Location: Mt. Tamalpais State Park; Sausalito, CA
Distance: ~6 miles
Type: Day-hike; Out and Back
Rating: Easy
Permits & Fees: None
Preparation:
For this hike, I brought 1 32 oz. water bottle and wore a hat, leggings, long-sleeve shirt, hiking shoes and a jacket (the jacket wasn’t needed).
The Hike
To access the trailhead to the hike, I drove about an hour and 45 minutes from home until I reached the Panoramic Highway, right off of Highway 1. There was parking on the side of the road across the street from the trailhead, but there is also a small dirt parking lot up the road. I had a late start, so it was pretty busy. However, I lucked out with parking. I recommend getting to the trail sooner rather than later, especially on weekends.
I couldn’t have picked a more perfect day to hike this trail; it was sunny and warm, even in the middle of November. I started the hike and soon came to a fork in the trail. There were signs for a trail race that was taking place, and I confused the Dias Ridge Trail with the Miwok Trail. Instead of sticking left, I went straight for about 30 minutes. I passed several hikers and trail runners and soon found myself in a shaded forest. After realizing I took the wrong trail, I turned around and made my way back to the fork and started on the Dias Ridge Trail. As a side note, Miwok Trail also leads to Muir Beach. The hike could be made into a loop-hike (Miwok Trail to Muir Beach followed by Dias Ridge to the trailhead), which is a little bit longer than just hiking Dias Ridge to and from Muir Beach (I didn’t know this until afterwards, which is why I turned around).
The views were incredible! About halfway down the trail, there is a sign that reads “Trailhead – 1.5 miles” and just after this sign is when I started to catch glimpses of the ocean and Muir Beach.
I continued down the trail until I made it to Muir Beach. It was packed with cars and trail runners who had recently finished their race, so I didn’t stick around for long. The best part of the hike were the views before reaching the ocean. Along the way back, several mountain bikers passed me and I ran into a few more hikers, some with dogs (this is a dog-friendly trail). Even though I picked a busy day to hike the trail, it was still very peaceful and everyone I came across was pleasant. This is the perfect day-hike, even during the fall and winter months. If possible, I’d save this hike for later in the year to beat major crowds. I look forward to hiking Dias Ridge again soon!
