Marin Headlands Above Tennessee Point
(scroll to bottom for photo gallery)
Location: Marin Headlands: Tennessee Point on Tennessee Point Trail from Coastal Trail above Rodeo Beach/Fort Cronkhite, Mill Valley, California 94941
Starting Point: Trailhead at Fort Cronkhite/Rodeo Beach parking lot, Mitchell Road
For driving directions, input “Fort Cronkhite parking lot” into your GPS map system.
Info links:
For all web links, if a link doesn’t jump directly, copy and paste into browser.
Marin Headlands Map link (National Park Service):
https://www.nps.gov/goga/planyourvisit/upload/map_mahe_150429_508_2021.pdf
Fort Cronkhite Information and Map link (Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy):
https://www.parksconservancy.org/parks/fort-cronkhite
San Francisco to Fort Cronkhite MUNI bus info link:
https://www.parksconservancy.org/services/marin-headlands-express
Distance:
Our hike was about a mile to Tennessee Point and Tennessee Point Labyrinth from the Fort Cronkhite parking area at Rodeo Beach, followed by about a mile of moderately steep twists and turns without a set trail to an overlook spot above Tennessee Beach, and then further to reconnect with the Coastal Trail. It was about another mile back along the Coastal Trail past Battery Townsley and down to Rodeo Beach, for a total of approximately three miles.
Considerations:
• The Fort Cronkhite parking lot by Rodeo Beach is fairly large, but there is also parking along Mitchell Road with paths to the beach.
• Bathrooms (as well as beach showers) are available at the Fort Cronkhite parking lot by Rodeo Beach.
• There are some pretty steep drop offs along the cliff side stretch above Hawk Tail Beach (a deep split between cliffs toward the end of the fenced portion early in the trail). Keep an eye on children or others who may not be as attentive to fences and steep drops.
• It’s easy to miss the lower Tennessee Point Trail, which is not marked, and keep climbing along the Coastal Trail toward Battery Townsley. You can cut down the hill to the correct trail without going all the way back if you catch the miss early on.
• Bus service from San Francisco to Fort Cronkhite may be affected by health and safety restrictions. See link above for current info.
• For those walking along the periphery of Tennessee Point as well as the unmarked trails closer to the cliff edges, use extreme caution. Not only are the drops steep, but cliffs can be unstable and crumble underfoot at any time.
The trail (some of these notes overlap from Tennessee Point Labyrinth Hike Notes):
You can’t have a bad start to a hike when the launch point is Rodeo Beach in the Marin Headlands near Fort Cronkhite. I have been to Rodeo Beach countless times, on warm days and cold, sunny and overcast, and the scenery has never been less than stunning.
The Coastal Trail trailhead leading toward Tennessee Point and Tennessee Point Labyrinth starts at the beach end of the parking lot, right at the end of Mitchell Road. See other great hikes also starting from here: Tennessee Point Labyrinth, Battery Townsley, Hill 88 from Rodeo Beach, and Rodeo Lagoon Loop-Marin Headlands. Another nearby hikes from different starting points include Old Bunker Road, Batteries Loop Trail-Marin Headlands, and South Rodeo Beach Trail.
A brief uphill climb leads to a sign marking a sharp left up a path lined with charming wood fencing. The wooden fence leads straight toward the Pacific, and then makes a sharp right to continue uphill facing north, with the sharp drop revealing Hawk Tail Beach on the left on the outbound journey.
The minimal barrier that keeps one from falling down the steep cliff into the deep cove of Hawk Tail Beach is worth making a stop at for the glorious view above the steep, narrow beach. We’ve seen emergency crews during rescue practice here, for good reason.
Continue uphill to where the trails split out, with a Coastal Trail sign indicating the path uphill toward Battery Townsley and points beyond. This is where we split to the left to follow north parallel to the coast, rather than climbing uphill.
Tennessee Point Trail is easily visible by not necessarily labeled by a sign. Actually, there are what we refer to as the “middle trail” as well as a “lower trail,” both of which lead north toward Tennessee Point and the Labyrinth. (The officially marked Coastal Trail which is what we’re calling the “upper trail” takes walkers above to Battery Townsley, looming above at the top of the ridge.) The middle trail which meanders through chaparral terrain has lots of coyote brush and no large trees.
The textures and subtle colors of plants and rusty colored trail dirt are a visual treat whether looking up the hill, or down toward the water’s edge, a dramatic view no matter what stretch of this trail you’re on.
Look westward over the Pacific, and on a really clear day, you may get an amazing view of the Farallon Islands.
One of my favorite parts of hiking this part of the Marin Headlands is more about sound than sight. There is a buoy bell that can be heard in the distance, which invariably makes me think of the opening scene in “Jaws” when the young girl is swimming in the moonlight by the buoy. (This stretch of coast has its share of great white sharks!)
