copy and paste into browser. (Information links may change. We do our best to update.)
Muir Woods National Monument info link (National Park Service):
https://www.nps.gov/muwo/index.htm
Muir Woods National Monument visit/reservations link (National Park Service):
https://www.nps.gov/muwo/planyourvisit/reservations.htm
Muir Woods National Monument trail options (National Park Service):
https://www.nps.gov/muwo/planyourvisit/hike.htm#:~:text=Muir%20Woods%20National%20Monument%20contains,surrounding%20Mount%20Tamalpais%20State%20Park
Things to Do, Mount Tam (California State Parks:
https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=28465
Mount Tamalpais State Park info link:
https://www.parks.ca.gov/pages/471/files/MountTamalpaisSPFinalWebLayout110816.pdf
Maps with trails:
http://www.friendsofmttam.org/wp-content/uploads/map-Mt-Tam-topo-600.png
http://www.onetam.org/map-and-trails
(The following link is the same link as the info link above: scroll to the bottom for a trail map.)
https://www.parks.ca.gov/pages/471/files/MountTamalpaisSPFinalWebLayout110816.pdf
Other good resources:
Mount Tamalpais Trails by Barry Spitz, a book including a description of every trail on Mt. Tam.
Any good old fashioned paper map of Marin and Mt. Tam that includes trail names and distances. I have multiple Mt. Tam maps and switch between different versions depending on the hike.
Distance:
It’s approximately 2 miles along the Alice Eastwood Camp Road and Trail between the trailhead parking near Mountain Home Inn and Muir Woods and Bridge 4, which is the bridge closest to where the Alice Eastwood Trial connects along the main Muir Woods loop. We shortened that distance by 0.3 miles by taking the 0.2 mile Plevin Cut Trail which cuts through the redwoods more directly near the camp. Hikers have the option of doing this as one leg of the hike, and using another route for the other leg. See Fern Creek Trail-Muir Woods and Muir Woods National Monument.
Note on Muir Woods parking restrictions: Muir Woods parking now requires reservations at all times, and there is a time limit. For those capable of doing a hardier hike, hiking in from above is a great option that does not have a time restriction.
Considerations:
• For those visiting from the parking area: Make sure to make your reservations and follow instructions on time limits (see visit/reservations link above).
• There are toilet facilities before the park entrance/visitor center, and also near the gift shop a short distance in from the entry gate.
• For those hiking in from the ridgetop: Maps, both for the roads and the hiking trails, are highly recommended for any Mt. Tam hikes. Hikers can get lost, and trails are steep. Rangers will search for a lost hiker if they know someone is missing, but lone hikers don’t have a way of letting someone know if they’ve slipped down a steep ridge or ravine.
• There is often little or no cell phone service in this area.
• The trailhead parking areas are in close access to multiple trail starts. I have been thrown off more than once starting this hike because I forget you have to walk about 0.2 miles on the road, backtracking south from the parking area. Keep an eye out along the right side of the road as you walk south on the shoulder of the road for some wooden structures that mark the start of the zigzag connection starting this hike.
• There are rustic toilet facilities at the trailhead parking areas.
• Mt. Tam is a popular spot for hikers. Trailhead parking is typically easier on weekdays or by getting an earlier start on weekends.
The trail:
[Note: Some content overlaps with Muir Woods National Monument.]
There are so many trails cutting up, down, and sideways through Mt. Tam. I love the roots jutting out of the trail, patchy shadows of leaves, deep green moss and ferns, fallen trees, babbling creeks, steep ravines along narrow pathways, sharp turns in the trail, and then the occasional sudden open spaces. Starting at the top of the ridge you are under bright open sky, but as you get down deeper into the woods, sunlight has a harder time making its way past the dense canopy of redwoods and other trees. It’s always a surprise to hike back up to the top of a ridge and realize that it’s been sunny and bright all along.
The easy walk option of using the reserved parking or shuttle system is covered in Muir Woods National Monument. Steeper trail options from Mountain Home Inn to Muir Woods are covered in Fern Creek Trail-Muir Woods.
Some people I like to hike with do not do well with steep trails. I wanted to revisit the Alice Eastwood Camp trail and road option because I remembered that it was a shallower incline ascent up to the top of the ridge. After hiking down a steeper trail and doing the full Muir Woods loop, my hiking companion and I checked in at Bridge 4 and then backtracked a short distance to the Alice Eastwood Camp trailhead.
In our initial rise out of Muir Woods proper, a glance back showed the charming wood-fenced main loop trail beyond the green ferns lining our hillside. A moss-covered wooden fence led us up a dirt trail.
The dirt path woodsy trail vibe continued as we passed various trail signs indicating other trail options. The goal being to do the main climb through the Alice Eastwood Camp, our one sidetrack was to take the Plevin Cut, a 0.2 mile trail that passes takes hikers along a narrower trail through the redwoods that cuts 0.3 miles off the Alice Eastwood Trail.
After enjoying the trees along the Plevin Cut, the path led us up over a few wooden steps up to the campground. There are picnic tables, a covered structure, and cooking grills. I believe that toilet facilities are only accessible by those with camping reservations.
The next rise out of the campground took us to the paved road that goes up to the Panoramic Highway. I remembered this as the easy-grade section that might be easier for the people I know who do not like steep climbs.
We walked along the paved road, lined by redwoods with an occasional creek ravine or rocky structure breaking up the scenery. We walked, we turned, we walked some more. I remembered then that in the previous hike on this trail years ago, the paved climb up started to feel like forever. We walked and turned and walked some more.
Eventually breaks in the trees opened up to stunning views, and we reached the rustic old stairs that led back up to the trailhead parking near Mountain Home Inn.
I was glad to revisit the Alice Eastwood Camp trail and road, but was reminded that long and slow doesn’t mean easy and no-effort. Muir Woods is a great place to visit whether you go with reserved parking or shuttle, or by taking one of the many trails down from the ridge!
(Alice Eastwood Camp Hike-Muir Woods Hike Notes were originally paired with the “The Long Slow Road”Insights post.)
Check the Home page for the broader background story. Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes on the main Hikes page or on the Hike Search by Area page, and scroll to the bottom of each hike page to see full photo galleries.
If you’d like to support HikingAutism, check out the Support/Shop page! Check out selected articles and interviews under Media. Click World Walks to see or share favorite family-friendly walks! Stay in touch with Lisa Louis and HikingAutism via Contact. The Links page lists a loose collection of helpful information links. Feel free to share and follow on Facebook at HikingAutism, follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism and Instagram at lisalouis777