Book your parking before you go. So lucky we did because we saw others being turned around because…read morethey did not. We were able to find parking without any issues. Two people in our group has the American the Beautiful annual membership passes so they were able to bring 3 guests each in free. We spent about 2 hours here. Most of it was spent walking the main loop amongst the tall beautiful redwood trees. It is very peaceful there, even on a weekend. We did hike off the trail to see the hibernating lady buga. So many people walked right past them. There is a small gift shop right inside the entrance and a large gift shop plusa little cafeteria a short walk down the main trail too.

"Let me bring you songs from the woods To make you feel much…read morebetter than you ever could" (Jethro Tull) Muir Woods is 550-acres of old-growth forest with enormous redwoods wherever you look - they are the tallest type of tree in the world. We walked through their well-marked paths and over the wooden bridges and generally stared in awe at the majestic scenery. It is designated as a National Monument, and admission to the park runs $15. But if you have a National Park pass (like we did), you can enter Muir for free.

This exhibit is located in Sausalito, near the Marine Mammal Center, surrounded by trees, a few…read morepicnic tables, and a very narrow road. For actual parking, I'd say the Marine Mammal Center lower lot is probably the closest and most reliable, but it would be a bit of a walk. I just parked on the narrow road (Kirkpatrick Street) after visiting the MMC, as there didn't seem to be anyone using the road to Fort Cronkhite. The display is set up nicely to get a sense of the size and shape of the creature, even without all the bones. It's worth making a stop to check it out if already visiting the marine mammal hospital, but I wouldn't recommend going out of your way for this.

near to the marine mammal center. this giant blue whale…read moreskeleton is a must to visit or just to take photos.

Beautiful spot along the coast. There is a short walk on a path to the lookout point. It's…read moreconnected to a couple of trails you can walk along. There is a bathroom that has no sink or water. The parking lot has a good amount of spaces. Note that this is federal and the parking lot is closed during shutdowns. You can park nearby and walk in there is no entrance or fee. If you are in the area and driving by I recommend stopping by for a few minutes.

It's a bit of a hidden gem! [Highway 1 North of Muir Beach CA]…read more The Muir Beach Overlook was a nice stop along Highway 1 but to get here is a long, narrow and winding road. Parking lot isn't very big (15-20 spaces, maybe?) and could easily get full. There are bathrooms, picnic benches, interpretive signs, staircase... and huh? bunkers?! Historically, yes, this area was used as an observation station during World War II. There are a total of four bunkers, coastal defense systems for fire control especially after Pearl Harbor switched everyone to high alert for possible attacks against San Francisco. We went down the staircase... a short path that led out to a viewpoint overlooking the mighty Pacific Ocean about 400 feet below steep cliffs. Enjoy the views, there is no access to the shoreline below. Had we not known about this overlook we would've driven right by without noticing. It's kind of hidden. No road trip up Highway 1 would be complete without having a stop at this overlook. COST: FREE! Review #3851

Hiking leads you to discover so many interesting areas that are natural and man-made. Mother Nature…read moreprovides so many places with wonderful views and man makes structures that are significant and have historical importance; Battery Townsley has both. There are so many batteries built along the California coast that I've explored during my hikes and this is one of my favorites. It's located on a side of the hill in Marin Headlands heading towards Hill 88. The one huge difference between this battery compared to the rest is the size of its guns...and they were big. Even the barrel of the gun is on display outside the battery for everyone to admire. Most of the batteries that were constructed along the coast were WWI era, this one was constructed during WWII. Construction started in January 1938, completed in July 1, 1940 and transferred to the Coast Artillery for use on July 24, 1940. It is a reinforced concrete, casemated battery with two gun emplacements mounted with 16" guns that was part of Fort Cronkhite. It's named after WWI veteran and superintendent of the United States Military Academy, Major General Clarence P. Townsley. The two massive 16" guns were mounted on steel carriage on heavy-duty rollers that enabled the guns to pivot 140 degrees. The whole assembly weighed over a million pounds, which required lots of practice to ensure it operated smoothly, which the crew drilled repetitively. Each gun was capable of shooting a 2,100 pound, armor-piercing projectile with a range of 25 miles. That's as far as the Farallon Islands with that range. One of the guns eventually made it to the U.S.S. Missouri, which is now permanently docked at Pearl Harbor. This is the battleship where Japan officially surrendered to end WWII. The size of this battery was also massive that included bunk room for 150 soldiers, 2 powder rooms, 2 shell rooms, 2 powder service rooms, 4 storerooms, power room, radiator room, latrines, a shop and storeroom. A large reserve magazine room was also built in about 2500 feet southeast of the gun emplacement # 1 on the reverse slope that is not visible as it was surely heavily fortified. There's also a long tunnel from the entrance leading to the gun emplacement # 1 that is very cool to walk through. It reminded me of 'Walking Dead' every time I walk through this cool tunnel. On a nice clear day, the views from this battery provides a gorgeous backdrop of Rodeo Beach and Marin Headlands nearby, as well as the Golden Gate Bridge, the city and the Peninsula Coast in the distance. But Karl visits this area a lot, especially in the early mornings. He tends to dissipate in the afternoon and you're rewarded with clear skies. Next time you're hiking towards Hill 88, stop by this battery and check out the big gun. #YelpChallenge2020 review No. 84

