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Matt Davis Trail
Rating Details »
32 Belvedere Ave
Mt Tamalpais State Park
Stinson Beach, CA 94970
Mt Tamalpais State Park
Stinson Beach, CA 94970
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
18 reviews for Matt Davis Trail
Starting from the beach, you can hike upwards and back into the hills for miles, with an array of trail directions to choose from. Personally, I like the View With A Sandwich trail the best, however Chocolate Snack by the Stream is also lovely.
Unfortunately, we seemed to get caught on the Everything Is Poison Oak trail, which is visually pleasing but made me quite nervous and inspired me to keep my flower-pickin' hands to myself.
Nick H. claims we did about 14 miles that Saturday, but I'm pretty sure it was more like 25-65 mi if you count the vertical. Not to say I'm a wimp, but I'm short so distances are longer for me.
Haven't hiked this in a while, but it sure was memorable. If memory serves me well, it was my first hike with the Yelp DYK (Destroy Your Knees) crew!
What a glorious hike. Despite the fact that it was obviously a popular trail for hikers and joggers, there were sufficient moments of pure serenity. And the trail is just mapped out perfectly for a great workout without being too overwhelming. You will be rewarded with sweeping views of Stinson Beach and mostly shade covered trails.
I can't remember the exact route we took for the descent back to Stinson Beach (from where it intersected the highway at the top), but we spent a few hours for the entire hike. It wasn't so grueling that I was struggling to drive back home to the peninsula; but I do remember sleeping very well that night!
Bring plenty of water and light snacks. I always do better when I take frequent breaks too.
What a gorgeous hike! It can be cloudy up here so be sure to go on a clear day. If you google Matt Davis Trail you'll probably find this http://www.bahiker.com... and this guy's info is on the dot!
I ended up taking a more scenic route to the hike trailhead by not going on Panaromic Highway but instead continuing on 1 (aka Shoreline Highway in this area) and then taking a right onto Belvedere St. This allows you to see the ocean view vista points along the way (and the traffic is lighter too ;) ;) )
If you go on a clear day in fall, spring, summer, be sure to bring a sports bra as you will be stripping. It gets nice and warm and humid up in the hills and the trail starts out all uphill for 2.2 miles!
**Note** once you're at the top you will reach a sign (I added photo) TAKE THIS ROUTE TO THE COSTAL TRAIL. Just go down the costal trail for a few minutes and you'll see the view you hiked all the way up for.
For dinner, I highly recommend Sand Dollar. Their wine service, ambiance, and food were perfect. They also let us split entrees. They had a live musician too.
Started at 9:30 and finished at 3:30pm. Stopped for lunch in between.
Absolutely gorgeous. Waterfalls, various changing microclimates, a small pond, and beautiful views of the ocean, beach, and Bay area.
Mother nature is amazing.
You want God? Allah? Buddha? That thing that makes you say ah ya...I get it now. Go for a freaking hike. No I ain't no granola crunchy tree-hugging hippie...but I love me some motha nature. She's warm...picks you up when you're down and kicks you in the ass when you think you can't climb any more of these freaking steps. All the snot flying from my nose and stuff my coughs were expelling were all worth it in the end. Pack a lunch...bring a camelback....snacks and stuff.
There's various trails you can go off of this one...watch out for rattlesnakes..I guess. Be careful when you pee..I'm not endorsing it but just saying...have a lookout..it's kind of embarrassing when some old hippie lady comes upon you draining gaia's hose. Word to the motherlord.
i was reared a city girl.
but I do enjoy a satisfying hike once and awhile.
Matt David was a great trail. just steep enough to work those buns when you haven't worked out for 4 weeks, with a lot of greenery and stunning views of Stinson Beach and the Bay.
thanks for our super planner's suggestion, we started the trail from the other end at Stinson Beach, which took us 3.9 miles up up and away to the "little house on the prairie" fields of Mt. Tam. we saw WILDLIFE! a family of deer, lots of snails, pretty bluebirds, and fishies!
the middle point is a perfect resting point and pee-break. find the ranger's station and you're there! picnic benches where you can snack and a well-groomed restroom.
on the way down, we took Steep Ravine - which brought us through the lush and rich lands of the redwood trees and.. a ravine! there is a cute 10 foot ladder that you can climb down, and the sound of rustling water alongside is oh-so-soothing to the mind and soul.
the entire trail is very well kept; i rarely feared for my life when needing to hop over a small stream or climb up the hill!
even this city girl would not mind going again! hurry and go before the weather turns!
This trail includes a variety of green, and hillsides. WIth over half of the hike under shade cover, the foliage provides a peaceful ambience. Among the California Oaks and Douglas Firs are arrays of lush ferns and various brush throughout. With scattered bridges and miniature waterfalls, this path is a beautiful spring-summer terrain.
Amazingly beautiful with many different types of geography to take in. From hiking down to the ocean to canyons to rivers to forests, this is a great way to take in the outdoors not too far from the city. And tends to be relative less traveled given limited parking in the main trail access areas. There are also a number of different branches that allow you to do different potions each time you go to keep it fresh. Unless you're just a nature hater at heart, I don't see how you could avoid enjoying this trail for a few hours provided good weather.
