Tennessee Valley Trailhead — Attraction in Marin City

Tennessee valley trail is a cool hike to enjoy nature and dip your toes in the ocean all at the same time. This trail is about 1.75 miles one way to the beach but is absolutely worth it. Beach lovers would love the views and variety of beach sections and the rocks around. Small stones, smaller stones, coarse sand and fine sand closer to water. What a beautiful place to enjoy the day. At low tide, you can explore the spaces behind the huge rocks. There is a pond near the beach where you can spot some ducks/geese. Dogs are not allowed on this trail. There are two paths to the beach. One is to climb the hill. The other is Lower Spur trail but the trail is open seasonally. There are winter closures and some closures when the pond water is too high. Once you start the hike, after about half a mile, you will see a fork. The left side trail is the flat trail. The right hand side one that has the wooden fence goes up and reaches the beach too and has great views. Follow the Lower Spur trail if you don't want to climb. This trail is flat and easy. We saw some parents bringing strollers on this trail. But at the end of the trail, the way is steep and rough, so you should be able to lift the stroller and carry it down. Vault toilets are available at the parking lot and the end of the trail close to the beach. Parking lot is undergoing some renovations and is open partially on weekends. It gets full very quickly on weekends. You may have to park somewhere further down the road and walk up to the trailhead. So, add this to your trail length too. There are trails here that lead to Rodeo beach too. It is about a 3-mile hike.

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A great place to take an easy stroll to the beach, a nice run, or an extended hike. There are plenty of trails nearby for biking as well. There is a nearby livery also if you are into horses. The trails are a network that takes you to Tennessee beach and other trails throughout the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Most of the trails are exposed with little or no canopy. I would suggest a hat and sunscreen for protection. There are plenty of beautiful flowers along the path that are worth stopping to admire. The people are very friendly and I always receive a hello when saying hi.

The trail that leads up from Tennessee beach to connect south east to other trails is very steep and with loose dirt and rocks. I would suggest good hiking shoes if you plan to explore further south. Most of the other trails have a wide and moderate elevation which makes for potentially good biking.

The beach itself was fairly secluded since it was almost 2 miles from any parking. Enjoy the peace and serenity of the Ocean as a reward...

Tennessee Valley Beach Trail is a gorgeous, easy trail with sweeping views of Tennessee valley. We did the out and back trail totaling 3.6 miles. With minimal inclines and a mix of fire road and maintained dirt path, it is great for kids and you can even take a stroller all the way to the beach - gorgeous rock striations book-end a black sand beach with coarse pebbles. Once you get to the beach, you can venture up the cliffs for a different vantage point. I haven't made it hear in early-mid spring, but I imagine the wildflowers are worth the trip!

It's a pretty quick ride from the peninsula. The only issue that I've run into is that the parking lot can fill up quickly. Fortunately, hikers are coming and going quickly, so you can usually find a spot. If not, there is street parking on the side of the road that isn't far from the fire...