Continue along until the trail views out toward the ocean and leads through an old metal fence. The Labyrinth cliff area is visible rising to the left. Make your way through the tree tunnel section of the path and turn left to walk onto Tennessee Point.
After our labyrinth stop, we took what seemed like the obvious trail north, rather than backtracking far back to the Coastal Trail connector just below Battery Townsley. Keeping a general sense of direction is fairly easy with few trees blocking views in any direction. The Pacific is to the west, the San Francisco skyline is to the southeast, Point Reyes is toward the northwest, and the battery-dotted ridges rise above to the east. The two UFO-like structures that jut out of the hill looking back toward the hike start are the visual markers of Battery Townsley. If you can get there, you can get back to Rodeo Beach.
The trail that cuts up the headlands north of Tennessee Point Labyrinth offers gorgeous views leading to an area full of rock formations, miscellaneous bits of military ruins, and even a crumbling old asphalt road. It fades into non-trail terrain at this point.
We climbed, looked out toward Point Reyes where we could see Chimney Rock in the distance, and continued climbing and twisting through slippery rock areas and over branches and bushes in search of a real trail. Lather, rinse, repeat.
Every ridge looked like it would be the spot that connected to the Coastal Trail, but it turned out to be quite a series of ridges until we got there, identified by seeing other hikers and a dog far above us. A lone hiker was similarly looking for the trail to Tennessee Beach, which was not as clearly visible as any of us guessed.
We opted to enjoy the valley view of Tennessee Beach from an overlook where we could take a snack break. We decided that view was sufficient to satisfy our Tennessee Beach quest for the day, and continued our upward climb until we finally hit the Coastal Trail well above Battery Townsley and made our way back to Rodeo Beach.
Going off the clearly marked trail is not always intentional, and can be fun if you are sure it’s possible to get back to your main trail. I would not do that in a forest, for the most part, but with open hills and easy landmarks in every direction, bushwhacking our way along unmarked footpaths made for a fun adventure.
(Marin Headlands Above Tennessee Point Hike Notes were originally paired with the “Bushwhacking” Insights post.)
Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes on the main Hikes page or on the Hike Search by Area 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. See products with inspiring designs that support the efforts of HikingAutism under Support/Shop. The Links page lists a loose collection of helpful information links.
Check the Home page for the broader background story. If you’re not able to take one of these Northern California hikes, hopefully you can enjoy the photo galleries at the bottom of each hike page! 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)
Location: Marin Headlands: Tennessee Point on Tennessee Point Trail from Coastal Trail above Rodeo Beach/Fort Cronkhite, Mill Valley, California 94941
Starting Point: Trailhead at Fort Cronkhite/Rodeo Beach parking lot, Mitchell Road
For driving directions, input “Fort Cronkhite parking lot” into your GPS map system.
Info links:
For all web links, if a link doesn’t jump directly, copy and paste into browser.
Marin Headlands Map link (National Park Service):
https://www.nps.gov/goga/planyourvisit/upload/map_mahe_150429_508_2021.pdf
Fort Cronkhite Information and Map link (Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy):
https://www.parksconservancy.org/parks/fort-cronkhite
San Francisco to Fort Cronkhite MUNI bus info link:
https://www.parksconservancy.org/services/marin-headlands-express
Distance:
Our hike was about a mile to Tennessee Point and Tennessee Point Labyrinth from the Fort Cronkhite parking area at Rodeo Beach, followed by about a mile of moderately steep twists and turns without a set trail to an overlook spot above Tennessee Beach, and then further to reconnect with the Coastal Trail. It was about another mile back along the Coastal Trail past Battery Townsley and down to Rodeo Beach, for a total of approximately three miles.
Considerations:
• The Fort Cronkhite parking lot by Rodeo Beach is fairly large, but there is also parking along Mitchell Road with paths to the beach.
• Bathrooms (as well as beach showers) are available at the Fort Cronkhite parking lot by Rodeo Beach.
• There are some pretty steep drop offs along the cliff side stretch above Hawk Tail Beach (a deep split between cliffs toward the end of the fenced portion early in the trail). Keep an eye on children or others who may not be as attentive to fences and steep drops.
• It’s easy to miss the lower Tennessee Point Trail, which is not marked, and keep climbing along the Coastal Trail toward Battery Townsley. You can cut down the hill to the correct trail without going all the way back if you catch the miss early on.
• Bus service from San Francisco to Fort Cronkhite may be affected by health and safety restrictions. See link above for current info.
• For those walking along the periphery of Tennessee Point as well as the unmarked trails closer to the cliff edges, use extreme caution. Not only are the drops steep, but cliffs can be unstable and crumble underfoot at any time.
The trail (some of these notes overlap from Tennessee Point Labyrinth Hike Notes):
You can’t have a bad start to a hike when the launch point is Rodeo Beach in the Marin Headlands near Fort Cronkhite. I have been to Rodeo Beach countless times, on warm days and cold, sunny and overcast, and the scenery has never been less than stunning.
