Recently, I went to The Mount Tamalpais Watershed near San Rafael. At the Mt. Tamalpais Watershed, there are over 50 different trails. There is something for everyone, from tougher trails to easy gravel roads.
About Mount Tamalpais Watershed:
The Mount Tamalpais Watershed trails are less visited than some of the more popular trails towards the bay area like Muir Woods. Even though every parking spot was taken when I arrived around 7 am, I still found myself running alone most of the time and almost always alone on the single track trails.
The Mount Tamalpais Watershed is one of Marin’s most valuable natural resources. At the state park, you can run, hike, bike, horseback ride, fish, or picnic. A few things you can’t do are camp, swim, or boat.
I guess there are mountain lions too, but luckily I did not see any.
There are a lot of trails at the Mount Tamalpais Watershed, California. You can check out AllTrails, but there are over 50 trails that range from 1.4 miles to 31.3 and elevate up to 2500 feet.
At the Mt. Tamalpais Watershed, I decided to run about 12 miles and found myself running a single track, fire roads, technical trails, and around a lake. It was one of the most diverse 12 milers I did. It was clear, and I could definitely see parts of the Bay Area as well. There were A LOT more stairs than I’m used to, and I was sore for a little while after that.
I kind of puxed around saw what I saw at the Mt. Tamalpais Watershed. I didn’t have a goal to go to a certain area, and I just hoped I wouldn’t get lost. I ended up seeing and running around Bon Tempe Lake, which was beautiful. At Bon Tempe lake, you can run singletrack around and have views of Bon Tempe Lake and Alpine Lake, and Mount Tam.
In all, it was a fun time at the Mount Tamalpais Watershed, and I’m looking forward to going back and exploring more trails. I’ve never seen so many runners and bikers out “crushing it.” I averaged about 10:30 miles, and people flew by me on technical areas like I was standing still.
I highly suggest checking out the Mt. Tamalpais Watershed. There are plenty of trails for everyone, but I would get there early because it gets busy!
You can see more hikes and trails here.
Questions for you:
Have you ever been to the Mount Tamalpais Watershed?
What are some of your favorite local trails?