This one makes many lists for top bay area hikes, including my own. I suggest the Matt Davis - Steep Ravine - Dipsea loop, starting at Stinson Beach (Matt Davis trail). It's about 7 miles and showcases spectacular and diverse scenery all along the way. This first leg up Matt Davis can be strenuous since you're heading uphill for about four miles, but you'll be rewarded with some panoramic views at the top. Once you get to the Pantoll parking lot, it's all downhill on the Steep Ravine trail.
This is a great hike any time of the year, but especially during winter and spring when everything is lush and green, and the waterfalls are flowing.
To get to Matt Davis, head to Stinson Beach and park near the Fire Station (Belvedere St.). For more details and convincing, check out the links below:
http://www.bahiker.com...
http://hiking.adampaul...
This is a beautiful trail full of lovely flora and fauna. We started at the top of Mt. Tam on a Saturday afternoon around 3 and it took us until about 5:45 to get to the bottom. This would be an enjoyable hike for most but it is important to make sure that your group is in reasonably good condition because coming back up the trail is quite grueling and not for elderly or anyone with any type of physical weakness.
This review covers only the Steep Ravine trail - will do other parts later.
Start the hike from Hwy 1, near the small parking space before hitting Panoramic Hwy/Stinson Beach. The trail itself is spectacular because of the dense foliage, unlike any other in the area. You will walk along a stream that seems to flow year round. There are miniature waterfalls (http://www.flickr.com/...), much prettier than the ones you can buy at Sharper Image!
If you are a birder, you will be delighted. Bring your binocs/camera along. You may catch a Grosbeak (http://www.flickr.com/...) munching on berries, or a Yellow Warbler (http://www.flickr.com/...) or a Rufous Hummingbird posing for a few seconds (http://www.flickr.com/...).
There is no Golden Gate here, but what you find is equally beautiful (http://www.flickr.com/...).
One of the must-do-before-you-die trails!
Did the Dipea-Matt Davis loop to Stinson last weekend with my big family and LOVED it- ferns, waterfalls, ladders, lush greenery, epic views, and a gorgeous beach as the reward for a pretty intense 7.5 round-trip hike in the Mt. Tam hills.
A wonderful hike for youa nd yours if you are in love with the outdoors, and want a great view from one of the bay area's most beautiful areas.
This is one of my favorite hikes in Marin. Spectacular scenery, great to hike along a soft trail with tons of trees, across bridges, up ladders, thru ferns and along a stream. Best thing is that you hike to Stinson Beach!
I usually take the Matt Davis Trail to Steep Ravine from Pantoll Ranger Station. When I went in 07 with my cousin, we were chatting a bit, and we somehow ended up along the wrong trail that took us to a side of a mountain. Somehow we came down a hill, there were no logs stopping us from going straight and we ended up in a deserted area. We fell into a bee hive area, and my cousin ended up getting bit by numerous bees. We reported this to the Park Ranger, so I hope that this part of the trail has been fixed, so nobody runs into this unfortunate happening.
All and all, I love this trail and would frequent it more often, if I could. There's a great place to get Soft Serve near the beach, but I wouldn't suggest getting any if you plan on going the opposite way that I've suggested. Hiking up Matt Davis is quite an uphill workout and can give you a stomach ache if you are filled with Soft Serve! (Yes, I speak from experience!) If you've never been on this trail, I highly recommend it!
Tickly caresses
of sunshine
as we roll
on sweet grassy knolls
butterflies or hummingbirds?
An echo rings
through the brilliant sky
Continuing onwards
thru turns and bridges,
Down a ladder
to the swoosh of waterfall
..to find
a sacred trillium...
(and there
amidst the shade
of redwood canopy
hides
a wild gobble turkey)
blinded by the ocean
tantalized by fragrant berries
Blessed and reminded
Are we
From Earth to Sky..
This is my cry:
I Love ya Mountain Mama
Till we play again,
So soon in time!
GRREAT HIKE! Beautiful scenery. You have to be in some kind of shape to hike down to Stinson Beach and Back to Mt. Tam but well worth it. You can park at Mt. Tam parking lot or just up the hill along the road if there is no parking. Great Hike in the Bay area - probably my fav so far!
absolute beauty this trail.....WOW.....couldn't get enough of it....
Gorgeous trail with a many different changes in scenery. Recommend walking up from Stinson Beach (trailhead is off Belevdere street just past the firehouse on rt 1) and walking UP to Pantoll, then down your choice of trails. All the rain recently wiped out the steps on Steep Ravine, so hike back down Old Mine-to Dipsea trail and watch the tough guys hike up past you on the Dipsea steps. Dipsea goes all the way back to Rt 1, a .2 mile walk from your car. Fantastic!
Awesome. Check online to see if they are doing races the day you go or you could end up like I did a couple of times, waiting as people passed by even though it was 8 am on a Saturday. Beautiful and you burn a lot of calories. I would start up the hill first and come back down Steep Ravine. Beautiful scenery and very quiet otherwise.