5 Stars as one of the Bay Area's hidden geological wonders. This is an hot spring on the Marin…read morecoast at the end of the Dipsea Trail. There are cool cabins to be rented from Mt Tam State Park up on the plateau above the springs. Parking is possible, but kinda scary. There's a fairly comprehensive description by the Bay Guardian at: http://www.sfbg.com/nudebeaches/marin.php Important to note is the information that this hot spring is only available at low tide and, therefore, you've gotta think about the tide changing if yer "chilin'" in the spring! If you consider yourself an adventurer, don't be off-put by the Guardian's "D" rating, this hot spring is an adventure!

It isnt hidden by any means... describing this spring as a…read morewonder is a gross exaggeration. recently it has become overcrowded and disgusting. the locals have become extremely and hostile towards outsiders. dont even consider going unless you know someone who is a local. parking is sketchy and you risk getting cited. the trail down is treacherous and is covered with posion oak. even at low tide the springs are barely accesible due to the rising tides. the water isnt even warm and its smells like rotten eggs. this place isnt worth your time or effort to get to...

Lots of details about this interesting corner of the Bay Area provided by our guide Dan G. He was a…read morewealth of information, pretty funny and as a local was able to share a lot of perspective on the islands changes. Great day trip and I wish we had more time to poke around.

Wonderful tour led by Jim. History + nature! A great morning spent on the island…read more For people who are looking to visit the Naval Museum on the island, it is no longer open, but this tour is operative and you get to see the naval chapel and walk around the area. I was originally looking for information about the museum and arrived at this page: https://www.mihpf.org/tours. I hope this will help you find their tour options and dates! All digitalized, no fuss. And it turns out I was the only who signed up for today's tour, and they did not cancel on me because of that. I really really appreciated it. One last thing, the money you spend on the tour goes into helping this foundation : ) Yay!

Great views, great trails. If you plan on camping, please…read morecheck the website for limitations on type of camping and spaces. The park has no car camping, just tent camping and the available sites are very limited. I also suggest checking the weather before you go as conditions on the mountain can change dramatically ( like going from over 80° and no wind to 56° windy and foggy so bring layers no matter how warm it is.

Just past SF this park has so many different trail options perfect for all hiking levels. The…read moredownside is this place gets PACKED! My sister and I arrived before 8am at the Watershed parking lot and barely found a space. We did the trail that took us to the West Point Inn for the pancake breakfast and round trip was close to 5 miles so it was a great workout. There's gorgeous views and well! On the way back to the 101 however it's a mess. The road on the way down is crowded with parked cars, which makes driving through challenging. That's the only thing about this park, other than that I'd love to come back in spring when everything is green and vibrant!

On Easter, I was up in the north Bay and looking for a church to celebrate. I drove over to Mission…read moreSan Rafael for the first time when a beautiful church an amazing history. I set a free prayers in the side chapel just after their service they had quite a community buzz going on as they had live music for the service. Just being on the grounds of Mission San Rafael brought a calmness to me. If you be looking for a spectacular place to pray or reflect. I highly recommend visiting Mission San Rafael.

Nice to be back ..church is the last resort haha ...saloon de Jesus ..don't forget ...get outread more

Cute mini museum/exhibit on the side of the Mt Tamalpais East Peak Visitor Center…read more The barn doors only open on the weekends, but the signs are informative enough that, even on a weekday, you can pretty much get the gist of it. This is the site of what used to be the Crookedest Railroad in the world, with something like 237 turns. The tracks were ripped out decades ago, after the rides declined in popularity. The gravity cars seem like they were such a fun, wholesome, unique attraction. It's hard to believe there's not enough demand for them to be running anymore. I wouldn't go out of my way to see this, but it could be a fun place to visit with little kids, especially if you come on the weekend between 12-4, when it's open. For those of us children who are a little too old for this, there are plenty of cool hiking trails originating from the same parking lot at the visitor center. Parking is $5 unless you have a pass from camping.

If you go to the trouble to make it to the top of Mount Tam, you should definitely check out this…read moreMuseum. This was actually quite a famous location a few generations ago. Movie stars and other famous people came to this location to ride the famous gravity car, and stay at some of the famous hotels around this area. Mount Tam has some of the most well-known, fun trails in the entire San Francisco Bay Area. Did you know that Marin County is the birthplace of mountain biking? That's absolutely true. Some of the most famous mountain bikers and race winners live right here. I highly recommend biking or hiking the old gravity car road. Don't miss the West Point Inn, another famous stopping point for travelers. It's fun to imagine what it must have been like going down on one of those gravity cars. They have a gravity car that you can visit here, but don't try taking it down the mountain, since the tracks are all gone now. It would be a wild ride. I always wonder what would happen if the brake man fell asleep or went unconscious for some reason. Would the gravity car just keep on going?