Matt Davis Trail-West Point Inn to Bootjack
(scroll to bottom for photo gallery)
Location: The loop hike that includes the Matt Davis Trail from the Nora Trail to Bootjack described in this post as the third of three segments starts at: Bootjack Campground parking area, Mount Tamalpais State Park, to West Point Inn, 100 Old Railroad Grade, Mill Valley, CA 94941
Starting Point: Bootjack parking area, 895 Panoramic Highway, Mill Valley, CA 94941
Info links:
For all web links, if a link doesn’t jump directly, copy and paste into browser.
For online map application searches, input “Bootjack Campground Parking”
Mount Tamalpais State Park info link (CA State Parks):
https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=471
Muir Woods and Vicinity Trail Map (National Park Service):
https://www.nps.gov/goga/planyourvisit/upload/map-muwo-trail-2019-small.pdf
Mount Tamalpais brochure with map (California State Parks):
https://www.parks.ca.gov/pages/471/files/MountTamalpaisSPFinalWebLayout110816.pdf
Distance:
This post covers the ascending segment of a loop hike which starts with a short steep walk up from the Bootjack parking area through the campsites to the trail junction of Bootjack Trail and the Matt Davis Trail. We took the 0.2 mile section of Bootjack Trail to connect with Old Stage Road, and then hiked 1.4 miles to West Point Inn. The gallery and description in this post covers that part of the hike. Our return (covered in a future post) was 0.5 miles from West Point Inn on the Nora Trail until we reached the Matt Davis Trail and headed southwest for 1.3 miles to return to the original trail junction at the top of the campsites above the Bootjack Campground parking area. The total hike was around 3.6 miles but hills might make that feel a bit longer.
Considerations:
• The Bootjack parking area is fairly large, but as is the case at many trailheads, it gets more crowded on weekends.
• There are toilets at the Bootjack trailhead parking area, and also at West Point Inn.
• Follow health, safety, and wildlife information signs.
• Having a poison oak scrub like Technu is handy for any trail.
• As with any Bay Area outing, bring layers. You may be hot in the sun one moment and shivering under fog and a chilly breeze the next.
• Maps are important, whether paper or a downloaded image. Cell service is not always reliable, so downloading an image ahead of time helps. Not all trails are marked clearly or accurately on all maps, and trail signs aren’t always as clear cut as expected, so keeping a sense of bearings is important.
The trail:
Readers can read about the ascending leg of this hike in the Old Stage Road to West Point Inn Hike Notes. The middle leg is described in the Nora Trail-West Point Inn Connector Hike Notes.
This third leg of this loop hike goes from the bottom of the Nora Trail where it meets the Matt Davis Trail, and returns to Bootjack Campground and parking area. A couple of hikers who were well along the Matt Davis Trail going in the same direction chatted for a minute and revealed that they meant to be returning to the East Peak of Mt. Tam, not hiking toward Bootjack. Always double check your directions and have a map, even if just a PDF or photo image saved on your phone, since cell service is not always reliable in remote areas.
The bottom of the Nora Trail ends in a redwood grove, and the return hike along the Matt Davis Trail (heading southwest, though the trail direction twists and turns along the way) starts out with one of the iconic wooden footbridges I love, and follows along a shady redwood path. I’d been on the Matt Davis Trail in the opposite direction previously, and assumed that going toward Bootjack would be a lot of deep forest, and that it would be downhill the whole way since the first leg of this hike was a long gradual incline.
I was surprised to find that there was actually quite a bit of moderate climbing, and also surprised at how quickly we rose up to a stretch of deciduous trees and then open views over the bay.
The trail itself alternates between smooth trail softened by accumulated redwood needles, and stretches requiring more careful footwork due to roots and rocks in the trail.
The trail rises up through a patch of madrone trees, which are always fascinating to look at with their unusual bark and twisted branches. The trail rises higher again opening up to a view of the East Peak behind and the bay to the side. On a clear day, Mt. Diablo looms in the distance.
I was surprised to have the trail continue rising, and then we opened out to a chaparral area. The low brush was a patch mixture of green, brown and red, and offered more rolling mountain views with the bay further in the background from this part of the trail.
After the chaparral terrain, the Matt Davis Trail returned to its hallmark mixture of smooth pine-needle covered surfaces, wooden footbridges, and then more rocks and roots to navigate around. Though still under tree cover, the tree density becomes lighter as the trail comes back to the Bootjack Campground area. From there it’s back down the steps to the parking area.
I love the variety of scenery and terrain hikers can experience even over a short distance on one trail on Mt. Tam. This was a hike that offers a variety of forest scenery interspersed with grand open views, and the full loop as described in three Hike Notes was only about 3.6 miles, and easier than I’d anticipated.