The Coastal Trail trailhead leading toward Tennessee Point and Tennessee Point Labyrinth starts at the beach end of the parking lot, right at the end of Mitchell Road. See other great hikes also starting from here: Tennessee Point Labyrinth, Battery Townsley, Hill 88 from Rodeo Beach, and Rodeo Lagoon Loop-Marin Headlands. Another nearby hikes from different starting points include Old Bunker Road, Batteries Loop Trail-Marin Headlands, and South Rodeo Beach Trail.
A brief uphill climb leads to a sign marking a sharp left up a path lined with charming wood fencing. The wooden fence leads straight toward the Pacific, and then makes a sharp right to continue uphill facing north, with the sharp drop revealing Hawk Tail Beach on the left on the outbound journey.
The minimal barrier that keeps one from falling down the steep cliff into the deep cove of Hawk Tail Beach is worth making a stop at for the glorious view above the steep, narrow beach. We’ve seen emergency crews during rescue practice here, for good reason.
Continue uphill to where the trails split out, with a Coastal Trail sign indicating the path uphill toward Battery Townsley and points beyond. This is where we split to the left to follow north parallel to the coast, rather than climbing uphill.
Tennessee Point Trail is easily visible by not necessarily labeled by a sign. Actually, there are what we refer to as the “middle trail” as well as a “lower trail,” both of which lead north toward Tennessee Point and the Labyrinth. (The officially marked Coastal Trail which is what we’re calling the “upper trail” takes walkers above to Battery Townsley, looming above at the top of the ridge.) The middle trail which meanders through chaparral terrain has lots of coyote brush and no large trees.
The textures and subtle colors of plants and rusty colored trail dirt are a visual treat whether looking up the hill, or down toward the water’s edge, a dramatic view no matter what stretch of this trail you’re on.
Look westward over the Pacific, and on a really clear day, you may get an amazing view of the Farallon Islands.
One of my favorite parts of hiking this part of the Marin Headlands is more about sound than sight. There is a buoy bell that can be heard in the distance, which invariably makes me think of the opening scene in “Jaws” when the young girl is swimming in the moonlight by the buoy. (This stretch of coast has its share of great white sharks!)
Continue along until the trail views out toward the ocean and leads through an old metal fence. The Labyrinth cliff area is visible rising to the left. Make your way through the tree tunnel section of the path and turn left to walk onto Tennessee Point.
After our labyrinth stop, we took what seemed like the obvious trail north, rather than backtracking far back to the Coastal Trail connector just below Battery Townsley. Keeping a general sense of direction is fairly easy with few trees blocking views in any direction. The Pacific is to the west, the San Francisco skyline is to the southeast, Point Reyes is toward the northwest, and the battery-dotted ridges rise above to the east. The two UFO-like structures that jut out of the hill looking back toward the hike start are the visual markers of Battery Townsley. If you can get there, you can get back to Rodeo Beach.
The trail that cuts up the headlands north of Tennessee Point Labyrinth offers gorgeous views leading to an area full of rock formations, miscellaneous bits of military ruins, and even a crumbling old asphalt road. It fades into non-trail terrain at this point.
We climbed, looked out toward Point Reyes where we could see Chimney Rock in the distance, and continued climbing and twisting through slippery rock areas and over branches and bushes in search of a real trail. Lather, rinse, repeat.
Every ridge looked like it would be the spot that connected to the Coastal Trail, but it turned out to be quite a series of ridges until we got there, identified by seeing other hikers and a dog far above us. A lone hiker was similarly looking for the trail to Tennessee Beach, which was not as clearly visible as any of us guessed.
We opted to enjoy the valley view of Tennessee Beach from an overlook where we could take a snack break. We decided that view was sufficient to satisfy our Tennessee Beach quest for the day, and continued our upward climb until we finally hit the Coastal Trail well above Battery Townsley and made our way back to Rodeo Beach.
Going off the clearly marked trail is not always intentional, and can be fun if you are sure it’s possible to get back to your main trail. I would not do that in a forest, for the most part, but with open hills and easy landmarks in every direction, bushwhacking our way along unmarked footpaths made for a fun adventure.
(Marin Headlands Above Tennessee Point Hike Notes were originally paired with the “Bushwhacking” Insights post.)
Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes on the main Hikes page or on the Hike Search by Area 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. See products with inspiring designs that support the efforts of HikingAutism under Support/Shop. The Links page lists a loose collection of helpful information links.
Check the Home page for the broader background story. If you’re not able to take one of these Northern California hikes, hopefully you can enjoy the photo galleries at the bottom of each hike page! Feel free to share and follow on Facebook at HikingAutism, follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism and Instagram at lisalouis777
