The 2nd Best Day Hike in America The heart of 'Zoot' Country is the Marin peninsula. The soul of Marin, in turn, is the 10 kilometer (7 mile) long Dipsea Trail. Except for Yosemite Park, there's probably no hiking trail in the United States that packs so much entertainment into so short a distance. The trail begins at one of the best outdoor cafes in Northern California- the Depot Cafe in Mill Valley. Even in the middle of winter, the morning sun makes sitting on the terrace and drinking a warm chocolate a pleasure.
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Trail Head-The Depot Cafe |
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Sharing the Trail with cross-country runners |
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| Following this warm-up exercise, the trail starts adjacent to a relic of the Gravity Tourist Train that ran to the peak of Mount Tamalpais in the early 1900s. When the train reached the summit, the locomotive would be uncoupled from the passenger cars. The cars would then coast down the mountain in 'complete silence'. Unfortunately for the scenic railroad, the construction of the Golden Gate bridge made Tamalpais accessible to automobiles. By WWII the Scenic Railway was bankrupt, and the rails were recycled into metal for building ships.
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Then
comes the 'magical' part of the Dipsea Trail- the 'Dipsea Steps'. A
series of 671 steps transports you up and out of Mill Valley. At the
top of the steps you are rewarded with the first of many spectacular
views. Although the steps are a challenge, you'll be
consoled to know runners from 8 to 96 have succeeded not only in
running up the stairs, but the entire distance to the sea.
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Zoot Steps |
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Richardson Bay |
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Muir Woods National Park |
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| Page Under Construction
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All in less than 7 Miles! |
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Descent to the Pacific Ocean |
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