(Matt Davis Trail-West Point Inn to Bootjack Hike Notes were originally paired with the “Leaves and Shadows” 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)
Location: The loop hike that includes the Matt Davis Trail from the Nora Trail to Bootjack described in this post as the third of three segments starts at: Bootjack Campground parking area, Mount Tamalpais State Park, to West Point Inn, 100 Old Railroad Grade, Mill Valley, CA 94941
Starting Point: Bootjack parking area, 895 Panoramic Highway, Mill Valley, CA 94941
Info links:
For all web links, if a link doesn’t jump directly, copy and paste into browser.
For online map application searches, input “Bootjack Campground Parking”
Mount Tamalpais State Park info link (CA State Parks):
https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=471
Muir Woods and Vicinity Trail Map (National Park Service):
https://www.nps.gov/goga/planyourvisit/upload/map-muwo-trail-2019-small.pdf
Mount Tamalpais brochure with map (California State Parks):
https://www.parks.ca.gov/pages/471/files/MountTamalpaisSPFinalWebLayout110816.pdf
Distance:
This post covers the ascending segment of a loop hike which starts with a short steep walk up from the Bootjack parking area through the campsites to the trail junction of Bootjack Trail and the Matt Davis Trail. We took the 0.2 mile section of Bootjack Trail to connect with Old Stage Road, and then hiked 1.4 miles to West Point Inn. The gallery and description in this post covers that part of the hike. Our return (covered in a future post) was 0.5 miles from West Point Inn on the Nora Trail until we reached the Matt Davis Trail and headed southwest for 1.3 miles to return to the original trail junction at the top of the campsites above the Bootjack Campground parking area. The total hike was around 3.6 miles but hills might make that feel a bit longer.
Considerations:
• The Bootjack parking area is fairly large, but as is the case at many trailheads, it gets more crowded on weekends.
• There are toilets at the Bootjack trailhead parking area, and also at West Point Inn.
• Follow health, safety, and wildlife information signs.
• Having a poison oak scrub like Technu is handy for any trail.
• As with any Bay Area outing, bring layers. You may be hot in the sun one moment and shivering under fog and a chilly breeze the next.
• Maps are important, whether paper or a downloaded image. Cell service is not always reliable, so downloading an image ahead of time helps. Not all trails are marked clearly or accurately on all maps, and trail signs aren’t always as clear cut as expected, so keeping a sense of bearings is important.
The trail:
Readers can read about the ascending leg of this hike in the Old Stage Road to West Point Inn Hike Notes. The middle leg is described in the Nora Trail-West Point Inn Connector Hike Notes.
This third leg of this loop hike goes from the bottom of the Nora Trail where it meets the Matt Davis Trail, and returns to Bootjack Campground and parking area. A couple of hikers who were well along the Matt Davis Trail going in the same direction chatted for a minute and revealed that they meant to be returning to the East Peak of Mt. Tam, not hiking toward Bootjack. Always double check your directions and have a map, even if just a PDF or photo image saved on your phone, since cell service is not always reliable in remote areas.
The bottom of the Nora Trail ends in a redwood grove, and the return hike along the Matt Davis Trail (heading southwest, though the trail direction twists and turns along the way) starts out with one of the iconic wooden footbridges I love, and follows along a shady redwood path. I’d been on the Matt Davis Trail in the opposite direction previously, and assumed that going toward Bootjack would be a lot of deep forest, and that it would be downhill the whole way since the first leg of this hike was a long gradual incline.
I was surprised to find that there was actually quite a bit of moderate climbing, and also surprised at how quickly we rose up to a stretch of deciduous trees and then open views over the bay.
The trail itself alternates between smooth trail softened by accumulated redwood needles, and stretches requiring more careful footwork due to roots and rocks in the trail.
The trail rises up through a patch of madrone trees, which are always fascinating to look at with their unusual bark and twisted branches. The trail rises higher again opening up to a view of the East Peak behind and the bay to the side. On a clear day, Mt. Diablo looms in the distance.
I was surprised to have the trail continue rising, and then we opened out to a chaparral area. The low brush was a patch mixture of green, brown and red, and offered more rolling mountain views with the bay further in the background from this part of the trail.
After the chaparral terrain, the Matt Davis Trail returned to its hallmark mixture of smooth pine-needle covered surfaces, wooden footbridges, and then more rocks and roots to navigate around. Though still under tree cover, the tree density becomes lighter as the trail comes back to the Bootjack Campground area. From there it’s back down the steps to the parking area.
I love the variety of scenery and terrain hikers can experience even over a short distance on one trail on Mt. Tam. This was a hike that offers a variety of forest scenery interspersed with grand open views, and the full loop as described in three Hike Notes was only about 3.6 miles, and easier than I’d anticipated.
(Matt Davis Trail-West Point Inn to Bootjack Hike Notes were originally paired with the “Leaves and Shadows” 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
